Page 265 - Conflitti Militari e Popolazioni Civili - Tomo II

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strictly make a stand to the appeals of the Italian delegation (at least since when counter-
revolutionary offensive increased). The Italian Mission applied itself also to save Italian
people that lived in Hungary from governmental laws on the requisition of movables and
real estates: the number of Italians, already small due to governmental abuse of power, pro-
gressively decreased, and also in repatriation operations the work of Romanelli’s crew by
Hungarian authorities was fundamental. Above all, more and more civilians, due to the des-
peration, every day went to the Mission’s office in Budapest, begging its action for various
reasons (from which often depended their life or dead) and making it work at every time in
day and night, but the situation was such difficult that, even if Italian soldiers tried with care
to solve the problems, they couldn’t enough. The Italian Mission, giving a lot of food to the
population, without distinguishing people for religions or politics, also contributed to ease
the difficult situation caused by the war and by the rapid social and economic changes made
by the Government. As Romanelli wrote in his memoirs: “Solo chi vedeva e sapeva a quali
privazioni sottostava allora la maggior parte della popolazione di Budapest può farsi un’idea
dell’importanza ed autorità che conferiva alla Missione il fatto di possedere un magazzino
viveri ben guarnito (…). Quante persone che prima non sapevano nemmeno che esistessimo
o preferivano ignorarci si facevano allora premura di cercarci ed offrirci la loro opera purché
concedessimo loro un piccolo buono viveri! E si capiva; perché quel po’ di riso, di macche-
roni e quel paio di scatolette di carne in conserva costituivano per molte persone il solo
8
companatico che riuscivano a procurarsi”. In this way, an entire population quickly be-
came grateful to the Mission, that dealt with lots of contentions that wouldn’t have been its
own business, but made it gain Hungarian eternal grateful. Some rumours on the Italian com-
mander’s and his entourage’s humanitarian service indeed spread even far from Budapest,
constantly increasing help applies – above all by letters – from the whole Hungary, as to stop
Bolshevik excesses and solve various daily problems that pained people. Soon after, since
political and military actions against Hungarian Soviet Republic were rising, the frail balance
between Bela Kun and Colonel Romanelli failed; in addition to that political and economic
problems of Bolshevik government, worsen by internal disagreement in the Party and by
Entente’s international pressures, made its survival every day more difficult and less hoped
by the population. As a result, despite some attempts of counter-offensive of the regime,
against Czechs and Romanians, on August the first Hungarian Soviet Government ended –
after one hundred and thirty-three days existence – and the power went to the social-democrat
Government of Gyula Pedl (replaced in a few days by Istvàn Friedrich), while counter-revo-
lutionaries commanded by Admiral Miklós Horthy and the occupation of the capital city by
Romanian troops (August the 4th) started the restoration of conservatism in the Country. At
the same time, the Mission raised its activity in order to guarantee civilians’ security, even in
the situation of temporary mess caused by revolutionary government’s fall. The first action
that Romanelli, who had a high sense of honor, carried out was to protect Béla Kun and his

8 “Only who saw and knew which kind of deprivation most of Budapest’s population had to suffer at that time
could understand how important it was to have a provisions’ store well equipped (…). A lot of people, that
formerly didn’t know us or preferred to ignore us, now looked for us and offer us their work as to obtain a
small provision’s coupon! And it was understandable, because that little rice, those macaronis and those cou-
ple of lunch meat were for many people the only food they managed to get”: G. RomanElli, Nell’Ungheria
di Béla Kun..., p. 53.