Hungary

General Assembly resolution 995 (X) of December 1955, admitting Hungary to membership in the United Nations together with fifteen other countries, was wholeheartedly welcomed by the Hungarian people. Membership in the United Nations meant to the people of Hungary an opportunity to contribute, in this great international forum, to the safeguarding of peace with their own modest means. 2. The Hungarian people were, however, bitterly disillusioned on this point. The General Assembly has since October 1956 adopted a series of resolutions which run counter to the main principles of the Charter of the United Nations and constitute an interference in affairs falling within the domestic jurisdiction of Hungary. Those resolutions did not promote the healing of the wounds inflicted by the counterrevolution; quite the contrary, they represented an endeavour to hamper peaceful consolidation. 3. The Hungarian Government was compelled to oppose those resolutions and to safeguard the independence and sovereignty of the country. There was one resolution which was adopted with the best intentions of providing assistance namely, General Assembly resolution 1007 (ES-II). However, this resolution was not implemented with any substantial success. 4. In the difficult situation caused by the counterrevolutionary attack, the Hungarian people were in need of assistance; but they wanted, at the very least, to settle their internal affairs on their own and to choose their own way towards prosperity. 5. The counter-revolution was an attempt to revive fascism in Hungary. It caused losses amounting to nearly 22 thousand million forints to the national economy, which was threatened with economic disorganization. All this, apart from those who absconded in order to escape punishment for their role in the counter-revolution, prompted many tens of thousands of Hungarians to flee abroad from the spectre of fascism and economic crisis. A great majority of these persons are in a precarious situation and wish to return home, but in many countries they are prevented from doing so. The Hungarian delegation will submit to the General Assembly a draft resolution in connexion with this problem and will request the Assembly to help these people and, first of all, those who are underage, to return to their families in Hungary. 6. The aid rendered by the Soviet Union, the People's Republic of China and the other socialist countries helped Hungary to surmount the aftermath of the counter-revolution. In addition to this, Hungary received some material aid from other countries, in part through the International Red Cross. Although the large-scale political and material assistance extended by the socialist countries was of incalculable importance, the consolidation of economic and political life in the country was due, first of all, to the fact that the Hungarian people endorsed the Government's programme and did their utmost to help carry it through. 7. Today, the economic life of the country is going along in a sound way. Industrial output in July 1957 equalled, and in consumer goods considerably surpassed, the output level prior to the counter-revolution. Agriculture is undergoing a similarly favourable development. The abolition of the compulsory sale of produce to the State and the introduction of a new purchasing system gave the peasantry about 20 to 25 per cent higher incomes than before. Wage-earners and salary-earners now receive, thanks to government measures, considerably more than before the counter-revolution. Order and tranquillity prevail in Hungary. The production figures and the economic consolidation of the country, which took place sooner than expected, are one of the best indications that the masses trust and support the Government. 8. This progress has been disturbed by the political campaign conducted against the Hungarian people by the great Western Powers which fomented the counter-revolutionary uprising. This new attempt to influence the internal development of the country in the interest of great power policy has aroused the indignation of the Hungarian people. For several weeks Hungary has been the scene of a veritable plebiscite. Hundreds and thousands of people participated in mass meetings of protest and up to now 268,000 people signed telegrams and memorandums protesting against the Special Committee on the Problem of Hungary, which was created upon the insistence of certain great Powers, and against its investigation of the domestic affairs of the Hungarian people. 9. Some of these telegrams have already been transmitted to the Secretary-General. Others have been brought here by the Hungarian delegation and will also be transmitted to the Secretary-General. I could quote from these telegrams at length, but I am going to read out only a single one. The workers of the Esztergom machine-tool factory have written the following: “The problem of Hungary is being discussed by the Hungarian people themselves. We have already begun discussing it by defeating the counter-revolution and starting productive work. We serve the cause of peace, we have had enough of destruction. Let peace come; the peoples of the world desire it so.” The other telegrams protest in a similar way against the so-called problem of Hungary being kept alive in the United Nations. This protest movement is gaining force like an avalanche. 10. The Hungarian Government and the Hungarian delegation have presented numerous publications, with convincing facts and documents, and it seems incomprehensible that, although these documents have proved irrefutable, the so-called question of Hungary has been maintained on the agenda of the General Assembly, thereby making it more difficult for the Hungarian Government to establish cordial and friendly relations with other countries. 11. When the Hungarian delegation came to the twelfth session of the General Assembly, it believed that its country's peaceful development, about which representatives would receive ample information, would convince the majority of them that their earlier attitude towards the Hungarian question was wrong. Unfortunately we were mistaken. On 14 September 1957, the General Assembly, at its eleventh session, adopted a resolution [resolution 1133 (XI)] which, far from promoting peaceful developments in Hungary, is actually intended to fan unrest. This resolution was based on the report of the Special Committee on the Problem of Hungary [A/3592]; which report, as we have already proved, purposely and maliciously distorted the truth. 12. It could be claimed that the resolution was passed by the majority of the General Assembly, by sixty States. That is true. But if arithmetic is to be used, all the better, let us do some simple arithmetic. The population of the ten States which voted against this draft resolution totals 309 million and that of the abstaining States 520 million, which added up gives 829 million. The population of the socialist States which are not Members of the United Nations amounts to 640 million. That is a total of 1,469 million. The population of the sixty States which voted for the resolution is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 850 million. No comment is necessary. 13. Unfortunately this is not the first time in the practice of the United Nations that a resolution has been passed which leaves out of account the attitude taken by the de facto majority of mankind. To mention only one blatant example: by the resolution adopted yesterday, [resolution 1135 (XII)] the real representatives of China were again prevented from occupying their rightful place in the United Nations. Such resolutions, which ignore the facts, quite obviously undermine the prestige of the United Nations to a considerable extent. 14. So far as the resolution passed on Hungary is concerned, the Hungarian people and their Government are convinced of the rightness of their cause. Therefore they are not allowing themselves to be intimidated in any way and will not swerve from the path which, as the facts show, is leading to the material and cultural advancement of the country. And if we have failed to convince all representatives during the debate, the injustice of these resolutions will be eloquently proved by our act, the future achievements of our work of construction, and our foreign policy based on the principle of peaceful coexistence. 15. Ever since the working people have exercised power in Hungary, they have supported with their utmost strength all efforts to safeguard peace. Under Horthy fascism, the Hungarian people were taught to hate their neighbouring nations. The effects of this belligerent propaganda over more than two decades, to which every Hungarian was constantly exposed, are still making themselves felt today. The Hungarian Government is employing every educational means to eradicate chauvinism and nationalism used for fanning hatred among peoples and to foster among the Hungarian people esteem and respect for other nations. The Hungarian Parliament has passed an Act on the defence of peace and, on the basis of this Act, the Hungarian Government is suppressing all forces in the country which attempt to break the peace. The working masses are undivided in their support for the Government in its policy of peaceful coexistence among the peoples. The counter-revolution last year inflicted heavy damage also in this respect and involved inestimable dangers. Chauvinism flared up and enmity towards neighbouring peoples was incited. When the counterrevolution was put down, it also meant the end of these dangerous phenomena. 16. The Hungarian people want to enjoy the fruits of their own labour; therefore they firmly oppose any attempts, either by reactionary quarters at home or by a foreign Power, to jeopardize their achievements. A war would prevent the building of socialism, destroy the results of twelve years of work and threaten the very existence of Hungary. Today those who hope to benefit from a war are no longer in power; therefore, the will for peace of the Hungarian Government is consistent in both domestic and foreign policy. 17. Prompted by the principle of peaceful coexistence, the Hungarian People’s Republic is developing its relations with other countries. While upholding its independence and sovereignty, it is ready to come to agreement with any country which respects these principles. At present Hungary maintains diplomatic relations with forty-three countries. The Hungarian Government places special emphasis on establishing relations with countries which have recently obtained their independence. 18. Although the Hungarian People's Republic is ready to come to terms with all countries irrespective of their social and political systems, there are countries with which it has failed to establish good relations and which are still unfriendly towards Hungary, make unjustified accusations, and are discriminating against it in various ways. In the present discussion, for instance, the head of the Italian delegation and others have again made scathing attacks on the Hungarian Government similar to those made in the past few months. Unfortunately, some statements have been made here with the sole purpose of poisoning the atmosphere and increasing tension. Speeches like that of the representative of Australia, [687th meeting] who would make peace contingent on the annihilation of one's opponent, are not conceived in the spirit of the United Nations Charter. Our relations with the United States Government are not good, either. The hostile attitude toward the Hungarian people of the leading quarters in the United States is alone responsible for this. The deterioration of this relationship did not start after the counter-revolution; the relationship only grew even worse at that time. The United States is not doing its part even today to normalize relations. 19. We should like to improve our neighbourly relations with adjacent Austria. For this, however, it would be necessary that the Austrian Government give a little more indication of the neutrality to which it pledged itself in the 1955 State Treaty than was the case in the speech made this morning by its representative [687th meeting], 20. The Government of the Hungarian People's Republic is convinced that if every country were to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, a good relationship could be brought about on the basis of mutual advantage between nations with entirely different social systems. These fundamental principles of Hungary's foreign policy are in complete harmony with the resolutions passed at the 1955 Bandung Conference and on the basis of these principles the Hungarian delegation supports the draft declaration [A/3673] submitted to the General Assembly by the Soviet Union, according to which the United Nations should declare that co-operation among countries should be based on territorial integrity and sovereignty, non-aggression, equality and mutual benefit. 21. Some are perhaps anxious to know why, then Hungary is adhering to the 1955 Warsaw Treaty. Before answering I should like to call attention to article 11 of the Warsaw Treaty, which states: "Should a system of collective security be established in Europe, and a General European Treaty of Collective Security concluded for this purpose, for which, the Contracting Parties will unswervingly strive, the present Treaty shall cease to be operative from the day the General European Treaty enters into force." 22. The belligerent quarters of the United States are increasing war tension in Europe by continuing the rearmament of the German Federal Republic and by maintaining the division of Germany. In the various parts of Europe, just as in the German Federal Republic, atomic bases are being established. By all means possible these quarters are preventing the reunification of Germany on democratic foundations, which is a fundamental condition of European peace and security. 23. The need for self-defence has made the Hungarian people look for protection against the threatening forces of the armed German militarists, and the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in alliance with them, by entering into friendship pacts with fraternal, sympathetic peoples living across their borders, because the Hungarian people would be incapable of defending themselves alone. Tension in Europe will be eased, however, not if military blocs are opposed one to the other but if the States of Europe give each other mutual guarantees that they will solve any controversial issues only by peaceful means. 24. A peaceful atmosphere in Europe is prevented also by the fact that twelve years after the end of the war the United States is maintaining armed forces in Europe and is working hand in glove with the German militarists. 25. At the meetings of the sub-committee of the Disarmament Commission which started in March 1957 the Soviet Union made a reasonable proposal based on reciprocity according to which, on the one hand, the United States, the United Kingdom and France should within two years make a substantial reduction in their armed forces stationed on the territory of the NATO countries and, on the other, the Soviet Union should similarly reduce its armed forces stationed in the Warsaw Treaty countries. Later the Soviet Union also submitted a proposal for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from European countries. These proposals have been reiterated by the Soviet Union at the current session of the General Assembly [681st meeting]. The Hungarian Government supports these Soviet proposals because they are a means of liquidating military blocs, reducing the armed forces of the great Powers, and therefore a step forward towards bringing about an agreement for European collective security. 26. The aggressive quarters of the great Western Powers, however, show no inclination to liquidate their military blocs and war bases. According to a statement by the United States Congress Appropriations Committee, as reported by the United Press on 10 August 1957, since 1950 the NATO States have doubled their military strength. During that period the United States spent 254 thousand million dollars on armaments, while its allies, making use of effective United States aid, spent an additional 124 thousand million dollars. The German Federal Republic, which was made a party to NATO in 1954, expended for this purpose 8.7 thousand million marks in the fiscal year 1956-1957 and has appropriated 9 thousand million marks for 1957-1958. Nevertheless the United States Congress Appropriations Committee expressed its regret that West German rearmament was proceeding at too slow a pace. It is common knowledge that the Adenauer Government is building barracks by the hundreds, purchasing from the United States and other countries thousands of millions of dollars worth of heavy and nuclear weapons. Moreover, there are many indications that, despite the prohibitive provisions of the 1954 Paris Agreements, Western Germany itself is preparing to manufacture nuclear weapons. Another cause for alarm is that thirty-eight generals, 237 colonels and 225 lieutenant-colonels of the former Nazi Wehrmacht have been assigned posts in the new West German army. It is to be feared, therefore, that the newly organized Bundeswehr is reviving the spirit of Hitler. The experience of cruel suffering in two world wars has made the Hungarian people acquainted with the barbarism of the German militarists, and our people are prompted by their own vital interests to demand the liquidation of atomic bases on the territory of the German Federal Republic and the banning of nuclear equipment of the West German armed forces. 27. A disarmament agreement would solve these problems. Experience, however, has shown that whenever the way was opened for agreement at the recent London meetings of the Sub-Committee of the Disarmament Commission thanks to the indefatigable efforts of the Soviet Union, the Western Powers always came forward with new conditions upon which the first concrete steps were made contingent. Under the present circumstances however, agreement cannot be postponed. 28. The Hungarian people are especially alarmed at the fact that the negotiations concerning the prohibition of nuclear weapons have so far remained unsuccessful. What is more, the United States is placing special atomic equipment on the territory of several NATO countries. The two great Western Powers have refused to discontinue nuclear weapons tests, which they have made dependent on complex conditions, thereby intentionally frustrating the adoption of the Soviet and Indian proposals for the temporary suspension of such tests under international control. The manufacture of atomic weapons has practically brought about rivalry between the great Powers, threatening the whole of mankind with war and untold suffering. Hungary, which is situated not far from West Germany, is especially deeply concerned about the prospects of a nuclear war. 29. In the opinion of the Hungarian delegation, the suspension of experiments with nuclear weapons can be realized immediately and unconditionally. The United States and the United Kingdom have so far refused to do this in spite of the fact that the Soviet proposal on this point fully guarantees the effective control of such measures. 30. Considering the fact that the atomic tests made already have considerably increased radioactivity and that this jeopardizes the health of future generations as well as of our own, the Hungarian delegation is in favour of the Czechoslovak proposal [A/3614 and Add.1] for holding as soon as possible a large-scale international scientific conference to study the effects of radiation. It also regards as necessary that measures be taken to prevent radioactivity from being further increased. 31. As the great Powers are trying to outdo one another in the production of atomic and hydrogen weapons, which means a threat of war and inestimable suffering for mankind, in our opinion still further measures are needed. Therefore the Hungarian delegation attributes great significance to the Soviet proposal [A/3674/Rev.1] asking the States concerned to undertake to discontinue for a trial period the production of nuclear weapons. Making this completely realistic proposal contingent on unacceptable conditions is tantamount to committing a crime against humanity. 32. Now I should like to deal with a few other important international questions. The propaganda centres, which are enjoying the large-scale financial support of the United States Government, are stepping up their activities to cause unrest in the countries which are not capitulating to the interests of imperialist policy. They are continuing their subversive work on the territory of many countries, just as in Hungary, so as to substitute the regime in power with one that would make these countries subservient to a policy of war. This policy made the situation particularly precarious In the Middle East. Most recently, for instance, the Government of Syria was forced to take firm measures to ward off the attempted coup d'état supported by the United States Government. The organization of conspiracy in Syria is part and parcel of the so-called Eisenhower doctrine, the aim of which is to fill the vacuum brought about by the waning of British and French influence in the Arab countries. As a result the Middle East has become the dangerous tinderbox of a new war. 33. Other countries in the Middle East are also waging a hard struggle against new forms of colonialism and, although right and justice are on their side, the United Nations has not so far given them effective support in their struggle for freedom and independence. 34. Thousands of patriots are being imprisoned and killed in Algeria, and this has been going on for sometime. There is actually a war in progress. More than 500,000 French soldiers are fighting the population putting up resistance in the whole country. The war has assumed such proportions that today not only the lives of the fighting men but the whole civilian population of Algeria is continuously threatened. The United Nations would act in the spirit of the Charter if it were to pass a resolution calling upon France to recognize the Algerian people's right to self-determination and to begin discussions with the representatives of the Algerian people without delay with a view to the immediate termination of the fighting. 35. During the summer the national forces of Oman launched a struggle to bring to power a government capable of conducting a policy of independence and sovereignty corresponding to the interests of the country. The United Kingdom Government intervened on behalf of the Sultan, who stood for British capitalist interests, in the struggle that was the exclusive domestic affair of Oman, and British troops took their toll of thousands of Omani patriots. The Arab countries appealed to the Security Council which, however, refused to act. 36. Similarly, the situation in Cyprus is still unsolved. In this connexion the eleventh session of the General Assembly in February 1957 adopted a resolution calling upon the British authorities and the patriots to find “a peaceful, democratic and just solution” [resolution 1013 (XI)]. However, negotiations have not yet come about. Instead, the British authorities are continuing their terror, are keeping more than 1,000 innocent Cypriots in prison, whom they are torturing in the most barbaric manner. In this question the Hungarian Government is also prompted by its concern for peace. The acts of aggression in the Near East mean a threat of a new world war. 37. It would further ease the international situation if the United Nations would employ its international prestige to put an end to discrimination against some countries. It is impossible to talk about universality of the United Nations as long as this discriminatory policy excludes the representatives of the People's Republic of China. The struggle to keep in check the forces of war can have a lasting success only if it is recognized that every country has the exclusive domestic right to choose its social system. The interests of universal peace make it imperative that all countries, irrespective of their social system, share in solving the controversial issues that arise. The problems of Asia and the cause of world peace cannot be solved without China, one of the most powerful countries in the world and the largest so far as population is concerned. Under pressure from the United States Government, the United Nations is still excluding the representatives of the Chinese people only because they have embarked on the road to socialism. This is diametrically opposed to the fundamental principle of the peaceful coexistence of peoples and also prevents the weakening of forces out to provoke war. 38. In the opinion of the Hungarian delegation the General Assembly has to solve important problems in the interest of promoting international economic cooperation. The Assembly ought to take effective steps to solve the long-standing issue of aid to economically under-developed countries. The United Nations ought to concern itself with breaking down the barriers to sound economic relations in the world. As a whole series of economic problems still remains to be examined with urgency and thoroughness, the Hungarian delegation considers expedient the Soviet proposal to convene a world economic conference [681st meeting]. 39. On the basis of what has been said, the Hungarian delegation is of the opinion that the twelfth session of the General Assembly should concern itself, first of all, with the peaceful co-existence of peoples, with the banning of nuclear weapons, with disarmament and the Middle East problems. My delegation regards it as its main task to contribute to the best solution of these issues in conformity with the basic interests of humanity.