Hungary’s cabinet renounces the Warsaw Pact (1956)

On November 1st 1956, with Soviet troops entering Hungary and making their way to Budapest, the government of Imre Nagy met to plan a course of action. Their response was to declare Hungary’s neutrality and withdraw from the Warsaw Pact treaty:

[Present: Imre Nagy, Zoltán Tildy, János Kádár, Ferenc Erdei, Géza Losonczy, István Dobi.

“The Cabinet commissions Deputy Prime Minister József Bognár to temporarily supervise financial affairs and make sure that all financial institutions are working and properly directed. In the case of general economic measures, he should involve Zoltán Vas in the decision-making.

The Ambassador of the Soviet Union in Budapest, Andropov, could not satisfactorily answer the questions of the national government regarding the entering of further Soviet troops at the eastern border. Consequently, Kovács, chief of the General Staff, had to reveal to the ambassador in the presence of the members of the Cabinet details of Hungarian military observations about military movements, which undoubtedly prove that major Soviet military forces had crossed the border and are making their way towards Budapest. Considering this situation, the Cabinet makes the following decisions:

1. It immediately issues a declaration of neutrality.

2. The Hungarian government immediately renounces the Warsaw Treaty and declares Hungary’s neutrality, at the same time seeking recourse to the United Nations, asking the four great powers for help in defending the country’s neutrality. The Hungarian government asked the UN Secretary General in a telegram to put the issue on the agenda with special dispatch.

3. The heads of diplomatic missions resident in Budapest will be informed of the above decisions.

4. Finally, the decisions will be publicly announced partly through a radio speech by Imre Nagy and partly through a government statement on the radio and in the press.

5. At the same time, the Hungarian National Government will take the opportunity for negotiations offered by the Soviet Union, and immediately appoint a committee, asking the Soviet government to set the time and place of negotiations as soon as possible.

6. Finally, the Cabinet told Ambassador Andropov if Soviet troops are withdrawn from Hungary in the shortest amount of time allowed by such a military operation, then they will annul their telegram to the United Nations.”