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BOX-FOLDER-REPORT: 31-1-400
TITLE:             Changes in the Hungarian Government
BY:                
DATE:              1960-1-16
COUNTRY:           Hungary
ORIGINAL SUBJECT:  Hungarian Evaluation & Research
THEMATIC SUBJECTS: Hungary--1956-1965, Government, Personalities

--- Begin ---

Curt - H Changes

1960

News Background

CHANGES IN THE HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT

MUNICH, 16 January 1960 (Hungarian Evaluation & Research)
Homeland Radio in its broadcast of 20.00 hours on 15 January 1960
announced some not unexpected changes in the composition of the
Hungarian Government. (Cf. CN - 107, 113 Jan.l5). The communique
of CC Session printed in "Nepszabadsag" (Jan. 13) had already
indicated that changes were in the offing. The communique stated that
the CC "dealt with some personnel and organizational questions
connected with the Party and Government and based on the decisions
of the Party congress." On the following day also the Board
of the National Council of the Patriotic People's Front dealt with
personnel questions connected with the Government, as reported by
Radio Kossuth on 14 January 1960.

x x x

The appointment of Gyula GALLAI as First Deputy Prime
Minister was decided already during the VIIth Party congress. Thus
the government has now two First Deputy Prime Ministers: Antal
APRO and the now appointed Gyula KALLAI.

The appointment of KALLAI, formerly HSWP secretary for
cultural affairs, points to the fact that the Party attributes greate
importance to public instruction than before and particularly to the
introduction of the new school reform. In this connection it is
interesting to note that KALLAI has already been deputy Minister
of Culture in 1955. and was Minister of Culture from 28 February 1957
to 28 January 1958. KALLAI stated at the VIIth congress in December
1959,that the bringing about of the "cultural revolution" was one
of the main tasks facing the HSWP.

The position of the Minister of Finance became vacant by
the sudden death of Istvan Antos. The new minister, Rezso Nyers,
born in 1923, belongs to the younger Communist generation. Already
in 1940 he joined the Social Democratic Party and until its fusion
in 1948 with the Communist he was member of that Party. After the
fusion he became Party functionary of the Hungarian Workers Party.
In 1954 he was elected member of the Central Committee and appointed
Deputy President of the Central Council of Trading Cooperatives.

[page 2]

NEWS BACKGROUND REPORT, January 18

In July 1956 (after the downfall of Rakosi) he was promoted to
Minister of Food Industry. After the crushing of the 195-6
uprising he rallied immediately around the Janos Kadar group and
headed the Commissariat of Food Supply which operated for only a
few months. In February 1957 he again became a member of the
Central Committee of the new Communist Party (the HSWP) and in
May 1957 he was re-appointed President of the Council of Trading
Cooperatives. The June 1957 Party conference confirmed him as
member of the Central Committee.

The most interesting feature of the present changes is
the appointment of Pal Losonczi to Minister of Agriculture.
Losonczi was from about 1950 the president of the kolkhoz "Red Star" in
Bares, which was the leading and one of the biggest kolkhozi in
Hungary. It was visited frequently by the most distinguished guests
of the regime. Thus, for the first time in the history of the
Hungarian regime, an actual kolkhoz chairman has been made Minister
of Agriculture. The appointment clearly demonstrates the importance
attributed by the regime to the rapidly increasing socialist sector
of agriculture. It should be held in mind that the village of Bares
became by the end of December a collectivized village and County
Somogy to which Bares belongs was declared to be a collectivized
county on 1 January 1960.

Pal Losonczi is one of the first and most steadfast
propagandists for collectivization. He is member of the Kolkhoz Council
since its creation at the end of December 1951. At the May 1954
Party Congress he became alternate member of the Central Committee
and in June 1957 full member. At the June 1957 Party conference
he. was among the speakers. Beside his Party activities he is member
of parliament, of the National Council of the Patriotic People's
Front, two times holder of the Kossuth Prize, author of numerous
articles in favor of collectivization.

During the revolution, however, Losonczi could not prevent
the dissolution of his own kolkhoze in Barcs which is characteristic
of the mood of the local population of that period, but he
succeeded in a short period in reorganizing the kolkhoz after the crushing
of the revolution. For his "meritorious service" in the fight for
the crushing of the revolution he was awarded will the Medal for
Worker-Peasant Power.

The outgoing Minister of Agriculture, Imre Dogei, has
been appointed as Hungarian Ambassador to Peking replacing Sandor
Nogradi who is returning to Budapest. At the last Party congress
Nogradi was elected Chairman of the Partys' Control Commission.

Another change affects Gyorgy Marosan who has been relieved
of his post as Minister of State in the government and appointed
member of the Presidential Council, a place which became vacant by
the death of Jozsef Revai on 4 Agust 1959. This means that Gyorgy
Marosan holds now in the state apparatus a much lowe job than he

[page 3]

Curt - I H Changes

NWS BACKGROUND REPORT, January 18

F-39

has had before. The bulk of his activities will be devoted to the
Party, where he is still member of the Politburo and one of the
secretaries of the Central Committee. It is interesting to note
in connection with his Party position that in his 31 October 1959
speech Janos Kadar suggested that Marosan he appointed permanent
First Deputy Party secretary, but at the subsequent
November-December Party Congress no mention was made of this suggestion.

On the level of leading state offices MTI (16 January
1960) announced an interesting change. Laszlo Gyaros, head of
the Information Bureau of the Council of Ministers, has been
oppointed President of the Institute of Cultural Relations. This
position has been vacant since February 1958 when his predecessor
Janos Peter, was appointed First Deputy Minister of Foreign
Affairs.

In the Information Bureau Laszlo Gyaros is succeeded by
his deputy, Geza Namenyi.

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