Budapest, 6th August 1941, Year XIX

Re: Jews against the Jews in Hungary

The military action against Russia and the occupation by Hungarian troops of a considerable part of the territory of Galicia has offered Authorities here the opportunity to solve a problem that had arisen during and after the operations carried out by Germany in Poland. A large number of Jewish elements had been able to filter in from Poland and in some cases also from Russian territory and, with the support of coreligionists living in Hungary, had managed to live here practically undisturbed until now. These past weeks the Hungarian police has carried out raids against the said Semitic elements who, in concert with Hungarian and German military authorities, have then been conveyed to Galicia, particularly to the major towns such as Kolomea and Stanislau, where they are assigned to concentration campsand employed in excavation work, demolitions, mine clearance etc. So far, according to official information, the number of these Jews amounts to approx. 12,000, but this number will increase significantly as a recent decree has determined to extend the same measures to those Jews having Polish or Soviet citizenship

who, although they live in Hungary with a proper residence permit, have not requested and obtained the Hungarian citizenship during the past ten years. The only difference between these latter and those who have entered Magyar territory illegally will be, it is said, that they will be allowed to take their personal property with them, whereas the Jews transported to Galicia up to now have been allowed to transfer only the sum of not more than 30 Pengö, equivalent to 120 Italian Lira. Talamo