[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21838]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 A LETTER FROM THE HUNGARIAN AMBASSADOR

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                       HON. ERNEST J. ISTOOK, JR.

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 5, 2000

  Mr. ISTOOK. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following letter from the 
Hungarian Ambassador into the Congressional Record.

                                        The Ambassador of Hungary,
                                                  October 4, 2000.
     Hon. Ernest J. Istook, Jr.,
     U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman Istook: I am deeply moved when I express 
     my heartfelt gratitude to you and your distinguished 
     Colleagues in the House of Representatives on the adoption of 
     H. Con. Res. 400 congratulating my country, Hungary, on the 
     1000th anniversary of its statehood. I am particularly 
     indebted to Congressman Frank Pallone, who initiated the 
     resolution, and your 29 Colleagues, who joined you as co-
     sponsors.
       The eloquence and historical depth of the resolution will 
     surely impress all my compatriots, as well as hundreds of 
     thousands of Americans of Hungarian descent. Being a 
     historian myself and as someone who lived through a greater 
     part of the 20th century, which brought so much misfortune to 
     my people, I also very much appreciate the words used by you 
     and your colleagues in approving the resolution. On this 
     occasion let me share a few ideas with you on the links that 
     bind your great nation of America with Hungary.
       The people of Hungary have been admirers of the United 
     States for well over two centuries. We, too, have fought for 
     our freedom and independence several times during these 
     centuries. We felt your nation's sympathy in many difficult 
     periods, particularly in 1848/49 and 1956. In 1978 the United 
     States returned the Holy Crown of St. Stephen, kept in safety 
     at Fort Knox since 1945, to the Hungarian people, boosting 
     our morale and pride in our history, thus contributing to the 
     process which led to the peaceful transformation of the 
     political system of Hungary in 1989/90.
       I am pleased to say that we, Hungarians, are not alone in 
     celebrating the establishment of the State. Like the United 
     States, Hungary is also a nation of immigrants. When our 
     ancestors moved into the Carpathian Basin they soon absorbed 
     its sparse Slavic and Turkic population. Later on we welcomed 
     many individuals and whole national groups in search of a 
     better life and more freedom. Thus credit for the 
     achievements of our thousand year old history goes not only 
     to our Founding Fathers, but to all those who joined our 
     nation through the centuries, embraced our culture and 
     language and enriched us immensely with their industry, 
     knowledge, culture and traditions. Among our neighbors, the 
     Slovaks shared a common state with the Hungarians for over 
     1000 years, and the Croats a union for 800 years. But all the 
     peoples of Central and Eastern Europe joined the Hungarians 
     at one time or other struggling against common enemies, 
     sometimes even under common Sovereigns. Hungary was also open 
     for refugees escaping war and oppression and it became a 
     truly multinational country, showing both good and bad 
     examples how to get on with many languages and cultures. The 
     resolution appropriately points out the outstanding 
     contributions in science, arts, culture and economy that 
     Jewish Hungarians provided to our nation. Later on many of 
     our citizens left the homeland, in order to seek knowledge, 
     freedom or opportunity. That is how we established so many 
     links to Western Europe and the Americans. Thus, the 
     Hungarian Millennium is a common Central European 
     celebration, and also a Trans-Atlantic one.
       The bust of Louis Kossuth, Governor of revolutionary 
     Hungary in 1849, and later a refugee most warmly received in 
     the United States in 1851/52, stands in one of the hall-ways 
     of the Capitol. The dream of Kossuth and so many other 
     Hungarians has come true: our two nations have become allies. 
     We are working together to turn South-Eastern Europe, a 
     region of conflicts, into a stable and prosperous one. We are 
     fighting jointly against international crime and terrorism, 
     and the rights of people oppressed. We count on your support 
     in our efforts to seek the safeguarding of the rights of 
     close to three million Hungarians residing in the states 
     bordering on Hungary.
       A historian of ancient Rome, Sallustius, stated: ``Truly 
     not armies nor treasurers are the safeguards of a kingdom, 
     but friends.'' We, Hungarians, have a modest army and small 
     wealth, but a great friend in the United States. We are 
     grateful for your friendship and for the resolution which is 
     such a beautiful testimony of that.
           Sincerely yours,

                                               Geza Jesenszky.

     

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