Posted by Árpád Kovács to the Hungarian Lobby list, December 7, 1996.

Dear Colleagues,

In news items, now and in the future, you will see references to the
events of December 1, 1918 in Gyulafehervar. For democracy to succeed at
all in this perhaps-new era in Rumania, you need to remind any and all:
your representatives, your friends, your friends in the media, of the
history of that day. And that none of the commitments Rumania solemnly
entered into—then or since— has yet been kept.

In both world wars, Rumania was on both sides at least once. As the West
considers including Rumania in NATO and EU, it must look at its history
and consider a most serious issue: Is it now acceptable behavior for a
potential new member to enter into treaty obligations, break them, and
engage in ethnic cleansing? That has been Rumania’s clear, consistent
record since 1918.

Consider the history of that event in 1918, conveniently forgotten.
Trianon would not dismember Hungary and award Transylvania for another
year and a half.

December 1918 was a time, when, after Rumania joined the Allies and in
contravention of the Armistice, its troops advanced and occupied
Transylvania and other parts of Hungary. Recall, General Harry Hill
Bandholtz (United States), on October 5, 1919 prevented the theft by
Rumanian troops illegally in Budapest of the treasures of the National
Museum, including the Crown of St. Stephen.

Here is part of the declaration that was adopted in 1918 by the Rumanians
in Gyulafehervar:

“The new Rumanian state declares the following to be its basic, founding
principles:

1. The total freedom for the nationalities now living together. Every
nationality will have its own representatives from its own national
community , use its own language, its own educational system, its own
government and justice system. Every nationality will participate in the
bringing of laws and governing of the country, in proportion to its
population.

2. Equal rights (ie, no preferred or state religion) and total
denominational freedom for all of the country’s denominations….”

So impressive, to western eyes and ears were these principles, that they
were incorporated into the treaty signed a year later as solemn
obligations Rumania pledged to assume and carry out.

I quote exactly:

TREATY BETWEEN THE PRINCIPAL ALLIED AND
ASSOCIATED POWERS AND ROUMANIA

Signed 9th December 1919

The United States of America, the British Empire, France,
Italy and Japan,

The Principal Allied and Associated Powers, on the one hand; and
Roumania, on the other hand,

Whereas under Treaties to which the Principal Allied and Associated Powers
are parties large accessions of territory are being and will be made to
the Kingdom of Roumania, and

Whereas Roumania desires of her own free will to give full guarantees of
liberty and justice to all inhabitants both of the old Kingdom of Roumania
and of the territory added thereto, to whatever race, language or religion
they may belong, and (this word =93and=94 is an obvious error in the text)

Have, after examining the question together, agreed to conclude the
present Treaty:

Chapter I

Article 1

Roumania undertakes that the stipulations contained in Articles 2 to 8 of
this Chapter shall be recognized as fundamental laws, and that no law,
regulation or official position shall conflict or interfere with these
stipulations, nor shall any law, regulation or official action prevail
over them.

Article 2

Roumania undertakes to assure full and complete protection of life and
liberty to all inhabitants of Roumania without distinction of birth,
nationality, language, race or religion.

All inhabitants of Roumania shall be entitled to the free exercise,
whether public or private, of any creed, religion or belief, whose
practices are not inconsistent with public order and public morals.

Article 8

Subject to the special provisions of the Treaties mentioned below,
Roumania admits and declares to be Roumanian nationals ipso facto and
without the requirement of any formality all persons habitually resident
at the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty within the
whole territory of Roumania, including the extensions made by the Treaties
of Peace with Austria and Hungary, or any other extensions which may
hereafter be made, if such persons are not at that date nationals of a
foreign State other than Austria or Hungary.

Nevertheless, Austrian and Hungarian nationals who are over eighteen years
of age will be entitled under the conditions contained in the said
Treaties to opt for any other nationality which may be open to them.
Option by a husband will cover his wife and option by parents will cover
their children under eighteen years of age.

Persons who have exercised the above right to opt must, within the
succeeding twelve months, transfer their place of residence to the State
for which they have opted. They will be entitled to retain their immovable
property in Roumanian territory. They may carry with them their movable
property of every description. No export duties may be imposed upon them
in connexion with the removal of such property.

Article 4

Roumania admits and declares to be Roumanian nationals ipso facto and
without the requirement of any formality persons of Austrian [or]
Hungarian nationality who were born in the territory transferred to
Roumania by the Treaties of Peace with Austria and Hungary, or
subsequently transferred to her, of parents habitually resident there,
even if at the date of the coming into force of the present Treaty they
are not themselves habitually resident there.

Nevertheless, within two years after the coming into force of the present
Treaty these persons may make a declaration before the competent Roumanian
authorities in the country in which they are resident, stating that they
abandon Roumanian nationality, and they will then cease to be considered
as Roumanian nationals. In this connexion a declaration by a husband will
cover his wife, and a declaration by parents will cover their children
under eighteen years of age.

Article 5

Roumania undertakes to put no hindrance in the way of the exercise of the
right which persons concerned have, under the Treaties concluded or to be
concluded by the Allied and Associated Powers with Austria or Hungary to
choose whether or not they will acquire Roumanian nationality.

Article 6

All persons born in Roumanian territory who are not born nationals of
another State shall ipso facto become Roumanian nationals.

Article 7

Roumania undertakes to recognize as Roumanian nationals ipso facto and
without the requirement of any formality Jews inhabiting any Roumanian
territory who do not possess another nationality.

Article 8

All Roumanian nationals shall be equal before the law and shall enjoy the
same civil and political rights without distinction as to race, language
or religion.

Differences of religion, creed or confession shall not prejudice any
Rumanian national in matters relating to the enjoyment of civil or
political rights, as, for instance, admission to public employments,
functions and honours, or the exercise of professions and industries.

No restriction shall be imposed on the free use by any Roumanian national
of any language in private intercourse, in commerce, in religion, in the
Press or in publications of any kind, or at public meetings.

Notwithstanding any establishment by the Roumanian Government of an
official language, adequate facilities shall be given to Roumanian
nationals of non-Roumanian speech for the use of their language, either
orally or in writing, before the courts.

Article 9

Roumanian nationals who belong to racial, religious or linguistic
minorities shall enjoy the same treatment and security in law and in fact
as the other Roumanian nationals. In particular they shall have an equal
right to establish, manage and control at their own expense, charitable,
religious and social institutions, schools and other
educationalestablishments, with the right to use their own language and to
exercise their religion freely therein.

Article 10

Roumania will provide in the public educational system in towns and
districts in which a considerable proportion of Roumanian nationals of
other Roumanian speech are resident adequate facilities for ensuring that
in the primary schools the instruction shall be given to the children of
such Roumanian nationals through the medium of their own language. This
provision shall not prevent the Roumanian Government from making the
teaching of the Roumanian language obligatory in the said schools.

In towns and districts where there is a considerable proportion of
Roumanian nationals belonging to racial, religious or linguistic
minorities, these minorities shall be assured an equitable share in the
enjoyment and application of the sums which may be provided out of public
funds under the State, municipal or other budget, for educational,
religious or charitable purposes.

Article 11

Roumania agrees to accord to the communities of the Saxons and Czecklers
in Transylvania local autonomy in regard to scholastic and religious
matters, subject to the control of the Roumanian State.

Of course, none of these rights has yet been granted. They apparently were
intended only to impress the West, to enjoy its benefits without granting
all its citizens their God-given rights.

Unspoken, of course, are the “achievements” so far of that dream of
Greater Rumania. Since 1940, practically all of the mainly-Hungarian
Jewish population have been exterminated. In all, well over 1.5 million
Hungarians, Germans, Roma have been exterminated or expelled.

The Rumanians grasped the dangers of documentation to denials. When the
atrocity happened either no record was kept or maintained as secret.

December 1, then, is truly a day of celebration a Ceausescu, a Funar, an
Antonescu, an Iliescu would love. But only so long as they forget the
obligations they willingly entered into on that day in 1918 and solemnly
signed a year later.

December 1, 1918 and December 9, 1919 are days of shame for the West, for
they were hoodwinked then, repeatedly since.

December 1, 1918 and December 9, 1919 are days of mourning for those
countless individuals in Transylvania and Rumania who have lost their
lives: Hungarians, Szekelys, Jews singled out for special protection by
the treaty.

December 1 and 9 could be days of hope if the Rumanian Government should
repent, return to those obligations it freely undertook.

Will the current president be different? Other early signs show no more
promise. The appointment of an Hungarian to the ministry of tourism in a
country without good hotels or roads is hardly encouraging. The
appointment of another Hungarian to another post, not even ministerial and
without authority gives no encouragement.

If you want to understand the significance of the appointments, consider
the following. I have not yet seen any of the wire services mention the
appointment of the two Hungarians. The appointment to a leadership post of
Petre Roman, anti-Semitic and anti-Hungarian, has received frequent
notice. The irony is that Roman is the descendant of a distinguished
Hungarian rabbinical family.

The public events are consistent with the declarations of 1918 and the
Treaty signed a year later: Do something to impress the West. Their
interest will soon flag, then resume the successful pursuit of the
objective of an ethnically pure Greater Rumania.

The event described below is, thus, rich in symbolism and with ominous
portent for those who had hoped for a government that would become part of
the West. It was intended as a clear signal to the Hungarians and all
other now-minorities: Rumania would be a country of rights determined by
ethnicity and religion, granted by the government and not God-given. The
Rumanian Orthodox Church would continue as the state religion, all others
will still be termed and treated as “cults.” JAB)