in Vienna his “Office for Jewish Emigration”. A very few, like Mr. Louis de Rothschild who ransomed himself by signing away his steel rolling-mills, were allowed to emigrate; 180,000 others were not so fortunate. Most of them are dead; the rest tortured skeletons in huge concentration camps, like Dachau and Mauthausen.
‘Eichmann’s “Office” already has a branch in Budapest. It has been spending enormous sums in stirring up anti-Jewish feeling here. As the Government would find it almost impossible to carry on its war industries without us, we are still protected. But if Hitler and Himmler were freed from their war commitments…’
‘You would not have a hope,’ Gregory cut in. ‘They would send in their Germans to take over your businesses; and it could only be a matter of time before you suffered the same terrible fate as the Jews in Germany, Poland and Austria. Now, what about the peasants?’
‘The Germans and the Russians are both hereditary enemies of the Hungarian people,’ Levianski replied, ‘but they dislike the Germans more because for so long they were bullied by the German-speaking Austrian petty officials and tax gatherers.In their case, though, there is a more important factor than race prejudice; it is religion. Roman Catholicism still has a firm hold on Hungarians both rich and poor. The country people are devout and their village priests are looked up to by them. They are told from the pulpits that Stalin is anti-Christ and that they must think of the war against the godless hordes of Russia as a crusade. Therefore, much as they dislike the Germans, they are fighting beside them, for the most part, willingly.’
‘To sum up, then,’ said Gregory, ‘the nobility will continue to support Germany because they fear that a Russian victory would lead to their losing everything, and the peasants will fight on in defence of their religious beliefs; but your people would rather see the Russians win, as the lesser evil.’
Levianski pulled a face. ‘It would be only a lesser evil. Things were bad enough during the Bela Khun revolution. The Sovietisation of Hungary would mean the loss of our businesses and private fortunes. But at least our lives would be spared; and that is more than we could hope for under a Nazi controlled government.’
‘I think you are right that the Russians would plunder Jewish and Christian capitalists alike, if Hungary fought on to the end and Germany is defeated. But it would be a very different state of affairs if she decided to make a separate peace now. I feel sure that, pressed as they are at the moment, the Russians would be only too glad to guarantee Hungary’s independence, and that the other allies would underwrite that guarantee.’
‘Ah, yes,’ Levianski sighed. ‘If only that could be brought about how happy we should all be. But I see no prospect of it. Besides, if Hungary deserted her allies, it is quite on the cards that the Nazis would march in, and we would then be at the mercy of their Gestapo murder squads.’
‘I don’t think that would happen. Hitler has his hands full in Russia. He couldn’t spare the divisions to open up another front; and that is what he would have to do if he were opposed by the Hungarian army.’
‘Perhaps you are right.’
‘I’m sure I am; and think what such a move could lead to. If Hungary made a separate peace and withdrew her troops from the Russian front, that might be the beginning of the end. Hitler is in a relatively strong position now, but he mustknow that he will have to face up to America next year. He might very well decide that he could get a better peace by opening negotiations in 1942 than if he continues the struggle in ‘43 or ‘44. As I have told you, my one desire is to see peace restored before Europe becomes a shambles. But I am convinced that neither Britain nor Germany will make a first move; so the only hope is that one of the smaller countries will do so and set the ball rolling.
‘Eichmann’s “Office” already has a branch in Budapest. It has been spending enormous sums in stirring up anti-Jewish feeling here. As the Government would find it almost impossible to carry on its war industries without us, we are still protected. But if Hitler and Himmler were freed from their war commitments…’
‘You would not have a hope,’ Gregory cut in. ‘They would send in their Germans to take over your businesses; and it could only be a matter of time before you suffered the same terrible fate as the Jews in Germany, Poland and Austria. Now, what about the peasants?’
‘The Germans and the Russians are both hereditary enemies of the Hungarian people,’ Levianski replied, ‘but they dislike the Germans more because for so long they were bullied by the German-speaking Austrian petty officials and tax gatherers.In their case, though, there is a more important factor than race prejudice; it is religion. Roman Catholicism still has a firm hold on Hungarians both rich and poor. The country people are devout and their village priests are looked up to by them. They are told from the pulpits that Stalin is anti-Christ and that they must think of the war against the godless hordes of Russia as a crusade. Therefore, much as they dislike the Germans, they are fighting beside them, for the most part, willingly.’
‘To sum up, then,’ said Gregory, ‘the nobility will continue to support Germany because they fear that a Russian victory would lead to their losing everything, and the peasants will fight on in defence of their religious beliefs; but your people would rather see the Russians win, as the lesser evil.’
Levianski pulled a face. ‘It would be only a lesser evil. Things were bad enough during the Bela Khun revolution. The Sovietisation of Hungary would mean the loss of our businesses and private fortunes. But at least our lives would be spared; and that is more than we could hope for under a Nazi controlled government.’
‘I think you are right that the Russians would plunder Jewish and Christian capitalists alike, if Hungary fought on to the end and Germany is defeated. But it would be a very different state of affairs if she decided to make a separate peace now. I feel sure that, pressed as they are at the moment, the Russians would be only too glad to guarantee Hungary’s independence, and that the other allies would underwrite that guarantee.’
‘Ah, yes,’ Levianski sighed. ‘If only that could be brought about how happy we should all be. But I see no prospect of it. Besides, if Hungary deserted her allies, it is quite on the cards that the Nazis would march in, and we would then be at the mercy of their Gestapo murder squads.’
‘I don’t think that would happen. Hitler has his hands full in Russia. He couldn’t spare the divisions to open up another front; and that is what he would have to do if he were opposed by the Hungarian army.’
‘Perhaps you are right.’
‘I’m sure I am; and think what such a move could lead to. If Hungary made a separate peace and withdrew her troops from the Russian front, that might be the beginning of the end. Hitler is in a relatively strong position now, but he mustknow that he will have to face up to America next year. He might very well decide that he could get a better peace by opening negotiations in 1942 than if he continues the struggle in ‘43 or ‘44. As I have told you, my one desire is to see peace restored before Europe becomes a shambles. But I am convinced that neither Britain nor Germany will make a first move; so the only hope is that one of the smaller countries will do so and set the ball rolling.
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