The international community and the media obtained copies of the Vrba report about the middle of June. Their responses were strong and immediate. The worldwide press began a campaign to publicize the report. On June 25th, Pope Pius XII asked Governor Horthy in an open telegram to spare the lives of Hungarian Jews. The King of Sweden also protested. The US president Franklin D. Roosevelt warned Horthy in a message communicated via the Swiss representative demanding an immediate end to the deportations and a cessation of all anti-Jewish measures, threatening further armed reprisals. He gave Horthy a deadline of June 30th.

A copy of the Vrba report was given to Miklós Horthy, Jr. for transmission to his father, Admiral Miklós Horthy, the titular head of the Hungarian Government. Horthy, who until this point did not interfere in internal actions of Hungary, such as the deportation of Jews from the countryside, faced a convergence of events from both inside and outside the country. 

According to the testimony by Pinhas Freudiger, president of Budapest Jewish Community at that time, Horthy failed to reply to the ultimatum, … and American and British bombers bombed Budapest on July 2. The next day, Admiral Horthy told Jaeger he ordered that Jewish deportations from Hungary cease — but the Hungarian dictator’s order was countermanded by Eichmann… [ JTA ]