OSA / Guide / RIP / 1956 / RFE/RL Background Reports : Subjects | Browse | Search

The text below might contain errors as it was reproduced by OCR software from the digitized originals,
also available as Scanned original in PDF.

BOX-FOLDER-REPORT: 28-5-95
TITLE:             Information of Members of New Hungarian Government Announced October 27
BY:                
DATE:              1956-10-27
COUNTRY:           Hungary
ORIGINAL SUBJECT:  From the Evaluation and Research Section
THEMATIC SUBJECTS: Hungary--1956 Revolution, Government, Personalities

--- Begin ---

H - CABINET B.6. INFO

C-60

FROM THE EVALUATION AND RESEARCH, SECTION	BACKGROUND REPORT
(Hungary)	27 October 1956

INFORMATION ON MEMBERS OF NEW HUNGARIAN
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCED OCTOBER 27.

Bela KOVACS, Minister of Agriculture.

Former secretary general of the Smallholder Party.
Farmer. Arrested on February 25, 1947 by Soviet
Military for having allegedly endangered the
military security of the Soviet Union. 
Disappeared and nothing was heard of him until autumn 1955
when released prisoners of war reported that he
was detained in a Siberian prison.

His release and return to Hungary was reported
by Western news agencies in May 1956.
"Dunantuli Naplo" of July 10, 1956, published an
official communiqué on his liberation.

After his return to Hungary he joined his family
living in his native village in County Baranya.
"Dunantuli Naplo" of July 3, 1956 published a
statement by KOVACS.  He was subjected to
repeated pressure by the regime to give his support
to the PPF and was allegedly offered also the
post of Chief Editor of "Magyar Nemzet."

On September 26, 1956 the Hungarian Radio, in
its daily feature "Homeland," broadcast an
interview with him in which he took a rather
reserved stand. "Magyar Nemzet" of October 12, 1956,
re-ported his election to the social-political and
juridical committee of the PPF.

Zoltan TILDY. Minister of State without portfolio.

Aged 66, Calvinist pastor, one of the founders
of the Hungarian Smallholder Party, member of
parliament before and during World War II.
After the emigration of Tibor ECKHARDT to the
U.S.A. he became leader of the Smallholder Party.  (1941)

After World War II he became Prime Minister of
Hungary's first constitutional Government (which
succeeded General MIKLOS's provisional Government)

[page 2]

H (1) CABINET B. 6, INFO

C-61

He held that office until February 1946, when he
was elected first president of the Hungarian
Republic. In August 1948 he was compelled to
resign because his son-in-law, Victor CSORNOKY,
Hungarian Minister to Egypt, was involved in an
"anti-regime conspiracy" (he was tried and
hanged in December of the same year.)

Since then nothing was heard of TILDY until
September 1956 when he was noted among the
visitors of the national exhibition of agriculture.
On that occasion he gave an interview to Radio
BUDAPEST on his impressions of the exhibition.

On October 9, 1956, the "Homeland" feature of
Radio BUDAPEST broadcast a longer interview with
him in which he came out in support of kolkhozes,
"the only road toward a better life for peasants."
A few days later he was elected member of the PPF's
social-political and juridical committee. He
attended a debate of the DISZ Petöfi Club on
October 17, 1956 and repeated his endorsement of
the regime's agricultural policy.

Radio BUDAPEST reported October 20 that he
visited SZTALINVAROS (DUNAPNTELE) and subsequently
the county of Baranya, in the company of Istvan
DOBI, Chairman of the Presidium. It can be
assumed that he went to see Bela KOVACS, living in
Baranya county, in order to persuade him to give
his support to the regime.

(MORE LATER)

  OSA / Guide / RIP / 1956 / RFE/RL Background Reports : Subjects | Browse | Search