General information

Call No.:

300-1-8:2/78

Part of series

HU OSA 300-1-8 Records of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Research Institute: General Records: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty Public Affairs Photographic Files

Located at

Archival photo box #2 / No. 78

Digital ver. identifier

HU OSA 300-1-8_002-078

Legacy ID

rfe_person_078

Date

1955

Level

Item

Primary Type

Still image

Language

English

Notes

The black and white prints of RFE/RL were donated to OSA by the Hoover Institute, California in year 2015. The images are duplicates of those held at Hoover. The originals, and most probably the negatives are with the donor as well. OSA only received the paper prints with captions, and digitized the entire collection in year 2018.

Content

Form/Genre

Photograph

Contents Summary

ORIGINAL CAPTION:
Herbert and Maria Gring find a moment for relaxation from studio chores in a chat with a Hungarian Airshift studio technician.
Maria Gring - RFE Actress-Writer-Announcer, Hungarian Desk.
In October 1949 I left Budapest for Vienna with my two year old son to join my parents, who had left Budapest in 1948. We had had contact with an "underground railroader" who was to lead us "illegally" across the border, starting from Sopron. At the station in Sopron all persons were checked by the police for their identity-papers. The policeman found my papers in-sufficient and led my son and myself away to the police prison. The "underground railroader" had seen all this and crossed the border without us, fearing the police would be able to force me to reveal the real reason for being at Sopron and the identity of my contact. We were put in a windowless cell, and kept there for one and half days without food or a drink of water, which was especially agonizing for my two year old son. After a short interrogation, we were released to return to Budapest. But that was impossible as the authorities there would surely be looking for me. I had to get across the border one way or another. I stayed in Sopron walking through the streets, trying to think of a way to get out of this dilemma. Suddenly I remembered that my contact had mentioned his brother-in-law, a farmer in the immediate vicinity. I found the place and he told us to wait. The next day our "underground-railroader" showed and were were able to make it safely across the border.
I cam to RFE in April 1952 by way of an advertisement in a Vienna paper. the FRE Bureau in Vienna was looking for a Hungarian secretary, who spoke English and German. After a couple of months I became interviewer, which was a promotion . In June of 1954 I was sent to Munich to try out for an actor-announcer job and simply kept there. Now I am a news-announcer but sometimes cast as an actress in radio-plays. What I like most, though, is writing scripts for the Women's Program.
In Munich I also met my second husband, Herbert, who is working for RFE as a radio-engineer.

Context

Associated Names

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (Copyright holder)

Associated Places

Munich

Subject / Coverage

Spatial Coverage

Munich

Germany

Collection Specific Tags

Cold War, dissidents, man, Radio broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, woman