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

Chapter 8: From the Venice Protocol
to the Sopron plebiscite
October 11– December 14-16, 1921
A week after the proclamation of an independent Lajta-Banate, the
Hungarian-Austrian meetings 461 began in Venice on October 11 under the
presidency of the Italian Foreign Minister, Paolo Tommaso della Toretta. It was
attended by Austrian Chancellor Johannes Schober, Hungarian Prime Minister
István Bethlen and Foreign Minister Miklós Bánffy. 462
In regard to the annexation of Western Hungary, an unknown fact was
recorded by Bánffy in his diary. After the first day’s discussions, the Foreign
Minister invited the Italian ambassador to Hungary, Gaetano Castagneto, also
in attendance, to dinner. “I mentioned how well disposed I found Toretta. ‘I see
your influence in it!’ I said to Castegnatto (sic!). ‘No, not entirely,’ said the
ambassador, laughing, ‘there is a deeper reason.’ And now what he said
surprised me. ‘At the time of the peace treaty, Toretta was an ambassador in
Vienna. Maybe, because he was afraid of the [Western Hungary] Czech-
Yugoslav corridor, he invented Burgenland!’ He, Toretta! Yes, he! ‘He
specifically went to Paris because of it. Since the insurrection, perhaps he is a
bit ashamed that his creation brought such a dangerous result. Now he is trying
to rectify it. That is what I suggested to him two weeks ago. But he was
reluctant. What was decisive was your latest turning to Beneš. Hence, the
specter of the Czech-Serb corridor rose again in him’.” 463
According to the minutes of the Venice meeting 464 dated two days later on
the 13 th , the aim of the conference was “a mutual agreement to define the
question of the boundary of Western Hungary granted to Austria by the treaties
of Saint-Germain and Trianon.” This was the first instance that the Entente
Powers initiated an international summit to settle their prior decision made in
two treaties. Italy had a decisive role in it because – although at the time the
461 Bánffy, 1993, op. cit., pp. 80–86; Parragi, György: A velencei egyezmény
megkoronázza Sopron megmentését [The Venice Agreement sanctions the rescue of
Sopron]. In: A ”Sopronvármegye” Népszavazási Emlékalbuma. Rábaközi Nyomda és
Lapkiadó Vállalat. Sopron, 1934, pp. 59–65. (A továbbiakban: Népszavazási
Emlékalbum.); Sopronyi-Thurner, Mihály: A magyar igazság kálváriája [The tortuous
path of Hungarian legitimacy]. In: Sopron and …, 1934, op. cit., pp. 41–43.
462 Count Miklós Bánffy (1873-1950), parliamentary representative from 1901 to 1918
and the country’s Foreign Minister between April 14, 1921 and December 29, 1922. He
had a significant role in Hungary’s entry into the League of Nations in 1922. In 1926,
he moved to his estate in Bonchida in Transylvania and took Romanian citizenship.
When part of Transylvania was again re-annexed to Hungary by the Second Vienna
Award, he was a member of the Upper House of the Hungarian Parliament (1940-
1944). In 1949, he moved to Budapest, where he died shortly after.
463 Bánffy, 1993, op. cit., p. 83. The Italian ambassador was alluding to the meeting
between Bánffy and Beneš on June 23-24 in Marienbad.
464 Halmosy, 1983, op. cit., pp. 179–183.
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