The American general who ‘whipped’ Romanians away from Hungary’s national museum

According to the Padua Armistice Agreement signed on 3 November 1918 between the Entente, Italy, and the representatives of the Austro–Hungarian Monarchy, the Hungarian Royal Defence Forces were obligated to retreat to the historical borders of the country as a demarcation line. However, the deliberate disarmament of the country’s armed forces was not seen by the Serbs, Czechs or Romanians as a gesture of goodwill, but as an opportunity to fully satisfy their greedy territorial claims.

Romanian occupation

As Origo writes, the Romanians, in defiance of the Entente’s demands, introduced a military administration in the illegally occupied Hungarian territories and immediately began organised looting. Hundreds of wagons were used to transport the stolen agricultural produce and goods from the country.

At the same time, there was a succession of outrageous acts of despotism and atrocities against the population. Despite all this, however, Clemenceau did not warn the Romanian government. However, he reminded the Hungarians to respect the armistice dictate. In addition, he promised to send military aid to resolve the situation.

The awaited help

Thus the Allied Military Mission was set up essentially because of the atrocities done by the occupying Romanian army. Major General Harry Hill Bandholtz was appointed on 6 August 1919 as the American delegate to the British, French, Italian and American General Staff Committee, the Allied Military Mission, to be set up in Budapest. The Major General ordered the Romanians to return all confiscated and appropriated property (such as cars). He also prohibited the repossession of Hungarian buildings.

American Major General to save the Hungarian National Museum

The American general, who had in the meantime been appointed president of the mission, was in his office on October 5, 1919. In the early morning hours, a desperate message arrived at the Allied Military Mission’s residence. According to the message, Romanian gunmen had surrounded the Hungarian National Museum. The soldiers had pushed their way in, and dozens of empty lorries were parked outside the museum.

According to the report, the Romanians were preparing to loot the museum and steal priceless relics of Hungarian history. On hearing the news, Bandholtz rushed to the museum, where a large number of Romanians were already in the building. The Major General hurried up the front steps and as he reached the entrance hall, he started shouting at the Romanian soldiers who were preparing to loot.

The General, in the name of the Allied mission, ordered them in a loud voice to leave the building immediately. In his nervousness, he pointed his whip at the exit. Finally, he managed to prevent the theft of the national treasures. Before he left Budapest, he donated his famous equestrian whip to the Hungarian National Museum at the request of Prime Minister Károly Huszár, where it is still kept. Later, he got a statue that commemorates what he did for the Hungarian nation.

Source: Fortepan / Kelecsényi Kristóf

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