Remarks & Statements
Remarks by Chargé d’Affaires Timothy Betts at the 35th Anniversary of the Return of the Holy Crown
5 January 2013, Inner City Parish Church, Budapest
- as delivered -
It is a pleasure for me to speak on behalf of Ambassador Kounalakis and the United States on this occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the return of the Crown of St. Stephen to Hungary. This Crown, how it came to the United States, and its return to Hungary is a story about the enduring confidence and trust that exists between our two peoples.
In 1945, Colonel Ernő Pajtas bestowed a great honor and responsibility on the United States when he entrusted an American major, Paul Kubala, with the care and protection of the Crown. Over the next 33 years, American authorities guarded the Crown, moving it to our most secure location in Fort Knox, and designated it a "property of special status held in trust and safekeeping."
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter decided that the time had come to return the Crown - a symbol of sovereignty, power and legitimacy - to the Hungarian people. His decision was controversial and took significant political courage. Many people on both sides of the Atlantic adamantly opposed returning the Crown at a time when Hungary was still under Communist rule. But President Carter believed the return of the Crown would encourage the process of change that was already starting in Hungary, such as the easing of travel restrictions and the expansion of religious tolerance. Moreover, the President believed that the Crown needed to be returned before a whole generation of Hungarians came of age without understanding its symbolism. One participant in the delegation that brought the crown to Budapest, Professor Istvan Deak, put it this way: “its presence in Budapest will strengthen Hungarian determination to strive for genuine independence.” Therefore, on January 6, 1978, in the rotunda of the Hungarian Parliament, itself a symbol of sovereignty, the United States returned the Crown to the people of Hungary.
Twenty years later, at a ceremony on March 18, 1998 at the Carter Library and Museum in Atlanta, a special reproduction of the Crown was presented to Jimmy Carter by His Excellency Árpád Göncz, the President of the Republic of Hungary. In accepting the gift, Jimmy Carter said, "The people of Hungary trusted us to keep one of their greatest treasures. We returned it when conditions permitted. This replica of the magnificent Crown is a generous and gracious gesture of the abiding faith and trust that exists between our two countries."
Abiding faith and trust…these truly great sentiments were not always characteristics of our formal diplomatic relations. Last year, we marked 90 years of diplomatic relations between the United States and Hungary. Together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Central European University, we hosted a conference of historians and officials to review the remarkable journey our countries have experienced over these past 90 years. This included periods of close friendship and cooperation as well as years when we were on opposite sides in some of the epic struggles of the Twentieth Century.
But while our formal ties have had their ups and downs, our peoples’ common belief in freedom and independence – for themselves and for others – have formed the bedrock of strong relations between Americans and Hungarians for a much longer period. Whether it was Mihaly Kovats coming to help Americans achieve our independence in 1777, Americans giving a hero’s welcome to Lajos Kossuth when he toured the United States in 1851 and 1852, or Hungarian and U.S. forces standing shoulder to shoulder fighting against terrorism in the mountains of Afghanistan, Americans and Hungarians have had faith and trust in each other, even when our governments did not, because we shared values and stood in solidarity to protect freedom loving nations everywhere.
It was an honor for the United States to be the Crown’s temporary guardian, and it was a privilege to be able to return the Crown to the people of Hungary 35 years ago. This ceremony today is yet another way to celebrate our common respect for democracy and highlight the great achievements emerging from our vibrant relationship.
I would like to thank Minister Hende, General Benko and the men and women of the Ministry of Defense and the Hungarian Defense Forces for organizing this event. Köszönöm szépen.