HUNGARY'S OFFER

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21148, 16 July 1943, Page 3

HUNGARY'S OFFER

WOULD NOT RESIST APPROVAL TO BRITAIN GUARANTEES REQUIRED (9 a.m.) NEW YORK. July 15. The Hungarian Government recently informed Britain that the Hungarian army would not resist the Allies if they invaded the Danubian Basin, says the New York Times correspondent in Cairo, Mr. Cyrus Sulzberger. Shortly after this offer, Count Bethlen, the former Hungarian Prime Minister, despatched a personal pledge to the Allies that the Hungarians would not oppose an Allied invasion of the Balkans if certain guarantees were given, including a promise not to bomb Budapest.

Mr. Sulzberger explains that the offers may be part of the war of nerves or a trap, but experienced observers are of the opinion that it is neither. He adds that the British Government replied that it took an extremely poor view of such weird suggestions. Informed circles emphasise that the Allies consider Hungary just as much an enemy land as any other Axis partner and she must, therefore, submit to the terms of unconditional surrender.

However, the Hungarian advances are taken as a sign that the country is increasingly war weary and ready to do almost anything to get out of the trap it set for itself when the Axis fortunes looked good. This spirit is even reflected in the Hungarian newspapers, several of which are almost openly for the Allies. For example, scheduled Roosevelt and Churchill speeches were splashed on the front page, giving the hour, central European time, and thus informing readers when to turn on their radios.