Discussing Hitler: Advisors of U.S. Diplomacy in Central Europe 1934-1941 [Hardcover]

Tibor Frank (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2003 | ISBN-10: 9639241563 | ISBN-13: 978-9639241565

This book promises to illuminate the foreign policy of the Roosevelt administration during the rise of Hitler's Germany. It is based on the heretofore unpublished notes of J. F. Montgomery (1878-1954), U.S. ambassador ("Minister") to Hungary before World War II. In Budapest, Montgomery quickly made friends with nearly everyone who mattered in the critical years of Hitler's takeover and preparation for World War II. His circle included Admiral Horthy, the Regent of Hungary, subsequent prime ministers, foreign ministers, members of both houses of parliament, as well as fellow diplomats from all over Europe. In addition, as an avid player of golf and bridge, he had an active social life that was interconnected with a large circle of influential friends in the United States. Minister Montgomery dictated the full content of each and every important political discussion to his secretary shortly after returning to his chancery in Budapest. He assiduously collected, recorded, and organized the information that he gained through these key relationships. His "Conversations" as he called them, represent an unusual depth of politically valuable information in this complex and important period of time. It is also valuable to understand how the U.S. minister representing Franklin Delano Roosevelt at the Budapest outpost came to appreciate and to some degree even share the value system of interwar Hungary. Publishing the confidential "Conversations" of Minister Montgomery, along with a selection of his correspondence, will also shed some unusual light on the perception of Hitler's ascent by the United States, and how this perception was shaped and channeled by one key U.S. diplomat.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

We know Frank from university. It was then natural for him to offer his new book to CEU Press. Frank has published many books and is top authority on the history of US-Hungarian relations.

We very much look forward to this book. Frank is extremely reliable, and the theme is excellent. Montgomery is not unknown, he published a book on Hungary in 1947, but his confidential notes were seriously studied before Frank met the Montgmomery`s daughter at a party somewhere in America. She was Montgomery`s secretary in Budapest (Montgomery was a widower), and she kept the notes and subsequently deposited in libraries.

This book promises to represent uncontestable academic virtues and hopefully will be an interesting read as well.

Frank has recently published an article where he discusses the unusual phenomenon of the modern American sympathising with the conservative Hungarian leadership and even having some understanding to its anti-semitic sentiments, of which Montgomery experienced the milder manifestations of the 1930s only. These points are included in the introductory chapter.

From the Author

As a visiting professor of history, I taught at the University of California, Santa Barbara, on and off for the ten years between 1987 and 1997. Perhaps the most memorable experience of those years was Hungarian Spring 1991, a major cultural festival focusing on intellectual and artistic achievements in the early decades of the 20th century. Assisted by a group of local enthusiasts, I organized the festival as a symbol of Hungary's spiritual renewal after long decades of Soviet domination, by way of remembering the rich 20th century spring in Hungary's cultural history. Some twenty-eight events were organized, exhibitions, concerts, conferences, and Santa Barbara's main street boasted of fifty-eight Hungarian national flags, each sponsored by a different person or family.

It was there and then that I met Ms. Sally Arthur. "My grandfather was U.S. minister to Hungary," she said, "he was fond of Hungary so very much." "Do you have his papers?" I asked eagerly, as I had been attempting to find Minister Montgomery's papers for many years. "I think my mother may have some of them; she lives in Washington, D.C. and in Vermont in the summer. Why don't you write her - I will also talk to her" - she responded encouragingly.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 374 pages
• Publisher: Central European Univ Pr (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9639241563
• ISBN-13: 978-9639241565
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,625,056 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)