Identity Statement

Reference Code

HU OSA 408-1-8

Title

Miscellaneous Records on Persecutions and Unrest

Date(s)

1945 - 1998

Description Level

Series

Extent and medium (processed)

2 Archival boxes, 0.25 linear meters

Context

Archival history

Originals are kept in the Historical Archives of the Hungarian State Security (ÁBTL), The Archives of Political History and of Trade Unions (PSZL), and the National Archives of Hungary (MNL).

Content and Structure

Scope and Content (Abstract)

The series consists of documents that were not created during criminal proceedings or investigation by the political police. The only exception is the acquittal of poet Tibor Tollas (Kecskési) in 1991. The majority of documents are related to specific persons: some are important because of the persons involved (for instance historian Domokos Kosáry, journalist Paul Lendvai, major general István Újszászy etc.) or are unique (writer Gyula Schöpflin and Magda Bárdy, survivor of Auschwitz and interned to Kistarcsa) or connect to other documents in the collection.

The file on Sándor Herpai (mayor of Kisújszállás, then interned) is related to the interview with him (vs. sub-fonds 2, series 7); the records on András Villányi, one time police colonel is special in that he was one of the defendants – sentenced and executed – in the trial against László Rajk, one time minister of interior, in 1949. It is curious how a letter from Stockholm to Gyula Schöpflin and his wife in Paris got into the hands of the State Security Authority (ÁVH).

Another interesting story is the debate between Magda Bárdy, arrested and interned, and Tibor Vajda, head of the Investigations Department of ÁVH, and her trial. A related material is Bárdy’s memoir.

Furthermore, the series includes the written testimony of major general István Újszászy, head of the State Security Center and the reports of the political police unlawfully delivered to the communist party, the main content of which came from telephone tapping. Secret police report on Domokos Kosáry, a leading historian and later president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences is in this series, too.

Documents at the end of the series provide and insight into the events leading to the revolution in 1956. In October 1954, some of the journalists at Szabad Nép, a communist party controlled newspaper, rebelled at a party meeting, which was an important impetus to the organization of the reform communist movement. The series includes the minutes of this meeting and an article about the event by Gábor Murányi.

A similarly important event was the debate on the press organized by Petőfi Circle in late June 1956. The copy of the minutes (later published) and an article on Petőfi Circle by András B. Hegedűs belong to the series.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information

The documents were selected by the above considerations. One of the Újszászy files were classified as secret in the 1990s by the secret service; the Budapest Court ruled the classification rightful but the Supreme Court invalidated it.

Accruals

Not Expected

System of arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Conditions of Access and Use

Conditions governing access

The general rules of research in OSA Research Room apply. Digital reproduction in OSA Research Room is allowed for educational and research purposes.

Conditions governing reproduction

A dokumentumok oktatási és kutatási célból digitálisan másolhatók az OSA kutatótermében.

Description Control

Archivist's note

Processed by László Varga, March 2, 2015.