Reconstructing a Transatlantic Business Venture: Aladár Pataky’s Unknown Manuscript from 1927

: This paper reconstructs the story of a so far unknown manuscript, a handwritten, personal account detailing a 1927 journey to the United States and Canada with the primary purpose of selling Hungarian wine as part of a more extensive international venture. The article introduces the research that led to the identification of the writer of the manuscript – written on sheets of paper from a Canadian hotel – and outlines the background of a fascinating business project, thereby positioning the text not only as a unique example to be studied with the tools of microhistory but also placing it in the broader, transatlantic historical and political environment of the time. The text is also studied and presented as a piece of travel writing that provides unique insights into Hungarian perceptions of North America in the 1920s and the Hungarian images of Canada and the United States. felében [‘“We Are Deceived at Home”: Hungarian Travelers and Emigrants in Mexico in the Second Half of the 19 th Century’], on the perception of Mexico and the United States in Hungarian travel writing was published in 2018. He is currently working on his book on Hungarian emigration to Canada in the interwar period. venkovits.balazs@arts.unideb.hu


Introduction
On February 21, 1927, Mr. P, and his travel companion Béla, set out on a transatlantic business trip aimed at selling Hungarian wine in North America. Although such an attempt at seeking foreign markets for Hungarian goods was in line with the needs of Hungarian wine producers of the time and mirrored the improving diplomatic and commercial relations between Venkovits

Mr. P. and Béla in North America
As the author of the manuscript is not stated specifically (and the writer refers to his companion also only as Béla, without a family name), the first objective of my work with the manuscript was to identify the author of the text. Fortunately, in different sections of the account, the author recalls occasions of meeting Hungarians in America and notes how these people addressed him as Mr. P., Mr. Pataky or at one point more informally as Aladár. Based on research in contemporary newspaper articles, more can be learnt about Aladár Pataky and his travel companion. In light of this research, a visit to North America might appear to be more sensible than at first sight.
Various newspapers in the 1920s reported on the postwar difficulties of Hungarian wine producers, along with the attempts of the Hungarian government to propagate Hungarian wine abroad to alleviate their problems. On March 8, 1925, for example, the weekly Vasárnap ['Sunday'] reported on a meeting of wine growers in the Tokaj-Hegyalja region, stressing the misery of their situation: "Wine has no price. The cellars are full but no one is buying the wine. Producers are worried about the spring as they have no money to produce. Meanwhile, vineyard workers have no work. The situation is similar in other wine regions as well" [A bornak nincs ára. A pincék tele vannak, de senki se veszi a bort. A gazdák aggódva néznek a tavasz elé, mert nincs pénzük a termelésre. A szőlömunkások pedig nem kapnak munkát. A többi borvidéken is hasonló a helyzet] ("Nincs pénz, nincs munka" 1925: 2) 1 .
When reporting on the meeting of the village association, the newspaper also argues that the crisis in viticulture emerged due to the fact that "foreign markets have been occupied by the victorious countries for themselves. Foreigners did not allow Hungarian wine to enter [their markets]" [a külföldi piacokat a győztes országok foglalták le maguknak. A külföldi nem engedte be a magyar bort] ("Falu szövetség" 1925: 7). The article claimed, however, that there had been progress in foreign trade as neighboring countries realized that they needed Hungarian wine and the Austrian, Czech and Polish markets were mentioned specifically as possible areas for expansion.
At the same time, besides general attempts aimed at securing a foreign market for Hungarian wine, we may also learn about other projects designed for its promotion abroad, including the foundation of the Magyar Borház ['Hungarian Wine House'] in Vienna in 1926, just a year before the journey mentioned in the manuscript. The Wine House was established by the Hungarian Royal State Winery and the Ministry of Agriculture to propagate "the noble Hungarian wine" and the report on its opening becomes especially interesting for us when it comes to praising the activities of the establishment: The Hungarian wine house established for the propaganda of Hungarian wine was certainly not an inept idea; whoever came up with it was right and whoever implemented it, did it well as so far the wine house has only resulted in useful advertising and true propaganda for the Hungarian cause…. The wine house in Vienna is already expanding, and if we are correct, it will be repeated in large cities abroad if they can do what Aladár the 'wine prince' -and now the 'wine king'has started in Vienna. From the center in Vienna, Pataky (Herczeg 1926: 6).
The person mentioned in the article is Aladár Pataky, who is most likely also the author of the manuscript in question. This conclusion is made even more likely by the fact there is a reference to Béla Berkes in connection with him, who is probably the Béla recorded in the manuscript as the author's travel companion and with whom Pataky went on a European tour of Hungarian gypsy music: "Béla Berkes and his band, under the leadership of Aladár Pataky toured foreign countries for a year and had frenetic impact and great success everywhere" [Berkes Béla és bandája Pataky Aladár vezetése alatt egy évig járták a külföldet és mindenütt frenetikus hatást értek el, óriási sikereket arattak] (Herczeg 1926: 6).
The Ungarisches Weinhaus itself was opened in Vienna, at 10 Spielgasse in April 1926 and was described as a place "brightly decorated with fine taste, care and skill" [finom ízléssel, gonddal és hozzáértéssel fényesen berendezett] ("Bécsi Magyar borház" 1926: 8). The wine house also offered wine for wholesale, with its own cellar opened for such a purpose a bit further away. In charge of management, Pataky not only offered Hungarian wine to their guests, but also Hungarian dishes.  Based on contemporary reports, the Wine House proved to be a success, as also confirmed by the fact that similar enterprises were established elsewhere (see Fig. 4 for Copenhagen). A facility was opened in Geneva even in 1931 ("Genfi új magyar borház" 1931: 6). Pataky's success is also attested by a celebration in Vienna reported in 1930 by Vendéglősök Lapja ['The Restaurateurs' Gazette'], an event celebrating Pataky's forty-fifth anniversary in the hospitality industry. The list of guests clearly indicates his connections and recognition even internationally: Although there was no mention in this article of any attempts at selling Hungarian wine in the Americas, it is clear that Pataky himself was a recognized figure of the time who was clearly involved in the projects aimed at the promotion of Hungarian wine abroad, probably also across the Atlantic. Even today, a restaurant is operated at the same placealthough not a Hungarian oneand the website recognizes the Hungarian roots of the restaurant, noting that a Wine House was founded there by Pataky in 1925 (sic). 2

Hungarian Wine in North America?
On his journey to the United States, Pataky carries with him a collection of wine samples in two suitcases, which is first mentioned due to the difficulties it causes with customs throughout his journey, especially in the United States. After his arrival, the customs officers do not allow Pataky to take the wine with him and request a special import permit (while the samples are deposited for 14 days) that had to be requested in Washington, D.C. Most of Pataky's time in the United States is then spent with getting the necessary authorizations, thus he is travelling between New York and Washington, also recording his experience in these cities (see the relevant analysis below). Seeing the difficulties involved with entering the United States with wine samples, the question emerges why Pataky would consider selling Hungarian wine in the United States a feasible option during Prohibition.
Developments in the bilateral relations of Hungary and the United States could provide a solid background for expanding trade relations as well, after the United States and Hungary signed a treaty establishing friendly relations on August 29, 1921. Following the establishment of diplomatic relations, the first Hungarian minister to the United States, Count László Széchenyi, presented his credentials in January 1922 and served in this position until 1933. As Tibor Glant writes, "in 1925, a bilateral trade, consular, and cultural agreement was signed, and the two countries agreed upon the first Most Favored Nation (MFN) agreement for ten years" (Glant 2012, 169; see also Peterecz 2021). Probably not only American businessmen were looking for investment opportunities in postwar Hungary: Hungarians also attempted to capitalize on opportunities in the American market. Based on the references in the manuscript and the people Pataky meets during his stay, we can assume that the attempt to sell Hungarian wine in North America was not only Pataky's idea but was also supported by the Hungarian government as part of a larger plan. Pataky refers to several visits to the Hungarian consulate general in New York, where he meets the attaché and receives support. As he claimed, they had already received the relevant resolution by the Foreign Ministry by the time he got there. He is also received in the Embassy in Washington and while in the capital, he meets Széchenyi and counselor János Pelényi, and he claims that the former "also clearly embraced the cause as it is an important state interest" [a legkedvesebben szintén magáévá tette az egész ügyet, hiszen fontos állami érdek] (Pataky 1927: 16). As a result of such support, he receives the necessary authorizations, as he writes, "to open an office in New York and make business in line with the American laws" [nyisson egy irodát New Yorkba, és … az amerikai törvények szerint üzletet csinálni] (Pataky 1927: 17).
Despite all these efforts and support, Pataky encounters major difficulties caused by the fifty bottles of wine he is trying to bring into the United States and weeks pass before any permit arrives from Washington. Due to red tape, Pataky claims that for the fifty bottles of wine he accumulated altogether 114 documents. At one point even the luggage containing the wine bottles was lost, yet recovered later. Due to bureaucracy, he needs to travel between Washington and New York and organize meetings to make arrangements to get the necessary documents. "And the work started", wrote Pataky, "and then came the difficulties again but such that I do not wish to mention or write down here. But I ran out of money, as well as my patience, due to the complications lasting for four weeks" [No és megkezdődött a munka, és újra a nehézségek, de olyanok, mit itt megemlíteni vagyis leírni nem akarok, de már kifogytam úgy a pénzből, mind a türelemből a 4 hetes kálváriával] (Pataky 1927: 23).
Considering all the obstacles and difficulties encountered by Pataky, the question arises what the rationale could be behind such an attempt at bringing wine to the United States during Prohibition (which Hungarians were also certainly aware of as Pataky refers to it in his manuscript). As we have seen, the project was probably part of a bigger, state-supported plan for exporting Hungarian wine abroad, yet the exploration of the actual dimensions and objectives of the transatlantic venture requires further research on both sides of the Atlantic. Despite the improving bilateral relations the business project seems to be a bold plan and we can at this point only speculate about the underlying rationale.
Prohibition in the United States (1920)(1921)(1922)(1923)(1924)(1925)(1926)(1927)(1928)(1929)(1930)(1931)(1932)(1933) introduced a nationwide ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages. This in itself makes plans for importing and selling Hungarian wine illogical. If one still wanted to sell Hungarian wine in the United States, a possibility could involve positioning it as medical liquor as the Volstead Act made exceptions for alcohol used for medicinal as well as religious purposes (see, for example, Bartlett 1963). This could provide a niche market and a business opportunity, but it probably would not have provided a solid foundation for an international business plan because such medical exemptions mostly referred to spirits like whiskey or brandy. Tokaji wine was probably not intended to be used for sacramental purposes in most cases.
It is also a possibility that Pataky and the Hungarian government expected an occasional end to Prohibition and wanted to establish a center for Hungarian wine by the time that occurred. Should that be the case, we could view Pataky as an important visionary given that, when Prohibition ended in 1933, it indeed brought with it a huge boom for wine producers in the Tokaj region. As a contemporary article claims in 1933, there was a great upswing in the Tokaj wine region: [A]merican wine merchants practically flooded the Hegyalja region. There is a real invasion in Tokaj, Mád, Szántó and the other famous wine growing centers and in the region (needless to say) Americans are received with great enthusiasm. The population that has been through a difficult economic crisis is relieved because if the signs are correct, the time has come when the Tokaj wine, the wine of kings or more precisely the king of wines, regains her old rights and takes its place on the tables of American citizens [amerikai bor-kereskedők…az utóbbi időkben valósággal elözönlötték a Hegyalját. Valóságos invázió van Tokajban, Mádon, Szántón és a többi híres szőlőtermő központokban és e vidékenmondanunk sem kellnagy lelkesedéssel fogadják az amerikaiakat. A lakosság, amely nehéz gazdasági válságon ment keresztül, valósággal fellélegzik, mert, ha a jelek nem csalnak, elérkezett az idő, amikor a tokaji bor, a királyok itala, vagy helyesebben, az italok királya, újra régi jogaihoz jut és elfoglalja helyét az amerikai polgárok asztalán] ("Amerikai szesztilalom" 1933: 8).
Various other articles attest to this growing interest (see, for example, "Pinceszövetkezet" 1934) but, of course, it would be difficult to tell what role the Hungarian government's early project and Pataky himself could play in the work providing the foundation for such a boom.
If we assume that the Hungarian government was aware of the difficulties posed by Prohibition, the most feasible option is that they could look at the United States not as a direct market for Hungarian wine but instead as an entry point into the wider American market. Even so, it did not make too much sense to bring wine into the country at the time instead of first going to other American nations, for example, Canada. The idea could also be in line with Pataky's objectives, whereby America did not refer to the United States specifically but the wider region, providing business opportunities outside Prohibition-era United States, with an office opened there. However, plans for such an inter-American objective are not entirely clear from the manuscript. Pataky indeed visits Canada at one point but it is not obvious if this trip happened as part of the original plan or just as an improvised alternative after the struggles in the United States. The latter appears to be more likely based on the text, and yet, it is in this country that he achieves success. This could confirm the hypothesis that the US was only seen as an entry pointhowever illogical it may seemto the broader American market but the verification of this idea requires further research. While it is not clear from the manuscript what exactly Pataky could achieve in the United States, he presents a clear success story in Canada. From New York Pataky heads to Montréal and visits the consulate general where he is welcomed, according to Pataky, by Waczek főigazgató ['General Director Waczek'] (26). Based on the reaction of Waczek, it seems that they did not arrange such a meeting in advance: "well, dear Mr. Pataky, you were brought here by God as two state commissioners from Montréal have been here for days and they are very much interested in Hungarian wine and palinka ['Hungarian fruit brandy']" [no, kedves Pataky úr, a jó Isten hozta ide magát, mer itt jár már napok óta két montreáli állami megbízott és nagyon érdeklődnek magyar borok, pálinkák iránt] (Pataky 1927: 26). After his long struggle in the United States, this is a major opportunity in Canada on which Pataky is eager to capitalize: "One can imagine the joy, maybe not so much because of the personal business interest but the huge economic and important state interest, and that the suffering viticulture and winemaking of my poor country will be happy, very happy and such an achievement will forever be associated with me [Hát már elképzelni való az az öröm, talán nem is annyira a személyes üzleti érdek, hanem az az óriási közgazdasági és fontos állami érdek, és hogy szegény hazám sínylődő szőlészete, borászata boldog, de nagyon boldog lesz, és ennek egyik megalkotása a személyemhez lesz örökké kötve] (Pataky 1927: 26).
Based on the initial interest, Pataky conducts negotiations and claims in his manuscript that he negotiated the transfer of "the representation of the state wine cellar for nine years for entire Canada, Havana, Cuba, British Columbia" and expressed that Hungary "could export wine and pálinka in the value of one million dollars annually" [Először is átadtam neki 9 évre az állami pinczegazdaság képviseletet egész Kanada, Havanna, Cuba, Brit Columbia részére, és hogy egy millió dollárért tudunk évente bort és pálinkaneműt eksportálni] (Pataky 1927: 26-27 ). Pataky's reaction also seems to indicate that such developments were unexpected: "Well, everything happened so suddenly that I did not know if I was a boy or a girl [i.e., if I was coming or going]" [Hát kérem ez minden olyan hirtelen ment, hogy nem tudtam fiú vagyok vagy leány] (27). Pataky needs to wait again for weeks for decisions to be made and the paperwork to be finalized (while he also travels back to New York) and as several weeks pass, he decides not to wait and returns home "to make his report" and "discuss other important matters in Europe" [hazautazom jelentés tétel miatt, és egyéb fontos dolgok megbeszélése miatt Európába] (30). This ends the manuscript without providing closure and reporting on the final outcome of the journey, therefore, the true impact of Pataky's business trip requires further evaluation.
The business venture and the trip to North America seemed to be a bold (if not illogical) undertaking that resulted in various obstacles in the United States but a promising business opportunity in Canada. Further research in Hungary, Canada, and the United States will probably reveal additional details of this transatlantic (and inter-American) business endeavor, establishing the rationale behind it, its financial background, verify the details recorded by Pataky, and most importantly, assess the real impact of the venture and the fate of the prospective Canadian contract and American business.

The Manuscript as a Travel Account -Images of the United States and Canada
As is already apparent from the previous overview, Pataky's manuscript is more than just an account of a fascinating business venture. Based on the descriptions of Pataky during his trips in New York, Washington, and Montréal, we get a glimpse into the perceptions of North America by a Hungarian traveler and thus also have the chance to compare it with the images of the United States and Canada in edited and published travel accounts. It is not clear what the purpose of Pataky's manuscript was as it could be used as a basis for his report after coming back to Hungary. Yet it is too personal for such a purpose and undeniably contains a lot of unnecessary details. At the same time, it is too short and incoherent to serve as a basis for a published travel account. He could have recorded the memories of his American journey as a way of passing the time during the transatlantic voyage between the US and Europe, just for his own use, recalling the most memorable events. Thus, the text includes various references to key steps of the business aspect, but also records personal impressions and comments that were intended only for private usage.
While arranging the permits for bringing in his wine samples into the United States, Pataky travels within the US and Canada and records his views and opinion in the manuscript. He writes about the transatlantic crossing, Washington D.C., New York, and briefly Canada as well in those sections that most resemble the genre of travel accounts. He is aware of contemporary issues like the question of immigration or the planned erection of the Kossuth Statue in the United States, but does not offer deeper commentary on these issues as would be expected in published accounts. Instead, he mostly shares his brief personal experience during his travels.
Glant and Venkovits have explored images of North America in Hungarian travel writing extensively in various publications (see, for example Glant 2013and Venkovits 2018 and it could be claimed that, in his descriptions, Pataky revisits many of the standard topics of published travel accounts and also reinforces many of the same images. He sets out by describing the transatlantic crossing itself, focusing on the usual topics of sea sickness, storms and peculiarities of the voyage, while also reflecting on homesickness as he leaves the old continent behind. His arrival in New York and the first sight of the city occupies a special position with the author marveling at skyscrapers, the multitude of ships and the Statue of Liberty. New York City, as usual, demands most attention and it is this city that is described most extensively in the manuscript; most of those sections that introduce Pataky's impressions of the United States concern the Big Apple. Similar to previous Hungarian travelers, Pataky is most fascinated by what sets the city apart from his home: he is captivated by the large number of people and cars and the traffic that is of a magnitude never seen before by the author: "It is impossible to describe this huge traffic which is directed by a police officer with a small stick and electric lamps, but let me also add, with the utmost accuracy" [Ezt leírni lehetetlen, ezt az óriási forgalmat, és rendőr egy kis bottal no meg villanyos lámpákkal dirigálják, de mondhatom, a legnagyobb pontossággal] (Pataky 1927: 11). The diversity and attraction of Broadway (that he visits multiple times) is a key part of his descriptions. Pataky is particularly attracted to movie theaters, where his experience left him speechless, as he wrote. The benefit of having to deal with extensive red tape is that he can spend more time in the city visiting theaters, famous hotels, etc., while in the manuscript he clearly expresses his enthusiasm for the place: "I have seen Berlin, Paris, London," writes Pataky, "but these are all dwarfed by it as there is only one such place in the world" [Már láttam Berlint, Párist, Londont, de ez mind eltörpült, mert ez itt hiába a világon csak egy van] (13)(14). Although in much less detail, Pataky introduces Washington as well: "It is not by chance the capital of the United States, it is a truly regal city of European style although here skyscrapers are rare, there are beautiful parks and there is the wonderful parliament building in a huge hilly park" [hát nem hiába az Egyesült Államok fővárosa, de igazi fejedelmi város, európai stílű, már itt nagyon ritka a felhőkarcoló, gyönyörű parkokkal, és egy óriási dombos parkba a parlament csodálatos épület] (15).
When he includes criticism, it is also in line with the published accounts. He criticizes Americans for the excessive power of advertising and their love of money, "because here in America it is all about the almighty dollar, this is what they worship here as one can get anything for it" [mert itt Amerikába minden az isteni dollár, ezt itt imádják, ezt bálványozzák, mert ezért mindent lehet kapni] (13). Being a famous restaurateur and member of the hospitality industry, he includes criticism about the American hotel industry: "Although in America there are grand hotels and at the same time there are experienced professionals, leadership and the treatment of guests is not at the same level as in Europe. Here the guest is just a number. The staff is not of the same standard as in Europe, and neither is discipline" [De mindamellett, hogy Amerikába azok a nagy és nagy szállodák, és mindamellett mind régi szakember, nincs az az igazi vezetés, vendéggel való bánás, mind Európába. Itt a vendég csak egy kimondott szám Amerikába. A személyzet nincs azon a nívón mind Európába, a fegyelem sem az] (19). This is also in line with previous accounts, whereby Hungarian travelers often marvel at the technological development of the United States, while they try to insist on the superiority of Europe in terms of culture and civilization.
Pataky also mentions meeting Hungarians in America (musicians, businessmen, actors) but he does not discuss Hungarian emigration or recent changes in migration patterns. He once mentions the agents of shipping companies being present in all Hungarian villages trying to persuade Hungarians to get on their ships, but he fails to further comment on this topic. This is interesting because exactly during the time of his visit, the Hungarian migration trajectory went through major changes. With the introduction of the quota system by the Reed-Johnson Act in 1924, the US practically closed its doors in front of Hungarian immigrants, while due to changes in Canadian immigration policy, the northern neighbor became one of the primary targets of Hungarian immigrants (see, for example, Dreisziger 1982, Venkovits 2021, Knowles 2007. Partly as a result of the growing number of Hungarians arriving in Canada, at the time of Pataky's trip there is increasing interest in Hungary about the country, but Pataky does not mention this despite the fact that he visits the nation and spends weeks there. Several books are published in Hungary at the time of Pataky's visit and in most of them immigration to Canada becomes a dominant feature of the accounts (see, for example, Zágonyi 1926). This is true even in the case of travels to the United States, whereby a Canadian trip is also mentioned (see, for example, Drozdy 1924 andWéber 1928). In the case of the latter, Canada is presented as interesting mostly because of its recent attraction for Hungarian immigrants. There is much more interest in the United States even at this time and Canada mostly appears only in comparison with its neighbor and not necessarily independently.
Pataky's manuscript is in line with such a treatment of Canada in Hungarian travel accounts on the Americas that does not offer a fully independent image of the country but presents it through the prism of the United States. Indeed, Pataky barely offers any description of Montréal or any other parts of Canada. Despite the business success there, Canada remains marginal in his descriptions with Pataky devoting only a few paragraphs to it and even these focus on the business aspects of the trip. This becomes even more obvious when Pataki decides to conclude his account on the last page of his manuscript, summarizing his views of America after an almost eighty-day journey. Canada is missing entirely: Let me now conclude the memories of my journey and let me repeat that America, the grand New York is the largest port of the world. In New York there is great order and discipline, its street traffic surpasses that of any capital in the world as Broadway is a big world in itself. In just one morning I saw more cars than in my whole life combined. And then there is the traffic under (subway) and above the ground, there is no such a thing elsewhere in the world and I dare to say that for example the subway station at Times Square is much larger than the Western [Nyugati] station at home, and the subway goes across the entire city.… Once again, I will never forget the Broadway and neither the fact that those who work in America can make a living [Most már bezárom úti élményeimet, és ismétlem, Amerika, nagy New York, a világ legnagyobb tengeri kikötője. New Yorkban nagy rend és fegyelem, utczai forgalmát a világ minden fővárosába leveri, hisz kérem, a Broadvay egy nagy világ maga, Egy délelőtt több autót láttam, mind világéletemben összevissza. No aztán a földalatti (subway) és földfölötti, hát ilyen sincs sehol a világon, és bátran mondhatom, hogy például a Times Squeron a földalatti állomás sokkal nagyobb mind nálunk a Nyugati, és a földalatti átszeli az egész várost.… Még egyszer Broadvay soha sem fogom elfelejteni, és hogy ki Amerikába dolgozik, az megél] (36).
As we can see in Pataky's short handwritten account, this unedited personal recollection resembles published sources in more than one way. The Hungarian marvels at technological development in the United States and repeats many of the usual topics (seeing the United States as the land of opportunities and the almighty dollar, etc.) while reflecting on his own position especially when criticizing the country. While spending most time with the description of New York, Canada appears as marginal and of little interest, despite its business significance in the account. The story that the manuscript reveals, however, is far from typical and is worthy of further study that requires additional research in archives and diplomatic papers that can reveal the details of this unique transatlantic business venture from the 1920s.