The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

Czech, Romanian and South Slav post offices, and other foreign countries. Not
so by the Royal Hungarian Mail, which only delivered the items after having
charged a postal surcharge. 432 The rebels feared – with good reason – that if the
stamps are printed in Budapest, the authorities will confiscate them. That was
the reason for having had them printed in Vienna. News of this leaked out and
the Austrian government confiscated the printed supply. The Paulussen Press
was only able to deliver stamps after the October 13 signing of the Venice
Protocol, even though the stamps were ready two days before. 433
In the meanwhile, Prime Minister Bethlen was fearful, on the one hand, that
the proclamation of independence by Western Hungary would strengthen the
royalists’ overt aim of restoring Charles IV to the throne and, on the other hand,
weaken Hungary’s international position. He alluded to it in his telegram of
October 4 to the high command of the Western Hungary insurrection. He
objected sharply to the creation of an independent country in Western Hungary.
He asked Prónay to cease the movement and alter their resolution. Knowing the
intractableness of the commander and the high command, the government
censored out all news of the Lajta-Banate proclamation from Hungarian papers
and ordered the border to Western Hungary closed.
The prime minister also issued instructions to the police and other
authorities that rebels en route to Western Hungary were to be arrested in
Budapest and returned to their place of residence. Resisters were to be interned.
Prónay, however, refused to budge as disclosed in his letter of October 7 to the
prime minister. In it he stated that he insists on the proclaimed independence,
sovereignty and neutrality of Lajta-Banate. Behind their backs, the Hungarian
government should only hold talks with Austria regarding trade matters. On the
same day, Prónay also imparted to Chief Commissioner [of the western
counties] Sigray that they refuse to negotiate with either the Hungarian
government or Austria with regard to the territory of Lajta-Banate but would
“hold out to the last bullet, to the last breath.” 434
Also on October 7, at the Cabinet session PM Bethlen announce that the
representatives of the Entente Powers delivered the invitation to the Italian
mediated Hungarian-Austrian meeting in Venice. It was Vienna’s stated request
that Sopron and its surrounding decide on their affiliation by plebiscite.
According to the PM, that stance clashed on two points with the Hungarian
point of view. One, that Hungary wants to retain the city and its surrounding
without a plebiscite; two, the question of border adjustment, which the
Austrians totally rejected. Thus, in Venice, the Hungarian government strongly
raised the situation of the civil servants and the question of payment of
432 The Royal Hungarian Mail decreed the Lajta-Banate stamps as not acceptable for
postal usage. The directive (2849, Posta és Távírda Rendeletek Tára, 1922) was issued
on February 13, 1922, long after the fighting. Much later, in September of 1932,
ignoring the directive, it began selling the stamps to collectors, in essence, making them
official.
433 Missuray-Krúg, 1935, op. cit., p. 202.
434 Soós, 1971, op. cit., p. 159.
170