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

large volumes of maps and statistical facts to the other delegates. However, all
their work was in vain, since all had been decided in advance and the counterarguments
of the Hungarians were dispensed with. While the Hungarian
delegates were essentially under house arrest, their opponents [the Czech-
Slovak, Romanian and Serb delegates—J.B.] had free access to the delegates of
the Peace Conference and did everything possible to promote their own
interests. 178
The Entente Powers handed the terms of the peace treaty to the Hungarian
delegates on January 15, 1920, which was in harmony with the terms signed by
Austria on September 10, 1919, in Saint-Germain. Austria was awarded a strip
of western Hungary approx. 170 kms. long, 60 kms. wide at its widest and a
mere 4 kms. wide at its narrowest (West of Sopron, at the village of Szikra). In
his speech on the following day, January 16, Count Apponyi deemed the
decision objectionable, if it is not amended. In memorandum XV that the
Hungarian delegates delivered, with three appendices, they attempted to refute
Austria’s western Hungary claims. Here we quote the closing thought of
appendix three: “We ask the Supreme Council to alter its decision made in the
Austrian peace treaty and leave to us – if it so wishes, after an impartial
plebiscite – this territory, which, based on the reality, the tug of the heart, and
the fundamental interests of its people, has been, for over 1000 years,
Hungarian.” 179
The circumstances around the discussions and affirmation of the new
Austria-Hungary border reflect the state of affairs that held sway in Paris at the
peace conference. István Czakó 180 reported it, based on the published
stenographic record made by David Hunter Miller (1875-1961), special legal
adviser to the American commission. 181 It becomes apparent from it that the
178 Sisa, István: Magyarságtükör. Nemzet határok nélkül [Nation without borders].
Budapest, 2001, pp. 236–237; Kelecsényi, Ferenc: Párisban a békekonferencia idején
[In Paris at the Peace Conference]. Budapest, 1920.
179 A magyar béketárgyalások. Vol. I, op. cit., pp. 455- 469. The quote, p. 469.
180 Czakó, István: Gyorsírói feljegyzések a trianoni béke létrejöttéről. Egy amerikai
memoár leleplezései. I. rész [Stenographic notes to the creation of the Trianon peace.
The revelations of an American account. Part I.]. In: Magyar Szemle, vol. VIII, 1930,
issue 3, pp.301–308; part II, issue 4, 1930, pp. 391–400; Czakó, István: A trianoni
„békekötés” felelőssége [The responsibility of the Trianon “peacemaking.”]. Budapest,
1933, p. 54.
181 Miller, David Hunter: My Diary at the Conference of Paris with Documents, Vol. I-
XXII. Published by author, 1929, USA, no city given. Miller was a well known figure
of the Paris peace treaties. Secretary of State Robert Lansing named him a special
assistant of the State Department on June 9, 1917, for a nominal $1 a month salary (the
USA only paid for his transatlintic and official travels). Miller arrived in Paris on
November 19, 1918 and afterwards kept a diary, based on stenographic records, of the
preliminary and key debates of the peace conference, the meetings of the committees
and sub-committees, almost minute by minute. The invaluable source material (with
countless maps) was organized into 40 series and published in 22 volumes (approx. 500
pages each) and published in 1929.
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