“We Hungarian Americans, together with millions of ethnic Americans hailing from Central and Eastern Europe, wanted to seize the opportunity to assure the security and freedom of our former homeland within the framework of Western Europe. We came to recognize that our fervent hope matched U.S. security interests in the region: we all wanted an undivided, democratic and peaceful Europe to replace the strategic vacuum created by the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact.”
– Edith K. Lauer, Chair Emerita, Hungarian American Coalition