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

for annexation. 222
In the matter of the propaganda promoted by the Austrian delegates,
representative Sigray addressed a question in Parliament on August 7, 1920 to
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pál Teleki. According to Sigray, the
Viennese delegates “are now trying to win the population to the idea of splitting
from Hungary and are spreading word that the union of the Austrian Republic
to the German Empire is a foregone conclusion and that the German-speaking
region of Western Hungary will not be part of an unviable Austria but a revived
and territorially enlarged, again mighty, Germany through Anschluss.” 223 Sigray
finally asked what steps the Hungarian government is taking to counter the
Austrian propaganda?
In his reply, the prime minister stated that “I have no immediate and official
knowledge” that Western Hungary is to be annexed to Germany and not
Austria. With regard to the Austrian agitation, he would order an inquiry and
asked the aid of the representative posing the question. “Insofar as there is
agitation – said Teleki – I must, at the least, bring it up with the Austrian
government because the representatives of German Austria are not there with
the goal of agitation but are delegated to the Mission for other reason. In any
case, the question itself with which they agitate is perhaps of interest not so
much for us as for the Entente, which gave this territory to Austria in the Saint-
Germain peace and over which Austria intends to hold a plebiscite. (…) I will
take steps if necessity demands it.” 224
Count Sigray acknowledged the prime minister’s response and noted that he
would attempt to provide as much information as possible to the Hungarian
government regarding the opinion-influencing activities in Sopron County by
the Austrian delegates. “It is certain that they are taking advantage of the
situation and are creating agitation. In fact, we will prove that they are
maintaining an entire office where they receive all the malcontents and grant
some jobs and positions. In other words, behave as if the territory was already
not under Hungarian sovereignty. (…) They overstep the Austrian government
signed (…) Saint-Germain treaty’s point 88, which precisely forbids Austria’s
union with Germany, [yet] they agitate with it. It is essentially not our problem
(…) it is the Entente’s because it would interest them more that a Germany,
which they certainly do not wish to strengthen, would extend to the line of the
Raba [River] through this union.” 225 Sigray again drew attention to the fact that,
in spite of the Entente matter, the Hungarian government “should not tolerate”
the Austrian agitation in Sopron.
Although Austria did not possess adequate military forces, it took an ever
222 Träger, Ernő: A soproni népszavazás [The Sopron plebiscite]. A szomorúság,
bizakodás és hűség napjairól. In: Sopron. Civitas Fidelissima. Szerk/ed.: Thirring,
Gusztáv, Sopron, 1925, p. 76. (The work also appeared in German as Träger, Ernst: Die
Volksabstimmung in Sopron. Dezember 1921. Ödenburg, pp. 14–16.)
223 Nemzetgyűlési Napló, IV. kötet. Budapest, 1920. 304. old.
224 Ibid.
225 Ibid, pp. 304–305.
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