A Strong and Mighty Wind! Book Six:! The Sword! !
! !
Douglass Graem
A STRONG AND MIGHTY WIND
BOOK SIX THE SvlORD
...•:
The people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword. I Kings 19:10 ]
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE COLORADO
[ I celebrate myself, and sing myself, And what I assume you shall assume, For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you. Walt Whitman]
181.
Feeling the hot, sweaty horseflesh between his thighs was an eXhilarating experience.
Ian held his head low, beside the the
neck of Nemes, his pony.
He was racing with the ball, made of
willow-root,
weighing about one hundred and fourteen grams.
He
had to look hard for it in the swirling dust, as it was less than ten centimeters in diameter. He straightened himself out in the saddle and started to swing his mallet more than one meter long.
He sensed the need to
strengthen his hold on the rubber-wrapped grl.p.
In the split
second he took to do that, Nemes overtook the ball.
The flexible
bamboo-cane shaft described a circular motion as Ian went into a nearside fore shot.
The stick descended with enormous speed, but
the side of his mallethead struck only a lump of grass.
Ian heard the Number Three pivot man com1ng from behind, emitting a sharp yell as he galloped by him.
Moose Sinclair, the
captain of the home team, quickly rallied his men for a final assault on the visitors' goal posts.
The game was in its sixth
and final chukka, with only two minutes remaining out of its seven and one half. The ball again popped out toward Ian.
This time the side of
his mallet head struck it with a sharp crack.
The ball sailed
through the air close to the ground and, caught by a gust, almost hit Swallow, the Number Two's pony. Frank passed the ball with a smart scramble to Moose, who moved forward irresistibly and scored the last and winning goal of the day.
There was little doubt about the outcome, as he was one
of the handful of eight-goal polo players in the West, international ability being rated on a scale of zero to ten.
The other
players on his team were Frank, who was a four, and Randy, a twogoal man. rating.
Ian, who had played only four times before had a zero The captain of the visiting Wyoming team, Harry White,
was a five-goaler, but his men had had so much experience playing as a team that the outcome was not decided until the last chukka. As Ian pushed up his protective helmet, he looked with renewed wonder at the magnificent country around the field.
Its three-
hundred-meter width and one-hundred-and-fifty-meter width barely fitted into the narrow valley.
Huge boulders towered above the
goal posts, each boulder rivaling the height of a Park Avenue
-2-
apartment building.
.The oversized rock formations and the moun-
tains in the distance reached for the sky like a call for love. The sky's azure glitter was like a shimmering, inverted ocean for angels to float in.
Further southwest, Bluebell, the Sinclair
Ranch, spread over one hundred and eighteen thousand acres, with its center, the homestead, in the foreground.
It was a rambling
unpretentious building on the outside, surprisingly spacious and very comfortable inside.
It was nestled in the foothills of the
Rocky Mountains, an hour's drive south-southwest of Denver. Imre had found out only recently that the American intelligence officer who had guided him and Ellen out of Austria eight years earlier now lived in Colorado.
He had told Ian about his
discovery when he had returned from his first trip to Denver. Ian had not been not slow in finding out that salespeople earned far more money on Wall Street than statisticians.
Big
Brown was firmly convinced that one couldn't be a salesman and statistician at the same time, but Ian had pleaded with him for a sales territory for years.
Less than a year earlier, Brown had
grudgingly consented. lIyou seem so anxious to sell, but I have nothing available for you except a tiny market in the middle of America. " "Where is it?" Ian had asked, full of curiosity. "It's Colorado.
In the middle of nowhere. "
"I'll take it," I an had said without hesitating. "There is really nothing there, son," Big Brown had continued. "A couple of miniature funds and a few trust departments of little consequence and even less imagination." -3-
"Let me have it, Mr. Brown!" "Go ahead," the great man had finally consented, as if throwing a bone to a hungry dog.
"I'll pay only half of your expenses,
and if there is no business coming within six months, you can forget it." Moose had been at Stapleton Airport when Ian had first arrived in Denver early in February, 1956.
Moose knew the Colorado
capital's inbred establishment since he was part of it.
He intro-
duced Ian to many of his friends on Seventeenth Street, Denver's financial district.
Ian became one of the few upstarts from back
East who managed to get a sprinkling of stock-brokerage business from the tightly knit financial managers in the Mile High city. Then in August Ian had a break.
A cousin of Moose's had to
sell a large block of stock traded in the over-the-counter market to pay death duties. in the stock.
Big Brown's firm was a primary market-maker
The trust department in Denver got a satisfactory
execution on the trade, handsome profit.
and B. G. Brown and Company cleared a
From then onward, all of Ian's travelling ex-
penses were paid in full, and few questions were asked. I an flew out to Denver every month. the trip usually took eight hours. and stayed until Tuesday.
with a stopover in Chicago,
He normally arrived on Friday
He was met at the airport either by
Moose or by one of the ever-widening circle of friends he had met through Moose. In September Ian came out again for the Labor Day weekend. Moose was a bachelor and extraordinarily debonair.
-4-
with his jet-
black hair,
aquiline nose and clear, blue eyes, somewhat-below-
average height and above-average charm, he was a dispenser of Western hospitality as generous as the open spaces of Colorado. He wouldn't allow Ian to book into the Brown Palace Hotel, insisting he stay at his home.
He had had a room reserved for his
exclusive use that adjoined his own suite at the ranch.
For Satur-
day, he had invited many of the beauties of Denver to a party in honor of Ian. It was there that he met Amanda.
She didn't really come from
Colorado.
She had an apartment in Denver, but her home was ln
Calgary.
Pearl had brought her to Moose's party on the spur of
the moment.
Moose always welcomed friends of friends, especially
beautiful ones.
He noticed her immediately.
Amanda was undoubt-
edly one of the most electrifying women he had ever set eyes upon. She had blue-black hair that fell ln rich curls over her shoulders and extraordinarily blue eyes that sparkled like incandescent crystal.
She wore a long snow-white dress and a twenty-one-carat
diamond at her throat which led Ian's eyes to the discreet cleavage revealed by her tight-fitting bodice. Amanda was a beauty with a single flaw: when she smiled, her lips formed slightly into the kind of crooked curve one encounters on race courses, in Las Vegas and on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Ian did not see the little crooked curve. beat as he approached her, mesmerized. Moose came to his immediate rescue:
-5-
His heart missed a
"And you came with Melanie Trent, didn't you?" he murmured, putting on a dazzling wolf-like smile. my best friend from New York.
"I want you to meet Ian,
As you are both visitors to colo-
rado, I'm sure you have a lot in common."
And with that he left
Ian alone with the girl whose name he still didn't know. "I'm I an Campbell." "My name is Cindy Beauregard." "Cindy?" he asked in a shocked tone,
"I have to call you
Amanda!" he declared abruptly. "Why Amanda?" she asked with her eyes smiling. "You are the most exciting woman I have ever met,
II
I an said
vehemently, "and I can't conceive of a more fitting name for you than Amanda!
Do you like the name?"
"I do, but ... " "Then that's settled!
II
Ian shot back imperiously.
"You make up your mind fast," she crooned admiringly. He hadn't seen Dianne after Georgie and Ellen's wedding. In the intervening five years, Ian's divorce had been finalized, and to his surprise, he had become an involuntary lady-killer. There had been the tempestuous Elsa from Chile; the statuesque model, Hanna, from Germany; the princess Marika from Yugoslavia; a French temptress, Arlette, from Paris; and a few more. In a rare moment of candor, Ian had once explained to Imre: "I like to be entwined by a sweet woman; I like even more to give them pleasure; and I like best of all when I hear a woman moan: 'stop!', which means: 'Go on!'"
-6-
He had fallen into the dangerous illusion that he was an exceptional gift to womanhood.
Ian was in the period of his life
when he knew as soon as he set eyes on a woman whether or not she would grace the sheets of his bed. would - and did.
He zeroed in on those who
In such moments his Magyar blood would course in
his veins with a pristine strength. He clicked his glass of champagne against Amanda's.
182.
Pearl let out a happy laugh. "Who would you like to have at my little party tonight?" Ian could visualize her smiling face.
"Need I tell yoU?"
liThe way you looked at each other last night
II
"Didn't you find out ... ? II IIShe had to leave early ... expecting
Something about a call she was
II
"Yes ... she told me about that.
II
IIPearl, don I t hold me in suspense! II "What would you like to know?" II Everything!
II
"Like what?" Moose had started to date Pearl 1n the spring soon after he had renewed his acquaintance with Ian.
The two former intelli-
gence officers had become the closest of friends,
-7-
despite the
three thousand kilometers that had separated them.
After Pearl
had come into Moose's life, the three had formed an inseparable trio whenever Ian managed to come to Denver. The lovers' ambition was to find a girlfriend for Ian. spring before,
Ian had still been tangled up with the sultry
daughter of the united Nations protocol chief. mer,
The
Then, in the sum-
after the intermezzo with the Chilean had ended, Moose and
Pearl had introduced Ian to a number of Colorado beauties, none of whom had ignited his interest. When Pearl,
an uncommonly sensitive woman, had noticed the
spark between Ian and Cindy,
she had been openly pleased, as she
was the kind of person who liked to be surrounded by joy and laughter. "Well ... what does she do?" asked Ian "She is in the oil business ... " "You mean she works for an oil company!" "Oh no,"
Pearl started to laugh over the telephone.
"She
1S
a wildcatter!" "Tell me more." "She is an independent oil-operator,
as you'd call her on
Wall Street ... Drills wells, you know." "Not herself!" "You bet she does!
She is out there with the boys, up to her
knees in the mud." "I'll be damned
How do you know all this?"
"Cindy is my best friend." "How long have you known her?"
-8-
"More than ten years, since second grade in school." "Does she have any brothers and sisters?" "She has a sister.
Her father died several years ago, and
she moved to Calgary with her mother and sister ...
But why don't
you ... ?" "She gave me her phone number.
I called her all morning
there was no answer ... " "You'll see Cindy tonight." "Really?" "I invited her to my party a week ago." "Why didn't you tell me that in the first place?" "I think she is bringing a date." "Damn! " "Be at my place any time after seven." More than fifty people showed up for Pearl's little party. She shared a house near city Park, a ten-minute drive from Stapleton, with two other girls.
Ian noticed her as soon as he arrived.
She wore a long, white tight-fitting gown, with odd blue embroidery. She immediately introduced him to one of her roommates, who had large hands and who wore a rather dull outfit of no particular color. Pearl gave him a rum drink. "Darling Ian, you know where the bar is.
Just help yourself
after this." He worked his way slowly and unobtrusively towards Amanda, stopping for a chat with Tweet, the chatelaine of a scottish-style
-9-
castle brooding over her Cherokee Ranch. the Sinclairs.
She was a neighbor of
L'Estrange, Her Majesty's Consul, was playing on
the piano, and Tish, the dashing Albanian manager of the University Club, was singing in his deep baritone. Ian didn't reach Amanda until a visiting professor from Canada danced an Ukranian gopak.
The party was starting to thin out, for
Ian had had to arrive very late.
Pearl put on a French record,
and Ian asked Amanda for a dance. her,
He noticed more things about
in particular the inviting way she danced.
came over and danced with her.
Then her date
Ian looked wistfully after her.
A tipsy woman, whom he had met only once before, came up to Ian. "I have four children ... very average family ... " over some of her words.
I'm just an average member of a
Ian had to listen hard as she slurred "Go after her, Ian," she urged profusely.
Don I t waste your time talking to me.
Go after her!"
Ian did, after Moose had called her date out into the corridor, leading him to the main entrance of the house.
He heard him remark
as he joined Moose:
"The franchise I'm trying to get ... the
airline franchise ...
just that piece of paper is worth seven
hundred and fifty thousand
"
Ian didn't know - and never did find out - what Moose replied, but the franchise applicant took leave of Pearl and Amanda a few minutes later.
Pearl put on the other side of the French record.
After the game of squash earlier that morning at the Denver Country Club, Ian felt confident.
-10-
Moose had still beaten him by a
comfortable margin, but he had played better than ever before. had developed a service game which was hard to return. rented a second locker in the Club for Ian's use. than once reflected that his
He
Moose had
Ian had more
Coloradan friend must have some
Transylvanian blood in his veins, as he was the most thoughtful and generous host he had met so far in America.
There was no
matter too small or too great to attend to for the sake of Ian's comfort.
Moose made him feel at home in Colorado.
I an had taken an immediate liking to the state. open spaces made him feel
free and unlimited,
Its wide
and the Rockies
reminded him of his double heritage, the Highlands of Scotland and the
Carpathians
of Transylvania.
It was
true -- he did feel
almost at home. In this spirit he asked Amanda for another dance. Around midnight, a tall, striking man appeared.
He had long,
jet-black hair, a prominent nose and a dashing presence. "He is Rene," whispered Amanda admiringly.
II
A Spanish gypsy
He had a girl with him who struck Ian as an incongruous partner: fair haired,
shy,
and thin,
she was clinging self-consciously to
the flamenco player, who had brought his guitar along. Moose brought out another trayful of his famous planter's punch.
Only six remained out of the original crowd,
and Pearl
offered everybody another round. The party, which had seemed to ebb, the gypsy's arrival.
livened up again after
Pearl danced with Moose and Ian with Amanda.
The new arrival and his date didn't join them.
-11-
"
The gypsy sat down, took his guitar out of the case, and laid it over his heart.
He reminded Ian strongly of the Chabaffys'
gypsy primas at Zsibo.
When the French record stopped playing,
the gypsy's strumming gained in intensity. He began with a soft malaguena.
Amanda took Ian's arm when
the guitar player broke into an alegrias. She chose that moment to stun him. II
I want to go to bed with you now.
II
She said it so quietly
that he was tempted to ask her to repeat the sentence, but he didn't.
She walked him to the back stairs behind the kitchen.
He
lifted her into his arms and, in a few bounds, reached a room with an open door on the second floor.
It was a bedroom.
surprised again when he deposited her on the bed.
Ian was
Her dress fell
off her, revealing the beauteous uptilt of a pair of breasts erect with passion.
She gave him a taste of near-innocent magic.
183.
On his way back to New York, Ian stopped in Chicago to brief some of B.G.
Brown and Company's institutional clients on his
latest stock recommendations.
This stopover justified ln his mind
the next trip to Denver, which he was planning to make the following week. When he returned to his apartment in New York, he found a card from Amanda waiting for him.
He had moved there the year
-12-
before, his first very own place.
The father of one of his Wall
street clients owned a rent-controlled townhouse across from the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Fifth Avenue.
He had called when
the first vacancy -- rare in his building -- had occured. settled in just in time for Christmas.
Ian had
His bedroom window over-
looked Averell Harriman's townhouse: he definitely began to feel he was moving away from the periphery of life.
Then, in January,
Big Brown had started to give him a monthly bonus, over and above his five-figure salary, based on the commission business he had generated with his research reports. fat one.
The June bonus had been a
For the first time since he had arrived in America he
was out of debt. His
new
friends
ln Colorado were
tapestrying the mul ti-
faceted personality of Ian with a new splendor.
It was good to be
alive and good to tear open the envelope from Calgary.
,
[ September 6 )
Dearest Ian: The details of our being together keep coming back to me, but for some reason I find it difficult to put it into words.
Actually
thinking about how fast everything happened -- it's hard to believe. I'm going to a big party this Saturday hundred people. together.
should be about five
wish it were a week off so that we could go there
Do you follow horoscopes?
I
read the monthly ones.
Not until next month does it sound good for me. movie last night.
Went to see a
The hero had eyes like yours, so full of sadness.
I'm tired now ... ] -13-
Here Amanda broke off,
as the text of the card,
could make beautiful music together, to fill.
II
" you and I
didn't leave any more space
The writing continued on a new sheet.
[ Dear One: Did not finish my letter to you yesterday,
so I thought I
would add a few lines before mailing. You are certainly an unusual man.
I long to know about you
and the world you know. wish you could be with me this very minute so that I might hold you close to me and be one with you.
Hmmmm, see what you are
doing to my mind. It's odd, eyes.
but the thing I V1Sl0n mainly about you is your
Can see them very plainly.
I imagine what they have seen ...
You have kind eyes ... Later ... Had very good intentions of finishing this letter but company called, and so I had a few people in for lunch. and we played tennis.
Then Pearl called,
Neither of us knows how and must take lessons.
But we did volley the ball a little and got some sun. We have a lovely park nearby. I'm going out to hit golf balls shortly. lessons for golf too.
Am going to need
I have played both games slightly, but time
had always been limited. ] The letter continued on the back of the page.
-14-
[ Hi again: This is really too much -- would compile this letter into one and probably leave out the babbling but don't have time as I must hurry. In your eyes
I
could see that you had seen much and gone
through many experiences.
When you arrive in Denver and we are
alone -- we will talk. ] It continued on a new sheet.
[ September 8 Hi again: Would you believe?????????? I don't seem to have the time at all anymore. Have been on the go.
I want to assure you that I am thinking
of you and don't want to be lax.
I have just been terribly busy.
will try and get a nice letter off to you tomorrow.
Love, Amanda ]
Under the signature appeared her lip seal in shocking pink. When Ian got back from work the next evening he went straight into his four-poster bed for a nap.
One of the companies whose
stock he had recommended for purchase only two months earlier had raised the cash dividend,
and there had been pandemonium all day
-15-
in the trading pit.
Only when he woke up did he go to the mail-
box, and there he found a special-delivery letter from Canada.
[ September 9 Dearest: Here is the letter I promised.
Although I had a busy day and
felt tired, once I started thinking of you I found that I was not. Guess one has a lot on one's mind that is not apparent. Watching the days until your arrival. take my own plane back to Denver.
This time I'm going to
Moose said he will have taken
out the goal posts so I can land on his polo field. Planned to leave for Denver but have not heard. call two evenings ago,
Did get a
and they were supposed to have called me
yesterday, but was gone for most of the day, so getting in touch was difficult.
Could have had a golf game this morning but have
stayed at home waiting for the telephone to rlng in case I should leave this afternoon.
Sure would like to straighten matters out
and know where everyone stands. Took my car in to have the brakes, etc. installed. have it ready by this afternoon.
They will
They said that I ride my brakes.
Noticed going out to the airport you drive the same way.
We will
have to start using just one foot on both the gas and brake pedals. Dress for the party immediately after your arrival -- oh, i t was supposed to be a surprise and now I have told you! -- is going to be pretty casual. tie.
But it will be necessary for you to wear a
Give me your foot size for stockings -- I will pick up the
-16-
type that you should wear. wear your blue suit. out.
Bring black shoes!
Imagine you will
I am to wear a new silk.
I have it picked
It will look nice with your suit.
Naturally I'll be at the
airport to meet you. About you staying in my Denver apartment -- am not really sure how we should handle this.
Pearl thinks it's in bad taste.
She is right to a point, but I could move should anyone get the slightest idea.
Unfortunately, you see, this apartment house is
full of elderly people who have been married forever and are very stuffy and do not understand.
I want to have you with me so that
we can be together as much as possible. Let me know what you think. Thinking about the three wishes you asked for, but I'm not entirely sure what it is you want. not what you want to hear,
Health, happiness and love are
I am sure.
Perhaps
giving me these
things would give them to you? Have thought of you so much.
Can't help but wonder if you
are my destiny and the one for me to love forever. When I have all my present obligations settled -- will express myself to you in the way that you want and need.
I am only happy
that you love me and want you to love and adore my being. Am sending my love to you, and may God keep you well. Love and kisses, ]
The letter was unsigned.
There was a P.S. which read:
[ Oh yes, the party starts at 6:00 p.m. sharply, so we will have to hurry when you get off the plane. ]
-17-
184.
[ September 11th
Impossible to find words to address you, not because there are not enough, but how can one even begin to address oneself or someone inside oneself Whether I write to you or not, I am with you, and yet it is being with you in a totally different way from anything I have felt before. Tonight I
took some sausages to Bruce's house -- he is my
Canadian friend -- and his laughing and smiling and joyous Ginette, a French girl, helped to prepare dinner.
She loves Bruce and yet
sometimes she feels a lack of something.
Then she is overtaken by
happy sentimentality as she Jumps in his lap and hugs him. brother,
Her
Armand Cartot, the famed young painter, was there too.
Bruce and Armand were playing chess,
and I tried to explain my
feelings for you to Ginette: "It is like emptying your cup of coffee, then you look again It is like throwing ice into a
and it is filled to the brim
hot cup of coffee and suddenly finding it's boiling over ...
1/
"It is a miracle," Ginette said. I read her part of the birthday telegram I sent your mother ... "Greetings from a happy Ian, whose every day is a happy birthday full of wonder, joy, surprise, inner glow ... "
-18-
So I began my story about Amanda and continued to write something about each of those words. "Full of wonder" -- I looked at Amanda, the adored one, like an astronaut at a star never before seen: full of wonder at seeing such clarity, a miracle that is something real. "Joy" -- the joy of finding; the joy of discovering; the joy of living; the joy of giving; the joy of getting; the joy of being quite oneself in Amanda being quite herself; the joy of rapture; the joy of abandon. "Surprise" -- Suprised?
Be surprised is the title of one of
my three-dimensional murals and the true title of Amanda! -- with her I have found the happiness and joy and wonder of surprise -it can't be real, yet it is!
She is a spark -- those blue eyes
under the black crown -- sheer fantasy and sheer reality; a dream ever present; a reality never changing. "Inner glow"-- a sense of floating down the river, of accelerating, of nearlng a water-fall and finding it is a water-rise l
,
lifting us upward into an accelerated crescendo of adoration. But the questions are only half asked and not answered at all -- it's like speaking a language without verbs -- there is a new life with no questions and no doubts, no eventual tears, no sadness at parting. The very colors are new -- no, and white.
No,
really,
it's like color after black
it's after color -- there it is and no
language can describe it.
-19-
There is Amanda -- fever carries myoId life away and brings back to life the life worth living, and the best is yet to come!
*************** So I ended my diary entry with the title of my other threedimensional mural at 1008 Fifth Avenue.
It was impossible to put
more into words, so I just expressed myself with a sweep of the hands, with the abandon of a smile, with just being a new Ian, immobile, dreaming and fully aware of life.
**************
185.
"Don't you like it when we're together?" "Yes, I do, I do." "Why do you pull back ... ?" "It's so wonderful and unbelievable it hurts "I don't want to hurt you ... " "Don't worry. " "Really?" "We are both thinking a mile a minute." "How did you guess?" "I get used to you fast." "Please stop it."
-20-
"
"Please do." "Don't stop now." "Please stop it right now, please!" "Why?" "I just can't stand the pleasure anymore." Amanda looked deeply and long into Ian's eyes. nestle her breasts on his, with eloquent mobility.
She liked to He was on his
back now with Amanda leaning on top of him. "Amanda-love." "You look like you have a glaze over your eyes, like an addict." "No wonder ... my dope is called Amanda. " "Do we know at last what real happiness is?" Ian dreamed up a poem:
She 1S frolicsome, She is imaginative ... She 1S serious, She 1S playful, She is tender, She is strongly passionate. Whoever said The language of body has a quality of unmatched validity? It's true. Words can be corrupted, Kisses never lie. They were at Amanda's apartment after the party in Moose's rambling, well-bred house full of hunting trophies, un-chic charm and sporting prints.
The dusty beauty of a western ranch, the
trill of laughter, the popping of corks ... l
,
-21-
Amanda the imbiber! How did she know? Yes, how did she know? Why did I let her? She is my slave ... No, we are each other's ... How did she know? How did she learn and with such perfection? Now she springs at me ... She won't let go! We can't ... can't ... stop, Don't stop, don't stop ever ...
The next morning Amanda was already up when Ian awoke. was getting breakfast ready.
She
Then how proud she appeared to Ian
watching her on the patio: she was sitting in the morning sun, sipping morning tea and glowing with her blue eyes. "Good morning.
II
"Good morning!
II
liThe champagne is cool.
II
"with orange juice?" Amanda put on soft music. Her heart was burning The breakfast became an elaborate ritual of finding each other: drinking kisses and eating deep fragrances. Ian had forced himself out of bed: he had to be at the Bluebell Ranch to play polo on Moose's team.
Right after the apres-polo
drinks the pair raced back to the Cheeseman Park apartment:
l
,
If glow ever existed, It exists now when I'm with her The many first, the many Tender explorations suddenly Flashing into passion.
-22-
How one touch begets another, And one freeing the next ... until we bare our souls And drink each other in ecstasy.
Amanda took Ian out to Stapleton airport to catch a midnight plane which would get him back to New York in time to be in the office in the morning. A day or so later he had a special delivery letter.
The
envelope contained a card which said on one side, with big letters, "Don't, and on the back, "be surprised to find it's more fun when you DO."
The picture was a reproduction of the 1634 Rembrandt
etching Joseph and Potiphar's wife, with an Amanda text underneath: "Why fight it?" There were also two letters, one typed, the other handwritten.
[ Good morning Sweet: I am sitting on my patio, trying to get some sun. \
)
nately it is cloudy, with a cool wind.
Unfortu-
still feel the warmth of
your skin against mine. Tomorrow I have a busy day.
will be running allover getting
chores done. Just can't wait to see you once agaln.
The memory of you is
very vivid, and I feel your divineness next to me.
Saw this book --
I have been reading -- I have not come up with new ideas, though. I wrote away for a couple of new books and have joined an Appreciation Club."
II
Arts
It should be very interesting and informative.
-23-
Can imagine how busy you must be. properly and getting rest.
Do hope that you are eating
with that I could be of some help to
you -- perhaps someday I will. Went down and bought some new white wine. what you want.
Hope it will be
Decided to try some different brands.
Two weeks seems such a long time to me -- wish it were over and you were with me once again. Sending my love, Amanda ]
On a separate sheet she had written another letter, in her own handwriting. [ Hi: It looks like raln.
It would be terrible for Pearl's party.
Must call and make sure she is alright today. pick up some grocerles for her,
Might be able to
after I take this to the post
office. Am looking forward to seeing you a week from Friday. it's two hours closer now.
Actually
It won't be long now.
Maybe when I go home to Calgary on Wednesday, I will have a letter from you. Am sending you all my thoughts. Love and kisses Me ...
-24-
P.S. That book does have new ideas enough.
had not read on far
Hope you don't want to try all of these as they sound
weird to me.
Tuesday Amanda love, Isn't it gOlng to be bliss to be so long together again, ten days from now, and for so long! Before I say any more, adore you,
I just want to tell you agaln how I
full of beauty and adoration, how I love you, full of
depth and adoration ... how I love you, love you, love you and all your particular delights,
like the back of your knees and the
fragrance of your kisses and all those lovely joys which make up my Amanda love ... Soon again, I'll be able to say:
You rise out of sleep like a growing thing rises out of the garden soil. Two leaves part to be your lips, two tender seed-leaves, And your eyes are luminous and soft as the velvet on pansies. How beautifully you turn ... your mouth tilts to let my kisses in. Lie still ... we shall be longer. We need so little room, we two ...
Oh, Amanda love, just give me one kiss, kiss, kiss, now, now, this very moment ... do you really know how much I love you? feel I haven't told you often enough ... or have I?
-25-
I
Count every
kiss I have rained on you, every touch, each letter, word, syllable, character I write as saying: I love you, I love you, I love you ...
Saturday Dearest Ian, Received your letter this morning and it was sweet. care of yourself,
sweet.
My thoughts are with you.
and am looking forward to seeing you.
Again,
Take
Do miss you
piloting my own
plane to Bluebell Ranch. Sending love and a gentle kiss, Amanda
Wednesday Amanda love, Counting the days madly ... then, now,
tomorrow,
the day after,
and
Saturday ... our day ... our night ... ours alone ...
the thought is too wonderful.
How can you sleep?
Can you ... ?
I
force myself to sleep ... otherwise I'll be exhausted by the time I get to you. To look forward to the happiest hours and days and weeks, perhaps many years of my life ... that is what gives me such feelings of exhilaration
just to be together day and night ...
now .... Be my love always .... ]
-26-
186.
"Ian,
what
are you dreaming about?
I mean,
shouted as he swung off Kismet, his favorite pony. teasing his old buddy. life.
who?"
Moose
He was fond of
That October 28th was a great day in his
Not only was he surrounded by his friends, not only was the
weather sunny and early in the morning he had gotten a call from the drilling rig eleven kilometers south-south-west of the homestead.
He had struck oil on his ranch.
After two dry holes he
had a well with a good production potential.
His geologist was
full of caution and admitted only that it should flow at a rate of at least one hundred barrels a day. "It's a good well you have, Slr.
Let's wait and see.
I can
tell you more in a day or two." Moose's first instinct was to get in his look.
jeep and take a
But it would have made him late for the polo game, and that
was out of the question. "I bet I know who you have on your mind." patting Nemes' neck.
He grinned happily,
That Moose had allowed Ian to name one of
his best ponies -- Nemes means "noble" in Magyar indication of the measure of their friendship.
was but one His girl friend
came out of the house to greet the team returning from the field. "Isn't Amanda supposed to arrive within the hour?" she asked both of them. "I I m glad you reminded me.
I III tell Dusty to take out the
goal posts," replied Moose.
-27-
Pearl came up and gave both of them a big hug.
She was a
hair taller than Moose, with the thrillingest laughter I an had ever heard.
And she laughed all the time.
around her.
She had a definite loveliness which was only a shadow
away from plainness.
One felt good being
Not as beautiful as Amanda, she had a soft
cadence and sweet honesty that made her a universal favorite. lIyou two,1I exclaimed Moose, 1I1oo k after the guests. I'll run my jeep to the wellhead and see what the boys are doing out there. II He gave Pearl a lingering kiss. hours. II
II I '11 be back in a couple of
For a moment a gust of wind pleated their hair together,
and the morning sun glorified them into a golden halo. He stopped to talk with the head groom.
Watching them ab-
sorbed in each other's conversation, Ian realized what Moose had meant when he had told him last spring: IIEighty percent of polo is your mount, only twenty percent you.
A good polo team is built on well-trained ponies. II
That is
why he went to such infinite pains to give his stable superb training and why the head groom was such an important member of his household.
He treated him with the respect in which Transylvanian
nobles held their gypsy primas. Then he saw Moose jump in his jeep and disappear in a cloud of dust. IIIan, darling,1I said Pearl in the husky VOlce that had bonded Moose so closely to her, IIle t' s greet the guests. II
She entwined
her arm in his, and together they walked through the entrance into the huge living room dominated by an oversized fireplace and graced
-28-
by grey stone walls, bookcases, comfortable sofas and animal-skin rugs. Around the table were stalwarts of the older generation: Lawrence Phipps,
Jr.
with an imp's twinkle in his eyes,
Highland Ranch lay between Bluebell and Denver; with a leathery grin; Moose's father, a former a deep-pile voice;
and his attorney,
whose
Judge Jackson,
u.s.
senator, with
Stephen Bolland, oozing a
beautiful overall reptilian quality. The foursome rose in unl.son.
Delightedly,
courtly manner with which Pearl,
I an watched the
a United Airlines hostess, was
treated by the senior luminaries of the Colorado establishment. While she enchanted them with her wide smile and gentle movements,
Ian excused himself and backed out of the room, returning
to his own.
He wanted to get ready for Amanda.
After indulging
himself for a moment in the view of the magnificent sweep of the foothills leading up toward the majestic Rocky Mountains, he began to undress. boots,
He pulled off the custom-made Lobb's of London riding
fitted with extra padding for his tender toes -- a gift
from Imre for his twenty-ninth birthday -- and his sweaty shirt marked with a large number one and threw the rest of his clothing on the bed.
He stepped into the shower in the large bathroom
which separated Moose's suite from his own bedroom.
A few weekends
before, he had dashed in heedlessly, only to surprise Moose and Pearl showering together.
She had emitted a delightful scream
which had scared Ian into a hasty retreat. lithe, girlish body lingered on.
The memory of her
As he showered, he also recalled
-29-
a weekend he had spent with Amanda at Bluebell, Amanda's body snow white against the onyx which lined three sides of the bathroom and multiplied endlessly by the enormous mirror which formed the fourth wall. Now he was trying to find the poem he had written for Amanda the day before and copied in longhand.
He distinctly remembered
placing it on the top of his dresser and now it wasn't there.
She
should be here in the next fifteen minutes, he thought. He looked in every cranny of his room, but he couldn't find it.
He pulled
out his sketchbook, cut out a page with a razor and started to remember with a sea-green colored felt pen.
RECOGNITIONS Signals in the eyes, Tremors inside: Instant happy recognitions Of desires, Needs, Destinies, Welling from the past Flowering in the now Enfolding the tomorrow: I say a prayer Fervent, Thankful For such gifts divine Sublime.
Ian got out his water color set and splashed the page with upward surges of blues, with flying birds and a leaping dolphin. He waved the sheet of paper to dry the paint.
He put on a pair of
bright yellow corduroy pants, a Denver Country Club athletic shirt, and his regimental blazer.
-30-
He put the poem on the pillow and dashed down expectantly. Pearl was still there in the middle of the grand room, talking to the patriarch of the Western Phipps dynasty, who had a small stature not unlike Andrew Carnegie's. "Thank you very much, Ian, for sending me that book on the hunting recollections of General Sir Ronald Campbell, most thoughtful of you," said Phipps. "Found it in a bookstore J.n Manhattan. " "Is the ... general ... the author any relation of yours?" "My great-uncle." II
I thought so,
there is that family resemblance," he said
wi th his kind eyes twinkling at him.
"I could see it in the photo-
graph in the book ... You know," he continued, "we have a hunt on my ranch
the Highland Ranch ... You are welcome to hunt with
us any time you like." "Thatis very kind," murmured I an . "That applies to you too, dear Pearl, any time.
Just let me
know a day in advance ... So I can get the hunters saddled up for you ... come next Sunday ... if you can
"
"Sir, I think I hear a plane approaching "Yes,
"
Laurie," purred Moose's father plangently.
"We let
that Beauregard lass from Canada ... " Ian felt vaguely decadent eavesdropping on the exchange. " ... You know the one who made her first million, wildcatting up in the Dakotas "And here?
" "
-31-
"She's done it before "
"
Quite a wild cat herself ... " said Phipps, more to him-
self than to Pearl.
She and Ian excused themselves and ran out
into the sunny noontime. red in the sun,
Pearl's long brown hair was tinged with
and her wide skirt fluttered in the wind as she
hurried to keep up with Ian. liDo you see her?" "Right there .... II
Ian pointed skyward,
north to where a
speck appeared on the horizon. "How did you hear ... it's so far away.
II
"I didn't." "You .... II Her question was barely audible above its huskiness. II
I just knew.
II
She put her arm in his as they kept walked to the edge of the polo field. The speck became larger, and both could hear the nOlse of the engine. "ls that a single seater?" "Yes," replied Ian making a step forward. Pearl leaned happily on his shoulder and started to wave with her free hand. The plane was quite close by then and veered a bit upward, as if Amanda were trying to get better aim for landing.
The valley
was quite similar to one called the Garden of the Gods, a little further south in Colorado Springs.
-32-
"She
1.S
going to overshoot
"said Ian gripping Pearl's
arm, "her upward swing hasn't stopped ll
•
The plane stalled in mid-air for a second, then veered sharply sideways like a kite flown by a child on a Sunday afternoon. " . .. caught in the wind.
II
cried Pearl.
It looked as if it were going to land on top of a towering boulder.
within seconds it hit the side of the massive rock,
til ting jerkily over at a crazy angle. Ian and Pearl started to run. The sun over the rocks was obliterated by an orange-colored explosion.
I
,
-33-
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO REVOLUTION!
[ Why are the people rebellious? Because the rulers interfere too much. Lao Tsu The The And And
heavy-hanging chains will fall, walls will crumble at a word; freedom greet you in the light, brothers give you back the sword. Pushkin
If Finland, if Poland, if the Ukraine break away from Russia, there is nothing bad about that. Anyone who says there is, is a chauvinist. It would be madness to continue the policy of Czar Nicholas ... no nation can be free if it opresses other nations. Lenin ]
187.
The day Ian and Pearl raised their arms expectantly in Colorado, a group of students raised their arms expectantly in Budapest. Ian and Pearl did so to greet Amanda I s Magyar college
students
approaching plane,
to emphasize their demands
liberties.
-34-
for
the
civic
Both events had spectacular sequences. aircraft disintegrated;
and,
for
Ian,
In Colorado, a small
a new life started.
In
Budapest a new life began for small Magyarland; and, for Russia, a great despotic empire began its inevitable process of disintegration. Flying back the next day from Denver to New York, in response to an urgent appeal by his father and brother,
Ian was quite
unaware of the far-reaching consequences of those two seemingly disconnected events. Ian had a built-in immunity system against pain, and it could last for up to forty-eight hours.
Then,
just when the numbness
started to wear off, he was drawn into events which would show his private, searing sorrow to be just a little more than a bubble in a champagne glass. He was transported from the world of sexual illusions into total reality.
It was reality because it was totally invisible to
the physical vision: nation's
zest
for
it was a people's yearning for liberty,
freedom,
the madness
a
of repression and the
exuberant spirit of humanity, ageless and eternal. When Ian, having come straight from the airport, entered the Chabaffy home at seven in the evening, full swing.
a family pow-wow was in
Although both Imre and Ian had moved out, the Park
Avenue apartment had remained the homestead of the clan. Chabaffy rose to greet his son.
Prince
Ann, who had become his wife two
years earlier, and the twins, Ellen and Elma, and Janos were with him.
The latter two had arrived only a few hours earlier from
Washington, D.C.
-35-
Ian was grateful for the telephone call he had received the previous evening from his father.
During his trips to Colorado,
he had enjoyed the fuss that Moose and Pearl made over his visits; and the love the three shared made his life in the West luminous: but after the debris was cleared away yesterday, he had only wanted to be by himself. The plane ride had given him an opportunity to look inside himself and try to find answers to the insistent question.
Why?
He knew that in everything God works for good with those who love him.
He had tried hard to find that good. As the plane had winged its way eastward, he had not found an
answer.
One memory had kept coming back -- that revelation in the
church on the citadel nearly twenty years earlier. him some solace. him,
That had given
He knew that once the loss of Amanda sunk into
the light of that revelation would prevent his heart from
becoming an abode for the night of sorrows. When Ian sat down he realized he had interrupted a report from his brother-in-law and urged Janos to continue. II
We bought those factories three times!1I exclaimed Elma's
husband. IIAre you talking about Uncle Ede' s? ... II asked Ian. IIWorse than the worst colonialism! II muttered the old prJ-nee. II In the end,
the world cares nothing about a thousand-year-old
nation! II III still don't understand, II said Ellen.
-36-
"When we were in Moscow together with Elma, we had to pay them a ransom, as the Schwarz enterprises were considered German property by the Russians ... "
"
of course, Janos, I know
"
that was the first payment," he continued.
caper followed swiftly.
" "The second
Since the Germans had looted those fac-
tories and transported all the machinery equipment, really everything movable, all that had to be replaced by the state. the second payment
That was
"
"And the third?" Imre asked. "That happened four years ago," explained Janos.
"sixty-nine
comp ani e s , inc I uding the ones whi ch be longed to Ede , were sol d back to the Magyar state by the Russians." "One must admire the ingenuity of those twentieth-century robber barons," said the chief of the Chabaffy clan. "That is by no means the end of the robbery!" continued Janos.
"There is something I call the exchange caper."
"You mean foreign exchange?" said Imre. "It's quite simple.
When the Russians buy and pay in dol-
lars, the value is fifty florins to the dollar, but when we buy with dollars, the Russians value the dollar at only eleven florins." "The commissars are putting the nineteenth-century capitalist exploiters to shame," said Ian. Janos continued his learned discourse for another ten minutes, giving a few more examples of Russian business practices.
-37-
"
two other Kremlin tricks.
goods are delivered to Russia.
One happens right after the
They are declared below quality,
and therefore their value is slashed arbitrarily in half.
Result:
the Russians pay for them at a rate of fifty cents on the dollar." He took another puff on his pipe before proceeding. "The Russians
demand almost immediate delivery and set a
deadline which everyone knows is unrealistic.
So when the goods
are delivered 'late,' they invoke a penalty clause. " "I don't want to hear any more," Ellen cut in, full of disgust. "I'll finish with this statement," concluded Janos.
"In the
last ten years I have calculated the Russians have robbed Magyarland to the tune of one billion dollars.
II
"Those numbers, what do they really mean?1l asked Ann. IlA thousand dollars for every man, woman and child,1l declared Janos.
IlAnd let me remind you that the average Magyar earns less
than a hundred dollars a month.
II
"They cut the standard by a full half and more, "That's outrageous," said Prince Tibor, had been scalded.
II
said Ellen.
jumping up as if he
He started to pace up and down.
braced itself for a long oratorical outburst.
The clan
"First they beggar
the peasants by taking away their land and forcing them into collective state farms .... " Janos dared to interrupt him:
"I just read a report that
well over three million acres remain uncultivated." "There you are," added Imre. cated, nearly twenty years ago,
"The exact amount Papi advo-
that should be distributed among
the peasants. -38-
"We made it part of the union's platform in the thirties," the older prince continued.
"We all know about the destruction of
the parties to create a single-party state.
Then came the attack
on the Church and the trial of cardinal Mindszenty." He became purple with rage, waving his
arms,
proceeded:
stopped for a moment and then,
"First the Russians
destroy our
liberties and the peasants ... which are more than half our population,
then the Church and then the decency of everybody in
general
by building up
an elaborate network of informers and
spies -- an attack against a society, a destruction of the family as a unit.
Father spYlng on wife, children on parents, everybody
on everybody else.
It's all deliberate and calculated with the
same ingenuity the Nazis used to destroy the Jews.
That genocide
affected ten percent of the population, but Moscow's is directed against everybody save the five percent elite." " . .. half a million policemen ... II remarked Imre. IINo wonder there is ferment,1I continued his father.
Once he
started on a catalogue of Russian infamies, it was hard to put a stop to him.
The family had learned long ago to let his discourse
run its course. him.
It knew the complete lack of self-interest in
At age sixty-eight he had outlived his youthful passions,
but not the fire of his increasingly felt convictions. He was at the peak of his powers.
He had the respect of more
than five million Magyars living in America.
A year earlier he
had been elected president of the Assembly of the captive European Nations, the highest honor an exile from Europe could attain in
-39-
the decades of the Iron curtain. 'In the coming days and weeks it would be plain for all to see what his family and closest friends already knew:
the graduation of a partizan politician to the
status of statesman. II
and mark my words,1I he concluded fifteen minutes later,
II we live in historic times with great events; events of the gravest importance are about to unfold. II IIWhat is the latest news?1I asked Ian, who, out West, had been completely divorced from Magyar events. liThe reports are giving only scattered details, II replied his father.
IIBut what is clear is that a revolt against the Russian
occupation and against the Red dictatorship has broken out.
And
do you know what appears to me as the most astonishing element in the enfolding events? ...
It is led by the youth of the country!
By the young people who were supposed to have been brainwashed by compulsory classes in communist ideology!
I'm telling you, II he
added vehemently IIthat our children, our youth are Magyarland's greatest assets! II Ian was now able to look at the plane crash from an entirely new perspective.
He was glad he hadn't mentioned Amanda's fiery
death while talking to his father on the phone.
He was fired with
eagerness to swing into action and forget for the time being his l
,
personal tragedy. The same vibration electrified the entire Chabaffy clan: it fused them into an attitude not unlike that of a tiger in a posil
,
tion of readiness to spring forward.
-40-
Prince Tibor's intellect, which had an extraordinary capacity to analyze events and draw the right conclusions based on them, had at that instant resolved itself to concentrate with an awesome single-mindedness on watching the progress of the unfolding drama. Outwardly his attitude manifested itself in a way which could be described by a single word:
charisma.
188.
Ruthenia sounds like a land in a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta.
Actually,
it is a province south of Poland, inside the rim
of the Carpathian Rockies, against Asiatic invaders. for eleven centuries, and,
Europe's
thousand-year-old barrier
Ruthenia was part of the Magyar Kingdom after the First World War, it briefly
became part of Czechoslovakia.
In 1945 the Russians unceremoni-
ously grabbed the province from their fellow Slavs to gain a strategic bridgehead through the Rockies into the heartland of Europe.
It was through that province that Ian had trudged in his
death march in February of 1945.
The Potockis' estate was in that
strategic box bordered by Poland in the north, West,
Slovakia in the
Magyarland in the south and Ruthenia in the east.
Maria had returned horne towards the end of the war,
When
traveling
through Ruthenia from Poland in order to give birth to her child in the Potocki homestead, a grim sight had greeted her. , ,
-41-
The walls
had been smoke-blackened skeletons,
devastated, the horses and livestock gone.
the garden
Kelemen, the Potockis'
faithful major-domo for over fifty years, had given her shelter in his cottage in the village. On January 22, 1945, her son had been born.
She had named
him Jozsef Janos, in honor of her older brother and in honor of Ian, who was his father. Scottish for John.
Janos was the Magyar version of Ian, the
That little baby was all she had had.
Her own
father had perished in Dachau, and her mother had died soon after as had her younger brother. The estate had been lost in the land distribution program of the post-war government.
She had eked out a living on a two-acre
plot for three years and then moved to Budapest. married a police officer. stage,
There she had
When the Red terror had reached that
first acted out in the French Revolution, in which revolu-
tionaries purged their own comrades, he had been liquidated and Maria sent to prison for "conspiracy" against the Russian occupylng forces.
With the amnesty of 1953 she had been released.
She
had managed to find a job as a secretary in the Student Union of the Engineering University.
A year later she had become an assis-
tant editor of the Literary Gazette, the official organ of the writers Guild, to which many of her former fellow prisoners belonged.
Following Stalin's death in the spring of 1953,
this
magazine had gradually became the conscience of the Magyar people. The
thaw in the Red terror had begun when the Kremlin's
bumbling local tyrants had been summoned to Moscow for a tongue-
-42-
lashing by the members of the Politboro.
These inept puppets had
brought the Magyar economy to the edge of bankruptcy and the people to the brink of rebellion. The same four operatives who had taken part in the Konspiratia after the election disaster seven years earlier had made a pilgrimage to the Kremlin. Beria, the boss of the secret police, had been perhaps the most outspoken. Habsburg
If
emperors ,
Listen,
comrade Roath!
Transylvanian princes
We have heard about and
Turkish
suI tans
ruling Magyarland, but we have not learned about Jewish kings in that country.
It appears that you have ambitions to be one.
Let
me tell you that we'll never tolerate such behavior!" "The Magyars are on the brink of driving out the Communist leaders!"
Khrushchev had added.
His voice
"with a pitchfork, yes, with a pitchfork!
rose
to a scream:
If
"You have brought Magyarland to the edge of a disaster," Malenkov had added. "You have undermined the cause of the people's democracy," Kaganovich, a senior member, had chimed in. "Our whole system of alliances
l.S
l.n
grave danger," Foreign
Minister Molotov had exclaimed. It had been galling to hear this barrage of criticism from the senior leaders of Moscow Center.
It was, after all, they who
had masterminded the violation of the Yalta agreements, the nullification of the
free
elections,
the
destruction of political
parties, the terror of the secret police, the war-like mobiliza-
-43-
tion of the Magyar economy, the serf-like exploitation of peasants and workers, the degeneration of spiritual and intellectual life. "We
have
disquieting
news
about
mass-protest
meetings,"
Khrushchev had continued. "The situation is becoming ominous," Serov had thundered. It had been the peak of self-criticism by proxy. Maria, of course, had not been privy to this little comradely chit-chat,
but after her release from prison she had noticed a
gradual, yet startling, change in the attitude of Magyar writers. Up to 1953,
they had seemed to have turned their backs to the
suffering of the people, the bogus conspiracy trials, the indecency of Cardinal Mindszenty's imprisonment, the slavery of peasants in the collective farms and factory workers in the Russian-style forced-labor system,
the wholesale deportations,
the dark terror
of the police, and the mass raping of Magyar women by the Russian soldiers.
The writers had even ignored the censorship of their
own works and their own lack of intellectual freedom.
In short,
they had ignored lies parading as truth. But one celebrated Communist poet had returned to the comfort of his big-city existence deeply disturbed after a visit to his native village. " I lived in a fool's paradise of numbers and beautiful results, and I failed to see the crushing burden my people carry. to hear the lament about diminishing wages,
and I failed to see
the uncertainty of the peasant." Another had written about a peasant woman.
-44-
I failed
"She cried with helpless grief and was shaken by all kinds of pain
She had no medicine for her child ...
And no security
in old age." The writers and poets who had been reduced to the status of court jesters in the Communist court had then been overcome by shame.
Their hearts had become filled with a burning desire to
make amends.
They had been ashamed for what they had written and,
even more, what they had not written about: about spring and love, about sunrise and truth. A triple cultural scandal had brought matters to a head.
The
first had been the banning of The Tragedy of Mankind, perhaps the greatest Magyar play; the second,
the prohibition of a new play
about Galileo -- the torture scene had struck too close to home; and the third,
the cancellation of the revival of Bela Bartok's
opera The Miraculous Mandarin.
The resulting revol t
had been
suppressed only with great difficulty. The kettle had been kept boiling by the just released widow of a purged Communist leader.
On June 19, 1956, she had made a
startling speech to a meeting of some two thousand: she had said,
"Comrades,"
"there are no words with which to tell you what I
feel facing you after cruel years in jail without a word, a letter or a sign of life reaching me from the outside, while in despair and hopelessness. nursing my five-month-old baby.
living all the
When they took me away, I was
For five years I had no word of
my child."
-45-
Facing in the direction of the Communist Party leaders on the dais, she had continued bravely:
"You not only killed my husband,
but you killed all decency in our country.
You have destroyed the
political, economic and moral life of Magyarland.
Where were the
party members while these things were going on?" she had asked the audience.
"How could they allow such degeneration to take place
wi thout rising in wrath against the guilty?"
She went on to a
complete house cleaning. "Comrades," she had concluded, A miracle had happened.
"stand by me in this fight!"
She had received a standing ovation.
A few weeks later Maria had prepared a poem for publication enti tIed "Don't tell me it's worse in Africa" :
Don't talk to me about a trip to the moon or Mars, About life in an atomic age ... We live like this, in darkness, in mud, far away ... We too are heroes, all of us crowded into tiny rooms, Chewing pumpkin seeds and lying around like garbage. Don't tell me it's worse in Africa. Who will hug me to make me feel human?
Maria's magazine had become so popular that the Communist Party hadn't dared to suppress the issue.
People had fought for
it when it appeared on the news stands. And the weekly had printed the unprintable:
"Let us be free
to deny God, and along with that, let us be free to believe in the almightiness of God. "
-46-
The Communist Party apparatnik had counterattacked: writers are like flies which settle on the steering wheel.
"These They
imagine they are driving the car." Maria had had some tense moments when the issue of the Gazette had been confiscated by the authorities.
But the editors were not
to be intimidated by the dictatorship of the Communist Party. Week after week, the paper had continued to expose the political, economic and moral bankruptcy of the regime. Finally Roath, the almighty tyrant, had been fired. The attorney general had offered the outspoken widow of a leading Communist two hundred thousand as partial compensation for the injustice she had suffered. "I
am a
librarian.
I
earn a
salary,"
she had replied.
"Since August I have been given a pension for the murder of my innocent husband.
I
therefore donate this compensation to the
people's colleges for the education of the needy.
The years of
terror cannot be paid for." Then in October, at a public meeting in a provincial capital, the unimaginable had been demanded: "Russkies, go home!" and "Free Cardinal Mindszenty" had been openly chanted. The hot breath of revolt had touched the Magyar people.
189.
The brothers listened in silence to the conversation swirling around them.
Independently of each other both had made a silent
but momentous decision. This was the day after Ian's return from Colorado, on Thursday October 25th, at eleven in the morning.
The Chabaffy home was
filled with Magyars who had congregated there to hear the latest news from Budapest and receive guidance from the elder prince.
He
was their leader, not by election, not by investiture, but through the universal admiration and respect in which the Magyar community held him. liThe watershed was reached on May 15th of last year, the
host of the gathering,
treaty. II
II
declared
" wi th the signing of the Austrian
II
That deprived
troops in Magyarland,
the II
Russians
of
any excuse to keep their
zol tan explained.
"They had occupied our homeland,
II
continued the elder Chabaffy,
" with the ostensible intention of guarding the lines of communication to their troops in neighboring Austria. free and neutral,
Now that Austria is
an independent country, we can rightfully and
forcefully demand equal treatment.
II
liThe luck of our Austrian cousins!
II
remarked Uncle Ede.
"But the Warsaw Pact dictated a few days later," said Janos, " gave the Russians a legal excuse to keep their occupation forces in Magyarland."
-48-
1I0u r people are not stupid! II exclaimed the host.
IIWe can see
through that double deception: it's an imported Communist leaders' promise of a new era and a trumped-up excuse to continue with the Russian occupation of our homeland! II "Let's not forget the events in Poland,1I added Janos. "Right after the farce of the Warsaw pact, riots broke out in Poland," the elder Chabaffy continued.
"The workers rebelling in
the workers' paradise!" "And remember the grisly scene of the re-burial of a Communist leader who was executed, then rehabilitated!"
This came
from Ellen. "Did you read what his widow had to say?" viktor asked. was
on a transatlantic visit,
Chabaffys.
'leaders'
them irreparable harm. "It was downfall. "
staying as a houseguest of the
"This couldn't go on.
late that the
a
He
Moscow Center is realizing too
exported to Budapest in 1945 have done
They had to get rid of them, one by one."
pleasure
to
learn about the tinpot dictator's
No name was mentioned.
All knew Uncle Ede was refer-
ring to the Kremlin's chief appartnik in Magyarland. "I'd like to read to you, confession,"
Viktor continued.
Uncle Tibor, "I
have here
excerpts from his the
text of the
official transcript from the July 19th issue of the Communist Party paper ... it's name is a farce ... the Free Nation." He pulled out a sheet of paper and, putting on his glasses, read from it.
"I request that the Central Committee relieve me of
the post of first secretary of the Central Committee and of my
-49-
membership in the Politboro.
One of the reasons for my request is
that I'm sixty-five years old,
and the illness from which I have
been increasingly suffering these past two years
"
"He can't stop lying even when he quits," Janos interrupted. "But listen to this," continued Viktor, "and I'm quoting again:
'I have been sUffering from hypertension for the
past two years.
My blood pressure is rising. ' II
IICouldn't happen to a nicer person! II shouted Ellen. "Here he went on quoting a viktor:
doctor's report card," added
IIWe do not in any way consider the comrade's present
condition as satisfactory, and consequently we ask for the most speedy intervention to prevent a further deterioration of his condition." IIHe was speedily kicked out, II murmured Elma. IIThen he talked about the mistakes of the 'cult of personality' and the things we heard about stalin, II to the paper in front of him.
continued Viktor, referring
"After Comrade Khrushchev's speech,
it became clear to me that the weight and effect of these mistakes were greater than I
had thought and that the harm done to our
party through these mistakes was much more serious than I previously believed ... more difficult;
had
These mistakes have made our party's work
they have diminished the attractiveness of the
party ... II lIyou can say that again, II exclaimed Zol tan. IIAnd now listen to this:
'and hindered the initiative and
creative power of the wide masses of the working class.
-50-
Finally,
these mistakes have offered the enemy an extremely wide field of attack.
In their totality the mistakes I have committed in the
most important party post have caused serious harm to our socialist development ... '" "We ourselves," remarked the elder Chabaffy, "could not have come up with a better indictment of Communism and the Russian rule in Magyarland.
Fortunately, that great fraud carries the seeds of
its own destruction." The Reverend Istvan was announced by Beatrice. "Let's have the news!
What is the latest?" was the way he
was greeted from all sides.
The Chabaffys knew that he had an
observer in Vienna with a direct pipeline to Budapest. "Let him sit down first!" "First things
first.
We do have
a
revolt,
a full-scale
uprising," the Reverend Istvan began while he cast his eye around the room for a chair. "Bravo ...
"Fighting broke out allover the country."
Wonderful ...
At last ... ! What courage!"
and
similar exclamations greeted the announcement. "Moscow Center chiefs Mikoyan and suslov arrived by plane in Budapest, yesterday it is believed, and took to task Singer, who had succeeded Roath as Communist Party boss.
Mikoyan lit into him
for having stampeded them into sending Russian tanks into the capi tal
with
his
distorted and exaggerated situation report.
Suslov demanded his
resignation.
Singer resisted his
bosses'
"suggestion" by reminding them that it was they who had earlier declared he was
needed to
hold the party together.
-51-
Mikoyan
retorted in a rage that
'the party has already disintegrated,
thanks to your terrible blunders. ' II IIThat sounds like him, II Janos reminisced, smiling. IIsinger is now in protective custody, II continued the Reverend, II and Nagy and Kadar were put in charge.
Mikoyan and Suslov
'suggested' that Nagy should play for time and announce a series of deceptive concessions, from Budapest and the
like the withdrawal of Red Army troops
review of the Russian-Magyar
treaties,
anything to bring the situation under control.
But my informant
believes it is too late now for any of that.
The country is
aflame, the sword of freedom has been drawn! II IIWhat shall we do now?1I
Everyone present looked expectantly
at the Chabaffy host. Indeed, throughout his long career, he had had that question put to him many times.
How was it possible that he had so often,
alone and working contrary to popular wisdom, pinpointed so accurately the global import of events?
Had he not fought Churchill's alliance
with the devil and Roosevelt's infatuation with Stalin?
Had he
not urged Truman to exploit American atomic superiority (accomplished in no small part by his friend, Dr. Teller) to make the Russians honor the agreements they had signed?
Had he not denounced Tito
when he was still the darling of Western politicians? spoken
out
vigilance
against as
the
complacency in Washington,
price
of
freedom?
Chabaffy' s
Had he not
urging eternal extraordinary
insight sprung from the purity of his vision and from his identification with the spirit and pulse of free people allover the world. -52-
After a brief pause he announced:
"We have to get ready to
inform the highest circles in Washington what in Magyarland.
1S
really going on
Unfortunately, Eisenhower does not have the pug-
naciousness of a Truman, of a Washington.
the courage of a Lincoln, or the vision
During the War he kept opposing the idea of the
invasion of the Balkans and allowed the Russians to penetrate deep into the heart of Europe ... at the United Nations! world's spirit!
We also have to mobilize our friends
And foremost, we have to energize the free
We might not get a chance like this again for
another generation!" He then proceeded to glve specific instructions to the Reverend Istvan, to Janos and to viktor. After lunch the guests left one by one, having agreed to meet again the next day and remain in constant touch.
The telephone
rang incessantly. When the elder prince had a moment of respite,
he turned
toward his sons. " . .. and what have you decided?" "We are flying to Vienna tonight," announced Imre. The brothers didn't know exactly which event or what phrase had triggered their decision or who had decided first. unimportant.
That was
The important thing was that both knew its rightness.
For the first time since Ian's intermezzo with Tonus, Imre and Ian felt like true brothers again. Tibor wouldn't have dreamed of interfering with their plans. On the contrary, he spent the next half hour giving them precise
-53-
instructions and the names and addresses of people,
IIdecent ll and
IIhonest ll Magyars to whom his sons could turn with confidence for help, people whose loyalty to Magyarland was unquestioned.
190.
[ There is a tremendous sense of history and expectancy all around me. ] Maria was writing in her diary on October 23, 1956. [ I 'll never forget this day. it
ever!
No Magyar can ever forget
In spite of the fog and the cold, the streets are
jammed with people.
Nobody showed up for classes at the colleges.
There is barely a soul in my office, and its early in the morning. I've taken Jozsi with me.
He is even more excited than I am and
keeps tugging on my sleeves and shouting lustily. twelve and already nearly as tall as I am.
He is not yet
He has the same spark
in his eyes as his father, the same profile, even the same intonation and the same growth of hair at his temples and at the nape of his neck. All the editors and contributors of the Literary Journal are busy drafting the ten demands of the writers' Guild and its offshoot, the Petofi Circle. day yesterday.
I didn't have a moment to myself all
At lunchtime we walked the streets with Jozsi and
read the signs the students were displaying.
-54-
There were slogans
that until now we barely dared whisper outside the offices of the Guild. "Let Magyarland be independent! "Russians go home!
II
"We want new leaders! II
II
II
Solidari ty with our Polish brothers!
II
I got back to the office at eleven and was immediately overwhelmed with work.
Jozsi has been drafted as a messenger.
I can
see the eagerness in his eyes. A meeting of college students has been called for 2:30
~n
the
afternoon in the street in front of our offices. Later. All I could see was a forest of faces as Peter Veres, the leader of the writers' Guild, read our demands for more freedom. They are similar to the demands of the students. ing I
From our build-
joined the procession -- Jozsi getting more and more ex-
cited -- to the Bern statue
(he was the Polish general who had
fought in the Magyar War of Independence in 1848).
I'm not good
at counting people -- a colleague on the Gazette told me we numbered some sixty thousand and by the time we reached the Parliament Square we were at least twice as many -- the huge square jammed with us, over.
waving flags,
carrying signs -- excitement all
And everybody smiling -- I
haven't seen so many smiles
since the Russians came to "free" us. On the way back we saw shop windows plastered with huge cyrillic letters:
"Russians go home!"
-55-
Some people standing next
to us said that the minister of the interior had withdrawn the ban on pUblic meetings.
More and more people joined the crowd: students
of the Petofi Military Academy and the Engineering and Agricultural Universities. wearing.
I
could recognize them by the cockades they were
Lorries pulled up.
uting our national flags. started to roar:
Factory workers in them were distribThe crowd was becoming restless.
It
"Send the Russians home" and IIWe want free and
secret elections. II
Leaflets in great numbers were distributed
from trucks at the edge of the crowd and passed from one end of the square to the other. Earlier we had a tense moment when a new group of students carrying red banners joined us.
Their banners revealed they were
from the Lenin-Marx
which trains
Institute,
young leaders
l.n
Communist ideology and provides many of the puppet regime's civil servants.
Our first reaction was to shout defiance to the ap-
proaching communist students. that moment all
tensions
Our leaders demanded silence.
dissolved.
In
The new group joined us
peacefully. Renewed shouting filled the houses
surrounding us
sqaure.
were opened.
The windows
Finally Nagy,
of the
a Communist
leader sent into disgrace last year and now rehabilitated, appeared.
He managed to say, IIDear Comrades! II before people whistled
and shouted him down.
I
couldn't hear what he said,
whistling and booing started again. speakers I could make out his asking, me?"
but the
Through the gravelly loudIIWhy are you whistling at
I couldn't hear any of the answers, and then someone started
-56-
to sing our national anthem:
"God bless the Magyars with joy and
abundance!" Then I saw Nagy was leading the singing. deep emotion. eyes.
Jozsi squeezed my hand,
and I
I was filled with saw tears in his
Messengers appeared in the square, bringing the news that
the hated Singer was making a speech on the radio. have been talking about reforms, political
and
economlC
reforms.
For weeks we
at first educational and then We
were
peaceful,
unarmed.
Several people climbed on top of Parliament and pulled down the Red Star which shined on top of the building. was full of old garbage.
The Singer speech
The news of that party hack's unrepen-
tent words filled the square like wildfire.
I noticed our national
flag was put in the place of the Red Star on top of the Parliament. I
read a leaflet which was being passed among the crowd,
entitled "withdrawal of Russian Troops in Accordance with the 1947 Peace Treaty."
October 24, 1947 - Wednesday. This morning we woke up to the sound of machine-gun fire amid explosions of artillery.
Many jet planes were flying over us and
firing at people on the streets. were Magyar or Russian.
It is inconceivable that Magyars would
raise their arms against Magyars. with Jozsi.
I couldn't see if these fighters
I walked to the office early
Shooting was still going on.
When we got to the office we were told that the students had requested the radio station broadcast their demands but that they
-57-
hadn't had any real success.
The political police had started to
fire on the unarmed crowd and had killed an elderly shoemaker and many others.
The Magyar army was called out to quell the riot,
which had broken out when the police had started to use weapons; but the soldiers refused to fight against their own.
During the
night Stalin's giant statue was destroyed, and the puppet government called for Russian armed intervention. The radio just keeps making one announcement after another, a whole
series
of lies
about plundering and looting crowds and
counter-revolutionary gangs.
A new government has been announced,
with Nagy as prime minister.
He made a speech urging the people
to cease fighting.
He's big disappointment.
He urged resistance
against the "provocateurs" but was silent on Russian intervention, the students and writers' demands and the bloodbaths by the political police. It is the Russians who are shooting -- the streets are full of Red Army tanks.
My colleagues believe the Moscow agents are
only playing for time, hoping for repetition of what happened in East Berlin in 1953 and Posnan last summer.
In both places the
uprisings were defeated by that moving horror, the Russian tanks. Later. heard rumors
The situation is getting more confused. that the
radio
station has been destroyed.
Russian assault is in full swing. torial, Jozsi disappeared.
The
While I was typing up an edi-
I was panic-stricken and prayed.
radio keeps spewing forth lies. saying that schoolboys
I've just
The
A messenger arrived at the office
are making Molotov cocktails
-58-
and have
destroyed several Russian tanks.
The radio speaks about blood
flowing on the streets. We hear the hospitals are filling up with wounded, mostly teenagers.
Where is Jozsi?
but with no luck.
I've called up all the big hospitals,
We've had a report the political police are
using Red Cross ambulances to distribute weapons and send reinforcements and that some have taken position at hospital entrances, firing at nurses and aides bringing the wounded students on stretchers. There's another rumor going around that Russian tanks opened fire a while ago on unarmed onlookers and on Magyar Army soldiers, and that they even fired on a group of women who went to the aid of the fallen soldiers.
Another arrival had told us about a big
battle near the Inner City supermarket. Later.
At last Jozsi is back!
He's so dirty and full of
scratches and holes in his clothing that he's almost unrecognizable. That's all the decent clothing he has. joined up with his
classmates
Slowly he confesses he
and threw Molotov cocktails at
Russian tanks. We are both exhausted.
I'm taking him home.
October 25 - Thursday. We couldn't sleep all night.
The radio is on, spewing more
lies, but we don't dare turn it off.
At 4:30 in the morning there
was a report on the liquidation of substantial counter-revolutionary bands. masses
It was followed an hour later by a bulletin about the surrendering their
arms.
Around six,
the minister of
defense announced the destruction of all resistance; but later a
-59-
bulletin gave fresh orders to put down the revolt -- obvious lies in every direction. Back to the office ... all my colleagues went to the National Theatre.
I took Jozsi with me, not letting him out of my sight.
At Museum Boulevard, near the theatre, we noticed eight Russian tanks.
The tanks' guns were pointing skywards.
A teenager jumped
on the tank and put a Magyar flag into the muzzle of the gun. tank's machine-gun was still trained on us. anything,
Before I
The
could do
the teenager pointed the machine-gun skyward with the
help of Jozsi, who had jumped up on the tank.
He shouted down at
us: "Don't be afraid! incredible sight. the tank.
He can't fire at you!"
Then there was an
First one, then another Russian climbed out of
We greeted them with outstretched arms.
The first took
his cap off and threw it down to us and donned the cap of a Magyar soldier.
We all cheered him wildly.
Then another miracle!
Down the boulevard a Russian officer
addressed the passersby from atop his tank: "We were Budapest.
told there
is
a
counter-revolution going on ln
We were told Fascist bands are roaming around looting
and killing.
But we, me and other Red Army soldiers who are with
me here, can see this is a lie. We will not fire on the people!" A tremendous ovation greeted this speech.
I climbed up on the
tank and gave the Russian a red, white and green Magyar cockade I had been wearing in my hat. not possible! to see this!
More applause and shouts:
God came to help us after all!
II
-60-
"This is
... that we lived
We moved toward Parliament Square. with us.
The Russian tanks came
We saw a truck, full of rifles and submachine guns, near
the square. "Go and get them!" shouted a soldier marching with us. "No, the flag is our weapon!" said a middle-aged man with a tone of authority.
We continued to march.
Several tanks, armored
carriers, were stationed on the big square.
Our leaders came up
to the Russians and explained to them that we were unarmed.
One
of the officers replied: "I have a wife and children at home ln Russia.
I don't want
to stay here." "We have been told you are fascists here," explained another Russian officer, sticking his head out of the tank's turret. "We were told American troops came here, and we are surprised not to see a single American soldier," chimed in a lieutenant atop the tank next to him. "You leaders never told us you didn't want us here!" said a third Russian to the crowd. what can we do? The
square
thing happened. uni t
"We don't like what we are doing, but
We are soldiers and must obey orders." filled up very quickly.
Suddenly,
a terrible
From the roof of the Ministry of Agriculture a
of the political police sprayed the square with bullets.
L. ,
Many people fell, mortally wounded. l
,
the fire,
The Russians' tanks returned
not recognizing the political police uniforms on the
rooftop of the ministry.
In the crossfire more people were killed.
Next to me a young woman carrying her baby lifted up the little dead body and shouted desperately: -61-
"You killed my child! Russians in the tanks.
Kill me,
too!"
This shook up the
They didn't know what to do.
Several
tanks refused to participate in the shooting, as it was obvious for all to see that we were unarmed. gun to a young marcher.
A Russian soldier gave his
Several other tank commanders urged us to
use their tanks as a shield against the constant machine-gun fire coming from the rooftop acrosss the square. saw dozens of dead bodies.
Awful confusion.
I tried to pull Jozsi home.
I
As we
were leaving the square, the ambulances were starting to arrive. The rooftop police had not had enough and began firing now at the ambulances too.
The Magyar units,
to come over to our side.
fired by indignation, decided
It was time to go home.
The massacre
had caused me great consternation and weariness. Everywhere there were broken shop windows full of scattered watches, thing.
jewelry,
food,
to read the text:
bills.
But nobody is touching any-
In the shop window of a bakery I saw a beautiful cake with
two slices missing.
freedom
cigarettes.
fighter."
Next to it was a piece of paper. "I was hungry. Pinned to
George Fodor, medical student,
the notice were
two
Nobody pretends to be a Communist any more.
Nagy, the new Prime Minister, that is.
five-florin Nobody except
His long-promised speech
finally came over the radio at a quarter past three. he
I bent down
Pathetically,
spoke about the leadership of the party and our beautiful
socialist future.
At four,
on our way home,
someone pressed a
leaflet into our hands: "We Summon All Magyars to a General strike." A little later we read another pamphlet, printed by the Magyar
-62-
Army, listing Tuesday's sixteen demandss. to listen to the radio.
The people in the house had put it on the
windowsill so we could all hear the news. changed to pleading;
workers,
!
We
I saw more Russian tanks than
at least fifty in one column alone.
Students and
waving little flags, went straight up to them.
Square looks like after the slege. ,
The tone of Nagy had
he was begging us to stop fighting.
walked home to our little room. ever before,
We stopped at a house
Madach
Several foreign cars, obvi-
ously belonging to tourists, have had their windshields smashed by gunfire.
There are holes in the walls of the Astoria Hotel.
streets are full of rubble.
The
The museum and the hotel, guarded by
steel-helmeted municipal police,
are on fire.
Jozsi and I fell
onto our bed in our small room.
I'm going to sleep as soon as I
finish this entry. ]
191.
Gazing through the window, Imre recognized the rolling countryside of Flanders, then that of Bavaria. time to think over the Atlantic. two.
He had had plenty of
He had slept only for an hour or
The rest of the time his brain had been in overdrive. He had barely touched his dinner.
had centered on Tonus.
He wondered which was the mailbox she had
used to send that postcard. Not one word.
At Shannon his thoughts
He hadn't heard from her since then.
It was uncanny.
Her memory was embedded in his
-63-
heart,
lay dormant there and never quite left him.
was alive.
He would have heard if
order of events. soon.
He knew she
He believed in the divine
He believed he would see her again, perhaps very
He had wired his firm's correspondents in Vienna asking for
the name of a reliable agency which could track her down. Now if Magyarland could get rid of the Russians like Austria had and if he could manage to get together with Tonus again, the missing pieces of his life which had temporarily left him -- was it five
years? --
time passes
like
the wind -- would vibrate
together agaJ.n. It was curious that in the last five years he hadn't returned to Europe at all.
The rest of the family had.
Papi had visited
France and Germany; the twins had visited Switzerland and Italy with their husbands;
and Ian had gone back to Scotland twice and
to Spain -- but not Imre. , ,
He looked out again through the window and fancied he could discern Dachau below,
at the edge of sprawling Munich.
sensation stole over him. from high above.
A hushed
He didn't want to see the camp, even
He turned his gaze to the cotton fields of
clouds. Imre didn't want to look down again at Dachau.
The pain-
filled figures of the past were exactly what he wished to avoid. They always lost their reality to him the moment he had ceased to want them back in his present.
Imre felt the single value the
past held for him was the lesson that it had given him no rewards he would want to keep.
That realization impelled him to relinquish
-64-
it and have it vanish for good. past long gone.
He didn't want to retaliate for a
He had learned that a decision for retaliation
would only bring him pain which would carry into the future, and he had learned that pain truly past was but an illusion. Once Imre had learned these lessons he had opened himself up to the many opportunities which could release him into the happy, painless present. achievement.
But he knew that living now is not an instant
Wasn't he,
only a moment ago,
past and future of Magyarland and about Tonus?
thinking about the Deep inside him a
wordless voice told him, once again, that the now was the closest ,
"
he'd be to eternity in his present lifetime. No, he didn't want to go back to the prisons and camps.
He
felt no anger, no hate, no thoughts of revenge -- only gratitude. For having found himsel f
there.
For having found Tonus there.
For having had the privilege of getting to know all those great spirits.
For having overcome the greatest of challenges.
having gone insane. "
,
!
'
I
,
'I,
'
For not
For the temple of his body, which had been
smashed, rebuilt by the miraculous life force, God-given, eternal. "
"
;
'! ' "
,
For the brotherhood and sisterhood of humanity.
For the near-
silent ovation he had received with the others on leaving Dachau. For the series of miracles his life had been, including the news from
Washington
that
he
was
being considered for
an under-
secretaryship in the U.S. Treasury Department. Imre looked at his brother sitting next to him in the aisle seat.
'I
,
He didn't have any love, any woman Imre knew about waiting
for him.
He had been so shy and wonderful when he had told him
-65-
about Amanda.
He would do anything to see his brother happy,
finally knowing that happiness lay inside him.
A broken light was
in his eyes, a melancholy sadness in his face whenever he smiled. America was not for Ian, who enjoyed pampering his women and being in love with love.
He seemed to enjoy his work on Wall street,
and he was very good at what he was doing; yet there appeared to be an undercurrent of feeling within him that he was not doing what he was supposed to be doing. Just at that moment Ian started to talk to him. as the plance was veering toward Austria.
It happened
He told him about his
childhood vision in the Citadel church when he was a little boy. How it had happened, miraculously, in a matter of seconds. Had Imre ever experienced anything like that? ally.
Not specific-
Yet he had often felt the rightness of actions and circum-
stances -- like his actions as a leader of the Union Party, his resistance to tyranny, cocoa market, had then.
his love for Tonus, his plunge into the
and now his dash to Vienna.
But nothing like Ian
He had, of course, the spirit of God in him, the holy
light we all have; and in addition, he had the facility to put words together in the right arrangements, in harmony, in felicitous sequences. And don't his child and his child's mother live here in Austria?
Or do they?
Ian doesn't talk much about them.
He has
had his share of heartbreaks during his own course of miracles. Ian told him about the rightness he himself was feeling about flying back to Vienna while Magyarland was cradling a revolution.
-66-
He said he was finally doing something that he felt in his bones was right. Imre, in response to this rare moment when he could glimpse into his brother's soul, wanted to share with him his thoughts about finding the now.
But he found it difficult to put them into
words. "If we remember the past as we look at humanity, II he started out, turning his head completely sideways,
II we will be unable to
see the true reality that is only in the now. II IIFor the shadows of the past darken the present
II said
Ian, as if quoting a poem. II
If you are afraid of the light of the present," Imre
finished his brother's thoughts with tenderness.
IIWeren' t
both, in our captivities, reborn as we let the past go?
we
Can't we
look without hatred upon what we went through?" IITime can free or time can imprison, II replied Ian,
still
seeming to quote a poem. IIIan, we can't anticipate whatever is waiting for us when we land merely on the basis of our past experiences. for it on that basis.
We can't plan
Otherwise, would be linking the past to the
future and not giving a chance to the miracle of the present ... " II. .. that miracle which allows us to see in humanity the divine, the spirit of God which is in all of us ... 11 murmured Ian. II ... Magyarland's past was created in anger, in the hatred of tyranny, in the fear of terror ... 11 Imre concluded, tumbling over his own words.
IIIf we use all that to attack and hate the present,
-67-
we will not be able to see the freedom, the miracle of freedom the now holds!" " ... We have to touch humanity with love ... We have to reach out
Love leads to love, eternally ... "
192.
October 26th, Friday. Again,
I have woken up to the sounds of artillery fire and
rifle shots with a steady staccato of machine-gun fire in the background. well.
The schools are closed; anyway,
Between his adventures with his schoolmates and the events
of yesterday, want to heal.
he has gotten some bruises and cuts which do not I've gotten up early to line up for bread,
hope to get some milk too. a few hours. l-
Jozsi doesn't feel
and I
Yesterday the shops were open for only
We have little food.
I'm sure the poor diet
1S
.J
contributing to Jozsi's slight fever. Later. worse.
As we stood in line, the heavy artillery fire became
People say there is much fighting going on south of us.
I
took Jozsi to the office with me again. The radio was full of rubbish as usual. any armed person will be shot at.
We were warned that
A curfew was supposed to go
into effect at three, but no one is paying attention to curfews anymore.
At noon a new government was promised, to begin tomorrow.
-68-
We have reports that the resistance against the Communist terror and the Russian occupation have now spread allover the country. The devastation over the city is terrible.
My editor tells
me that so far five thousand Magyars have died and over ten thousand have been injured.
I don't know how I'll get Jozsi to the
hospital -- we know there is a shortage of everything there. Black flags hang from many a window. more rubbish than they did yesterday.
The streets have even
It's the debris of the war:
broken window glass, burnt-out cars and tanks, smashed shop signs, pock-marked walls -- we look more and more like Warsaw did during the uprising eleven years ago, when I was pregnant with Jozsi. I l
find Russian checkpoints in many places.
The tram lines
,
have been torn up to be used as barricades. whether I'm in friendly territory or not.
I don't know anymore Progress is difficult,
as even the trees have been torn out to block off streets.
I
barely dared to go as far as the hospital, as the Russian gunners in the tanks appear to be trigger-happy -- they fire on anything l
,
that moves. Against the Russian armor and artillery we have only small arms and wine bottles stuffed with gasoline called Molotov cocktails.
On one street corner near the hospital we were nearly shot
to pieces as a Russian tank opened fire on a car close to us. l'
I
finally gave up
reaching the hospital.
complain, but he looks very pale and thin. barricade,
Jozsi
doesn't
We crawled back to the
as advancing toward the Russian tank would have meant
certain death.
The way to the hospital would normally take us
-69-
less than half an hour -- today we walked, or rather clambered, for nearly three hours, and we still didn't reach it. The barricade near the hospital is guarded by a dozen Magyars, some in uniforms without the red star, others with red, white and green armbands.
All are armed with ammunition.
This detachment
is commanded by a young woman called Magda. Her boyfriend is a college student from Poland.
He quotes
Pushkin, changing a word here and there:
Tell me: how soon will Warsaw And Budapest lay down the law for us? Whither shall we withdraw our tanks? Beyond the Danube to the Bug or Odessa?
I decided to go back to the office and try to reach a hospital this evening when,
hopefully,
the firing will have died down.
Even the Russians have to sleep sometime. Working our way back, we ran across an English journalist.
I
told him: "We will never give up the fight, never -- not until the Russians and their police get out."
I took him back to the office.
We told him there that he should at all costs report the truth back to London -- the trust about a subjugated people rising up against the Russian occupation,
heavily outnumbered in fire
power but not in spirit and willpower. showed him a quotation from Lenin:
-70-
One of my colleagues
[ Oppressed people are sensitive to nothing as much as the feeling of equality and to violation of that equality ... particularly by their proletarian comrades. ] We explained to him that the West is still under the illusion that we are fighting communism.
Communism,
as it was originally
conceived, resembles not in the slightest degree its present-day version as practiced by the Kremlin. munism,
What today is called Com-
proleterian Socialism and other high sounding words,
is
nothing but a veil behind which Russian imperialism is cloaked. We also told him our experience so far in the uprising has been that many of the Russian soldiers simply do not like to carry out the job of slaughtering the population, that many more are neutral and that quite a few openly fraternize with the civilian population.
Some have even given us weapons, even the tanks in
which they were riding. We made it clear to him that all this was a peaceful demonstration by unarmed college kids and factory workers until the poli tical police started to use force and trickery with their usual
arsenal
of deception and lies.
The Warsaw Pact was to
provide for Russian assistance only in the event that Magyarland were attacked from abroad.
The demonstrations,
the demands for
greater freedom and the re-introduction of civil liberties are L
,
clearly an internal affair.
Obviously, the Pact has been used as
an excuse for the intervention of Russian troops.
We stressed
that these facts should be taken back to London in an objective manner, and as quickly as possible.
-71-
Later.
I'm in complete turmoil.
It's impossible.
I can't believe it happened.
Yet I know in my heart that it was real.
Is
this a miracle? When it became completely dark I managed to take Jozsi to a hqspi tal -- not the one we had tried earlier today but one l.n Buda.
We were lucky: the Russian patrols let us through. There in the hospital I saw Ian, Jozsi's father!
My love!
It is possible I'm mistaken, as I saw him for only a moment.
He
was sitting next to the driver of a Red Cross truck which had delivered medical supplies to the hospital. license plates. the airfield.
Then it pulled out and sped in the direction of
Holy Mary, help me!
He looked different, different.
The truck had Polish
and yet he looked like Ian.
I can't describe the difference.
He looked
Jozsi knew something
had happened to me and kept asking questions, but I didn't let him know.
It could have all been a mistake. As soon as the truck sped away, I plagued the hospital staff
l
,
with questions. l
,
The deputy surgeon-in-chief told me the truck had
gone to the airport to pick up an additional load of supplies.
He
didn't know the name of the driver or his escort; he was too busy with the wounded and the dying to bother with such details.
I
coud see they were busy, and I went back to pick up Jozsi, who was still feeling faint. l
J
Then I
saw another young boy lying very
still at the end of the ward. "Badly injured?" I asked the nurse. "Not at all," she replied.
-72-
"Why is he here?
How old is he?"
The nurse replied smiling: "He is twelve." I interrupted her: "Less than a year older than my son." II
He is here because of complete exhaustion.
For three
days and nights he has defended an important crossroad all by himself with a sub-machine gun.
He stopped only to get food,
replenish his ammunition and relieve himself." My troubles seemed so trivial!
I begged the deputy chief-
surgeon to get the name of the people in the Polish truck and assured him I would be back early in the morning. Holy Mary!
Let me witness another miracle tomorrow.
had so many, so many these last four days. more! ]
, ,
-73-
We've
Please let us have one
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE SWEET FREEDOM
A good soldier is not violent. A good fighter is not angry. A good winner is not vengeful. Lao Tsu And yes, freedom surely does not taste as sweet To you, as it was doleful for me. Concluding lines of The Tragedy of Mankind by Madach
193.
Ian barely recognized the airport in Budapest. taxied the aircraft to the terminal.
The pilot
In Vienna he had gotten a
ride on a plane which was carrying Polish medical supplies to Budapest.
He had left Imre in Vienna to organize the purchase of
medicine and surgical supplies there.
The brothers had pursuaded
the Polish pilot to take a half a dozen light-weight but invaluable and bulky boxes of antibiotics on board, along with Ian who was carrying a big rucksack.
The only other passenger was a
journalist from Warsaw.
-74-
The brothers hadn't been able to make much out of the news that had filtered out of Magyarland to Vienna. had obviously been under Russian control. Austrian capital
Friday afternoon,
The Budapest radio
When Ian had left the
it had been talking about
curfews threatening with annihilation those who failed to surrender. The only way to find out what was really going on was to go to Budapest. Not many words had been needed between the brothers to decide who should do what.
Imre had to stay in Vienna,
get the relief
operation going, consult with the Magyar politicians in Austria, keep in touch with Papi and generally coordinate activities between Budapest and New York.
Ian had to go to Budapest to explore
the situation. I
"/
Now from the aircraft window he could make out a group of people near a blue bus with red crosses and white flags. distance he heard machine-gun fire.
In the
A Russian tank lumbered up to
the plane on one side and an armored car on the other.
Soldiers
with the five-pointed red star on their steel helmets with their submachine guns trained on it surrounded the plane.
The soldiers'
faces were grimy, unshaven and nervous. Ian couldn't make out the rapid exchange of words between the pilot and the tank commander. stated his mission, l
,
Captured like this, even before he
left Ian panic-stricken.
the Russians brought back unpleasant memories.
Even the smell of Then he remembered
Imre's words about looking at the now without memories of the past and his panic subsided.
-75-
The soldiers' faces, and jumpy.
Ian began to notice, were not only tired
There was insecurity in them.
This was something Ian
had not seen before under the five-pointed star,
something sug-
gesting uneasiness about what they were doing. Out of ear-shot of the Russian tank commander with the leather coat, the pilot explained to Ian that he had come to ensure the security of the plane. the pilot or Ian.
This explanation didn't make any sense to
The Russians didn't seem as if they were about
to display any aggressiveness and let the two Poles and Ian disembark and meet with the Magyars. The hatred in the way the Magyars looked at the Russian soldiers stunned Ian.
In Vienna and Warsaw the talk had been
about the calm in Budapest.
Now the shooting, not far away, told
a different story. As the three of them entered the terminal building, a young woman in a blue coat over a white nurse's uniform addressed them quietly and with supressed emotion. "You are newspapermen!" she said in German, evidently believ1.ng all three were foreign correspondents.
"You do not have the
right to
that
report
lies!
It 1.S
a
dirty
lie
counter-revolutionaries are fighting in Budapest! the Magyars are fighting,"
she continued,
fascists
and
We are fighting,
touching the pilot's
sleeve, "for real democracy, for freedom, for independence!" "We are going to find out,
II
hal ting but precise Magyar.
-76-
said the Polish journalist 1.n
"You speak Magyar!" exclaimed the woman with a broad smile. "God bless you and welcome!
In a matter of a few hours you'll be
convinced about the truth of what I'm talking about.
Our aims are
the same as the aspirations of our Polish brothers and sisters." She bade them good-bye abruptly and boarded the Red Cross bus. The three got into a large black limousine with diplomatic license plates.
Nobody felt like talking.
Budapest not many kilometers away.
The car turned toward
At the edge of the airfield
the car ran into the first Russian checkpoint.
It was armed with
a large anti-tank gun and several nests of machine guns.
The
soldiers were nervously fingering the triggers. An
officer with a sub-machine gun slung over his shoulder and
several soldiers approached the car. exchanged a few words.
The chauffeur and the officer
I an knew he was in hostile territory.
Slowly that creepy feeling one gets in the presence of violence, insanity and fear began to nibble at him. even joviality.
The officer glanced rapidly over the passengers
and waved them on. another checkpoint.
A kilometer and a half closer to Budapest This one was manned by Magyars.
"Poles?" came the question. "You are our brothers! The
He feigned indifference,
Faces broadened into smiles.
You are our friends!"
car was stopped several times,
the scene repeated.
Gaping holes in walls revealed empty factories.
Among suburban
homes people peered at the limousine. Ian was attacked by waves upon waves of hatred similar to the hatred at the airport.
It went on and on.
[Hating people are as
much murderers as the people who squeezed the trigger, , ,
Ian.
] thought
He felt a strange unreal mixture of fear, hatred and despair.
[ Where is love? ] Behind the vast gates
of an industrial complex they saw
freedom fighters defending their workplace. The
car reached
another checkpoint.
The driver was told
about heavy fighting going on between Russian tanks and Magyars defending an army barracks.
A big detour was advised to avoid the
battle. The windows of the houses were draped with flags -- red, white and green ones as well as black ones.
All the former flags
had a rough hole in them where the hammer and sickle emblem had been cut out. The two Poles began to jabber excitedly. "S ome peoples'
democracy"
exclaimed the pilot.
nei ther the peoples' nor democracy. The sides.
car
reached a
"This
is
II
deserted square with highrises on all
In the middle of the block a huge boulder topped by two
bronze boots sat looking like amputated legs without a body.
This
was the place where the oversize statue of Stalin had stood, the first victim of the revolution.
It was the Magyar counterpart of
the fall of the Bastille. The Poles agreed to fetch Ian with a truck to pick up the rest of the medical shipment as soon as the Polish newspaperman were dropped off at their embassy.
-78-
It was dark when the Poles picked up Ian again. run was less traumatic for him than the first.
The second
It was nearly
midnight when the truck reached the capital again.
The Poles put
Ian up at the embassy and delivered him and the remaining four packages to the hospital early in the morning. For the Poles the visit to Budapest was full of anguish. Being Communist they had been brought up to believe ln Communist lies.
Now that the veil of deception called Communism was torn to
shreds and Russian imperial ambitions exposed.
The Poles went
through a heart-rendering reappraisal. "Now I
know,
II
explained the pilot to
I an in his slow and
precise Magyar, "that slavery is called freedom. as truth. II
Falsehood parades
It is ... it is ... hypocrisy."
It's the same in Poland, isn't i t?"
The pilot nodded.
"Now I
know that noble ideas have been
soiled with bloodshed and with crimes hidden by lies and empty words.
II
"It
will
not
be
easy to write
about this, II
added the
correspondent. "will you be allowed to print it?1I asked Ian. III expect SO.II
Turning to face his new friend, he continued.
IIFor so many years I believed in a non-existent good, in nobility which turned out to be depravity and in greatness which was nothing else but vileness.
II
"Perhaps the Magyars are achieving something here," remarked Ian.
-79-
"Please understand,
my friend,"
he went on.
"Now that my
eyes have been opened, my conscience is still burning.
The anger,
the anguish, the pain is just that much more intense." "In the short time we have been here," the pilot chimed in, "a few things have become clear to us despite the chaos and contradictory stories. the insurgents.
The entire Magyar people are on the side of
On one side is the Magyar nation, on the other
the Stalinists and the political police." "And there
are
thousands
upon thousands
of disillusioned
Communists among the insurgents," said the correspondent.
"The
whole Magyar Army has either declared for the insurgents or refused to take up arms against fellow Magyars." "I talked to one of them," said the pilot.
"He said it would
be a crime to call us fascists and counter-revolutionaries. radio is just spreading lies. underground against Hi tIer,
The
'I fought in Spain and in the
and now I'm called a demonstrator
hostile to the people!' the soldier said." Ian listened to these comments with love.
At the same time
he didn't quite understand why all these Communists hadn't seen the truth a decade earlier.
The lies were just as big, the decep-
tion just as deep, the crimes just as hienous, the tyranny just as rampant ten years earlier when the Russians had snuffed out the independence of a dozen central and eastern European nations after the Second World War. The sights at the hospital were perhaps even more tragic than l
I
the previous night.
The number of wounded had steadily increased,
-80-
and the supplies of medicines and antibiotics were nearly exhausted. Ian was resolved to call for many more supplies and help later in the day.
But where would he be able to find supplies of love?
Pocketing the receipt the surgeon-in-chief had signed for the medical supplies from Vienna, Ian heard his name called.
As with
all the people in the hospital and with the Poles, he hadn't use his own name.
He was stunned.
"Ian, my love,
Ian!" cried a woman running towards him.
immediately recognized her.
Her smile was the same,
He
only her
smile.
194.
October 28th, Sunday, New York. Tibor elbowed his way through the crowd in front of the united Nations building.
As many as one thousand persons paraded
up and down the street carrying flags, American and Magyar,
as
well as placards and banners proclaiming: "Russians go home!" and "Kremlin butchers." The Security council had been called into an emergency Sunday session to urge a condemnation of Russia. the text of the letter.
Tibor was familiar with
It was composed during a two hour pre-
lunch meeting between the ambassadors of the U.S.A., Kingdom and France.
-81-
the united
The Council presidents serve in rotation.
This month it was
France's
turn.
before.
six years earlier Russia had boycotted the Council meet-
ings,
The meeting was called for at 4 p.m.
the day
and President Truman had been able to mastermind a majority
vote against the Korean aggression. much in evidence.
Now the Russians were very
The three Western nations realized there was no
hope that the Kremlin would not veto a resolution harshly condemning Russian intervention in Magyarland. The three Western nations' letter referred to article thirtyfour of the United Nations Charter: investigate
any dispute
international
[ "The Security Council may
or any situation which might lead to
friction or give rise to a dispute in order to
determine whether the continuance of the dispute or situation is likely to
endanger the maintenance of international peace and
securl.' ty ... " ]
The Magyar revolution was referred to in this
letter as such a situation, and neither Russia nor its political police were identified as 'a party to the dispute,' an identification which would have barred them from voting in any debate on the subject. At Tibor's urgl.ng the American delegate proposed and his two colleagues
agreed to include another cause for complaint:
the
violation of the 1947 peace treaty with Magyarland under which the signatories,
the Russians included,
guaranteed the "fundamental
freedom of assembly, the press and worship. " The Russians were not only ready to veto any resolution condemning their interference in Magyarl and , but they even tried to prevent it being placed on the agenda. -82-
U S. ambassador Lodge spoke bravely enough:
[ liThe situation
in Magyarland has developed in such a way as to cause deep anxiety and concern throughout the world.
Available information indicates
that the people of Magyarland are demanding the fundamental rights and freedoms affirmed in the charter of the united Nations and secured to them by the Magyar peace treaty. "They are being subjected to violent repreSSlve measures by foreign military forces, very heavy casualties.
and they are reported to be suffering The members of the United Nations clearly
have a deep interest in this situation and cannot consider how best to discharge the obligations which they have assumed under the charter.
II
]
Tibor knew that the Americans could do no more in the Security Council
than express
a
moral
condemnation of the invasion of
Magyarland, isolating and discrediting Russia before global opinion. Much more could be done, he was convinced, beyond words, but for the moment he was content to listen to the English translations of the Russian delegate's speech: of the United States,
["What then is the true purpose
united Kingdom and French governments in
raising the question of the internal situation in Magyarland at the Security Council?
In our view the purpose of their action is
to give further encouragement to the armed rebellion which is conducted by a reactionary underground movement against the legal Magyar government.
Is such a step consistent with normal diplo-
matic relations between sovereign governments?
-83-
Of course not ... II
]
Tibor could barely contain his composure. tinued:
The Russian con-
"It is a provocative step intended in reality not to
maintain international peace and security, but to foment criminal activities by elements of the fascist type in Magyarland and to exacerbate the international situation. II ] His Yugoslav cohort promptly seconded the Kremlin's plan to buy time.
[IIWe are confident that the Magyar government and the
Magyar people will find a solution to the present difficulties in conformity with the best interests of their country.
We do not
therefore view with favor the bringing of this item,
'the situa-
tion in Magyarland,' before the Security Council. II ] The president of the council then proposed the discussion of the Magyar situation. countries'
He also put on record the three Western
proposal which was adopted by nine votes to Russia's
one. l
"
The Russian ambassador was still playing for time:
["The
meeting has proceeded so quickly -- and I blame myself for this -that I failed to draw your attention to the fact that I wanted to l
"
make a procedural proposal ... we should postpone discussion of this question for a certain period of time, three or four days, in order to enable all members of the council, including more particularly the soviet delegation, to obtain all the necessary information on this matter. II ] IIThey want information on their own actions! II muttered Tibor with suppressed fury.
-84-
The Russian proposal was defeated again after the president of the council stated:
["So far however,
there is every reason
to believe that the foreign intervention was spontaneous and that it occurred before any appeal was made by the Magyar government ... " ] [ Good work, dear Imre, for having confirmed this fact beyond any question, ] thought Tibor. [ "Moreover," continued the council president,
"that appeal
was not made until after the night of the twenty-third or twentyfourth of October, when the Russian troops intervened.
There was
therefore no justification in the Warsaw Treaty for their intervention because members
are
according to
article
allied against foreign
four
of that treaty its
aggression only;
it could
certainly be invoked by the Magyars against the Russians, but not by Magyars against Magyars." ] Tibor felt he couldn't have put it better.
His satisfaction
was brief because the council allowed the "Magyar" representative at the united Nations, Peter Kos,
a Russian citizen, to take his
place at the table. Nearly a interference
dozen speeches in Magyarland.
followed, It was
condemning the Russian
late
at night when Tibor
arrived home. "I'm not at all encouraged," he said to Ann as he kissed her L
,
fondly.
She
knew him well
enough not to
ask any questions.
Knowing he would soon pour out his heart, she fussed around quietly slightly rearranging flowers in vases,
getting a brandy and an
embroidered linen napkin for him, shifting a log in the fireplace,
-85-
and
examining
the
contents
of
her
sewing
kit
with minute
attention. "Where's our moral fiber!" Tibor finally burst out. diplomats are all very nice amateurs! them a merry dance. professional.
"These
The Kremlin boys will lead
Those guys are ruthless,
coordinated and
We are soft, leaderless and bumbling amateurs."
He sipped his brandy.
"The liberal press is already begin-
ning to orchestrate a surrender. and what do we do?
The Kremlin rattles the sabres,
The Times bleats about harsh punitive measures
by the Russians in Magyarland and the other captive nations in case we intervene.
We editorialize ominously that such interven-
tion could lead to war!" He fingered his glass then left it on the table and continued heatedly:
"By God, what we need is showing some spine!
Secretary of State is no help either. in Dallas? 1,_
J
And the
Did you read what he said
That the United States has no ulterior purpose in
desiring the independence of the captive nations and listen to this, Ann, that it didn't look upon those nations as 'potential military allies.'
Can you believe this!
He is telling the Kremlin
in advance what we will and will not do!
Here we have the strong-
est nation in the world playing a high-stakes poker game showing its cards to its cheating opponent!
The incredible naivete!
He
offers aid but also tells the Russians that we'll keep hands off l
,
the captive nations!
A teenage freedom fighter in Budapest throw-
ing a gasoline bomb on a Russian tank has more courage than the whole State Department!"
-86-
195.
[ October 28th, Sunday, Budapest. Light is here!
The darkness
1S
over!
When I started this
diary at the beginning of the revolution, I had no idea that I'd be able to confide to it my reunion with Ian.
How many times did
I pray to Holy Mary to show me what to do, to guide me how to put my life together again and to intercede with the Almighty on my behalf for a happier existence. If this is a confused diary, at once.
Early in the morning I
it's that so much is happening listen to the radio -- it is
still full of lies about us asking for conditions to lay down our arms when everybody knows that we have no intention to surrender. I take Jozsi back to the hospital where a doctor's aid puts new dressings on his wounds showing signs of infection rather than healing.
It is ridiculous that such small injuries can develop
into such nuisances. While Jozsi is waiting for his turn to get treated, the line of injured people with far more serious injuries than his is almost endless. another lie? Ian!!!
The radio annouces a cease fire.
Is that just
I wander outside the waiting room and then I see --
So much changed.
His smile is the same, only his smile.
His beautiful locks gone, only an unruly fringe of hair and a few tufts above his forehead. his eyes.
Lean and decisive, kindness shining in
Find out a little later he had just handed over four
large boxes of antibiotics to the hospital.
-87-
We embrace right in
front of the doctors and nurses,
looking like butchers ln their
blood-splattered uniforms, but overjoyed to receive the priceless supplies.
More smiles around when I explain we had not seen each
other for twelve years.
It all lasted only a moment as in the
overcrowded hospital the doctors and nurses and volunteers had to work around the clock.
Jozsi had to stay in the hospital, and I
had to go to the office. desert my work.
In this desperate crisis I couldn't
I was late already.
office at six in the evening.
Ian agreed to meet us at my
He gave me a bundle of bank notes
before we parted. Later. work.
Would you believe it?
I was simply inundated with
This was really good because I didn't have time to have Ian
on my mind although he was a sort of backdrop to my thoughts all day.
I
stifled a million questions and continued my work with
concentrated energy. Communist Party paper. Not much longer.
First of course was the editorial in the Even its name -- Free People
was a lie.
Even their eyes begin to be opened by the events
which overwhelm everything.
The editorial still talks about the
misled and intoxicated elements who are still fighting,
about
facticidal bloodshed and counter-revolutionaries who should surrender to avoid further bloodshed on a larger scale -- as if we don't have it already.
Yet even the Communist paper cannot dis-
miss the events of the last few days as merely a counter-revolutionary fascist uprising.
It also refers to Communist leaders who
to their "eternal shame" didn I t people.
understand the language of the
Then our editor got word that our colleagues in England,
-88-
both natives and refugees, have called a meeting today in London to protest the Russian intervention in our country.
Perhaps Ian
can get us a report quickly.
Later.
(Next day)
When the day turned into concentrate on my work.
I
late
afternoon,
I could barely
kept watching the door.
The radio
surprised us with the announcement of a message of support from one of "our affiliated writers council in west Magyarland.
Despite
my anxiety to see Ian soon, very soon, I can't help listening to the patriotic greetings
from a county capital.
The broadcast
starts by saying that the writers regard the workers' problems as their own.
It demands the withdrawal of Russian troops and a stop
to compulsory Russian 1.n schools.
Messages from other county
seats are coming in on the air demanding free elections, announcing strikes until the Russians leave, calling for a new government l
,
free of Stalinists,
less bureaucracy, and the abolishing of the
political police for a full amnesty.
All seem to send messages to
Russia that call for friendship and independence. Then just at a time when Ian was due, Nagy, minister's,
speech is broadcast,
rejecting the
the new pr1.me idea that the
revolt is a counter-revolution and announcing that negotiations have started for the withdrawal of the Red Army from our homeland. All this wonderful news and Ian too! ,
,
the office I take him to the hospital.
-89-
After he picks me up at
This is the first time father and son see each other. agonize all day -- shall I
I
tell them about their relationship?
Then it all resolves itself so easily because Ian knows the moment he sees Jozsi that my son is also his son.
They look at each
other for a long moment, then both break into a big smile at the same time.
And then there are tears.
Tears of relief.
We have a hasty consultation with the doctor who feels Jozsi should stay in the hospital for at least a couple of days until his fever is gone and he has a chance to regain his strength. Ian is staying in the old Chabaffy house on the citadel, and that's where he takes me.
Vince and his wife greet us with tears,
and the four of us wouldn't stop talking. and so little after such a long separation. begin and what to say.
There is so much to say I don't know where to
But we have a wonderful dinner awaiting
us, and we just talk and talk. ,
I
Ian brought delicacies with him that we have not tasted in years:
real coffee beans and tea leaves,
candies,
a big ham,
canned sardines and a whole rucksack full of luxuries. wirte before that the money he gave me was so much?
Did I
I haven't
seen so much money since the Russians came into our homeland. It's as much as what I make in a year, and he says he makes that much in a month in America. It's good the four of us are together because for the first time I
am able to talk about my imprisonment.
Before today I
couldn't bear even the thought of my captivity, let alone talk about it.
Yes, I am able to relate events which were too horrible
-90-
to remember.
It is good to relieve myself of those nightmares at
last. Vince just nods his head during my account as if he had heard about these things before.
I was arrested because my husband was
a policeman who had refused to carry out a beating order or to participate in the torture of prisoners.
I relate the blinding
lights to break our resistance, alternating periods of starvation and being kept awake followed by food and drugged coffee and cigarettes.
Also the three planks which were our beds laid on the
floor that was covered with five centimeters of water, so we were not quite wet, but not dry, not quite awake yet not quite asleep, resulting in perpetual torture of a particularly subtle kind: no physical pain, only constant disfase.
Then about the steel apple
on which we had to sit for countless hours with our legs crossed. And of course the drugs.
I don't know what the pills are called.
The result was quite simple: anyone taking those was willing to confess to anything at anytime. Fortunately I escaped most of the mindless brutality such as basic beating,
lashing,
burning the flesh with cigarettes and
acetylene
torches,
not to mention the removal of fingernails,
toenails,
fingers,
tongues,
testicles and teeth in an endless
variety of tortures. I an asked me several times to stop. l
,
He says whatever he
hears from me is worse than what Imre told him about the Nazi prisons.
He says those had solitary confinement as a basic treat-
ment but in between torture sessions the prisoners were left to
-91-
themselves whereas the Russian secret police worked on a non-stop basis of torture with some new chemical refinements as an innovation of sorts. I mention my colleages who went through a combination of all these refinements, and that was only the beginning of their ordeals. Tortured to the point of incoherence and unconsciousness, they had to confess.
Not only to the police, but also in front of a judge.
Then the sentence, then another spell in prison or breaking rocks somewhere. I start to cry.
Then comes relief.
have heard these stories before.
Ian, Vince, many people
Perhaps this was the first time
they hear this calvary from someone first hand. The Chabaffy house has been made into an apartment house. The only place where Vince can put us is the cellar where so many people survived during the seige. I give Ian a poem to read which was written a few days earlier by Sinka, a colleague of mine:
[ Hail youth! Hallo Magyar nation! You were reborn in fire and blood In three nights of condemnation! Which other nation has in gold Did write his own, writ so very bold? And which nation did speak and let It sound like an angelic trumpet? And did inscribe on its own yoke A thousand year writ to tyrants, with its blood and iron bespoke. ]
Then we disappear in the cellar, which was outfitted by Vince like a Persian tent.
-92-
So I'm reborn tonight.
In the flickering light Ian whispers
a few sparse sentences about his own captivity and his thousands of kilometers on foot.
I can see and touch his scarred and maimed
fingers and toes and touch with my own fingers every single bullet scar on his belly. In love,
scars and pains and chains and stains and memories
are forgotten, children.
exorcized.
I confess to Ian I can't have any more
Jozsi will be all we ever have.
I tell him more and
then the past is gone and only the sweet memories remain: that boat ride so many years ago when we recited poetry and lazily slid down the rlver, together,
and the flowers after my fall and the Easter
the haystack and the passlon.
scarred and healthy as then,
I wish I were as un-
a virgin just for him.
The the
regrets fall away too, as we create together new happy memories. I'm so clumsy I know, around me for so long. ,
j
as I have not felt the arms of a man
Love gives me imagination.
I breathe life
into his scarred body, and he gives me life where I thought I was dead. I never want to part from him agaln. did that Easter long ago?
,
will he leave me as he
What would have happened if he had
j
stayed with me?
What if ... And then all regrets fade away in our
soft kisses and tender touches in the deep dark.
-93-
196.
October 29th, Monday, Budapest. Maria had to get up early,
out of habit.
Much work was
awaiting her at the editorial offices of the Magyar writers Guild. Ian, rarely an early riser, was up at seven.
He was due for his
daily phone call to Imre in Vienna ln three hours time.
He had
much fact-finding to do before then. He had found Budapest, the metropolis of his school years, a vastly different place viewed from the perspective of a man from Manhattan and a worker from Wall street.
That Budapest was pock-
marked and the streets covered with the litter of four days of intensive fighting was not surprising.
It all appeared so small
and dilapitated below the scars of battles compared with New York. None of the office buildings he passed by on foot were taller than ten stories, and none of the residential and office structures had seen any fresh paint since the beginning of the Russian occupation. Traffic on the streets and highways was minimal by Western standards.
Beyond these surface appearances, constant signs of depri-
vation and poverty existed.
Budapest appeared to
Ian like a
comatose patient regaining its consciousness after more than a decade of paralyzing nightmares. Just as he had moved from pity to compassion to love and passion for Maria the night before, this morning he moved through the same gradations in his feelings for Budapest while he walked
-94-
along the banks of the Danube.
The night before, he had at first
been full of pity gazing into Maria's careworn face and fair hair streaked with gray. years.
She looked much older than her thirty-two
He had been filled with compassion when she had related
her terrible sufferings and adventures which he knew were only a glimpse into the land of nightmares.
He had been shocked by her
poverty: she had only two dresses and two pairs of shoes, Jozsi only one outfit and that pretty well torn to shreds in the last few days.
Her home, which he had not yet seen, was by her account
barely a hole in the wall consisting of a single room measuring about three by two meters, with the kitchen and bathroom shared by three other families living in the same apartment.
From pity and
compassion came love: beneath the threadbare clothes and pallid skin there was a giving, vibrant, grateful,
joyous woman of tre-
mendous sensitivity, of awakening vitality, of childish enthusiasm, and of acute intelligence. In the depth of her eyes, the movement of her fingers,
the
curve of her belly, the warmth of her words and the penetration of her thoughts, Ian found more dimension than in all the sophistication of Manhattan, Wall Street, and the cocktail-party philosophy of a cosmopolitan society.
Ian tried hard not to judge, looking
at everything with love. The Magyar capital could easily fit into one of the lesser canyons of the Rockies he so much loved.
Magyarland was only a
fraction of the State of Colorado in size, yet he felt at home in
-95-
all these places: Budapest, New York, Colorado. be provincial.
Ian had ceased to
He had become a planetary child who could find
wonders in as many corners of the earth as the mother of a large family could among her numerous offspring.
In Budapest he felt a
Magyar, in London a devotee of art, in New York a man about town, in the wide sweep of the American West a soaring eagle.
These
feelings were like vibrating atoms of a wonderful wholeness, all part of a perfect oneness.
Right now he was in battle-scarred
Budapest, filling up with revolutionary fervor and adoring ardor without losing his oneness with his parts of New York, London and the American West.
The dull thud of a report emanating from the
gun barrel of a Russian tank brought Ian back to the urgencies of this Monday morning. This day was momentous 1n the revolution. bastions of the oppressors
The two propaganda
the Communist newspaper and Radio
Budapest -- Ian soon found out, had sided with the uprising against Russian imperialism. Vince gave Ian today's 1ssue of the paper which carried a reply to a dispatch from Budapest in Pravda.
The paper's lies
began each day under the title "Truth" and under the heading liThe Collapse of the Anti-Popular Adventure in Magyarland."
The erst-
while Magyar Communist Party paper bluntly stated that
[ the
events in Budapest were neither anti-popular, nor an adventure; nor was there a collapse. ] of
Buda
and
Pest
want a
It went on to state that [ the people peoples'
freedom
arbitrariness, without terror and without fear.
-96-
and life without ]
Then
Ian read with relish:
[The Pravda article further
states that the action of the people of Budapest and the revolt was
instigated by the
imperialists.
subersive work of British and American
We must sincerely say: the entire one and a half
million population of Budapest are outraged and insulted by the Pravda statement. ] The editorial, written by Ferenc Molnar, a well known writer and author of the Broadway hit "Carousel," reached its heights when it stated:
[From behind the dark clouds the sun is rising --
red in color because it's bathed in blood -- but it is the sun of liberty and peace. ] Radio Budapest was also the scene of an internal revolution. A group of editors had released a statement to the effect that in the last few days the radio had besmirched its honor, that it was necessary to broadcast the truth and that it was time that Radio Budapest be the radio station of the people. Ian had exciting news for Imre. nection to Vienna didn't work,
Because the telephone con-
it took him until nearly noon to
find a courier to take his hastily scribbled dispatch to Vienna. On his way to Maria's office Ian found the city was slowly returning to normal.
Some shops had reopened for business.
There
was not much to buy yet, and what there was came off the carts the countryside sent as a gift to the revolutionary capital. standing in line were helping one another.
People
Ian overheard a woman
offering lard in exchange for flour to her neighbor,
and others
were busy swapping half a loaf of bread for some eggs, flour for part of a chicken. At a major intersection Ian watched Russian tanks and troops retreat from the city, southbound. of armored cars.
The convoy was led by a couple
He counted sixty-one T-54 tanks,
the heavier
version of the T-34's, the workhorse of the Russian armor in the final years of the Second World War.
Their five point stars were
barely visible behind the grime, mud, oil and blood. long line of trucks accompanied by motorcycles. appeared jumpy and on edge.
Then came a
The Russians
The cannon of the heavy armor were
kept horizontal, ready for instant action.
Russian hands gripped
the handles of the machine guns mounted on the tanks and trucks. At the next corner Ian saw a small Magyar convoy racing by flying Red Cross flags.
Ian was hit by an awful stench, a mixture
of decaying human flesh and cordite. debris.
The streets were full of
A moment later a single Russian tank roared by, perhaps
anxious to join a retreating column.
Street-clearing gangs were
in many places sweeping away innumerable heaps of broken glass and bricks. At Maria's office Ian was greeted by a chorus of complaints. News had just reached the office that the united Nations Security Council had adjourned without even adopting a resolution against the Russian intervention in Budapest. "We must tell you, have not helped us! "
we are very much disappointed that you
"Can't America help? world.
We are fighting for the entire free
11
IIWe certainly don't want another war, but tell us, how come China sent voluteers to Korea and you can't get America to do the same for US?II IIPlease, anything -- even one paratrooper." [ That is precisely what Papi is working on, ] thought Ian, but aloud he uttered only some unintelligible apologies.
He was
mortified. While the writers were working on a new program for Magyar intellectuals, nation:
Maria was typing up a ten-point appeal to the
[Magyars!
We proudly face the judgment of the world.
The power of the country is at long last in the hands of the people.
Our youth, our army and police, the workers councils and
the peasants fought side by side.
Our thanks go to those Russian
soldiers who refused to raise their arms against the Magyar people. ] The ten points included demands for the withdrawal of Russian troops, universal and secret ballot, the abolishment of the repressive productivity requirements, freedom of the press and of assembly, and the dedication of October 23rd as a national holiday to commemorate the uprising. Ian joined two writers next to Maria's desk who were engaged in animated conversation. 11 • • •
we must tidy up our language," said one.
IIBelieve me, that's not easy," replied the other.
-99-
"Why in the hell don't we call the Soviet army the Russian Army?" "The soviets disappeared in Russia more than thirty years ago.
The only genuine soviets are our own revolutionary workers
committees!" "The foreign coorespondents write about Soviet troops against our freedom fighters." "Accuracy demands that the revolution is fought by Russian imperialist troops against Magyar soviets
II
In a corner someone recited a poem by Benjamin:
[ ... What will happen to us? Is there no freedom but in the grave? No answer. There is only blood, And the tears of mourning. ] And another: [ Bless the living, God bless the dead, For out of our blood will come A new resurrection ... ]
In the edi tor-in-chief' s
office the discussion centered on
the new prime minister. "We found out only today that Nagy didn't call for Russian troops to intervene." IIHis predecessor did "
"
after the Russians started to fire on us."
-100-
"The document purportedly calling in the Russians is unsigned "
I saw it with my own eyes."
"Another Russian forgery!" Just before Maria and Ian left the office, Radio Budapest announced:
[ The executive committee of the municipal council
decided to rename Stalin Avenue the 'Street of Magyar Youth, the Stalin Bridge to Arpad Bridge, and Stalin Square will henceforth be called the 'Magyar Peasant Square.' ]
197.
"Imre this connection is terrible." "Papi, can you hear me?" "I can, but it is a strain." "We can try another line if you like." "We tried that yesterday, and it only got worse. " "As long as you can hear me Papi." "Well ... tell me." "I an reports
that the morale
and discipline
in Budapest
is ... of the man-on-the-street ... of the population is incredible." "What does he mean Imre?" "He says there is an unwritten law which we may call the charter of the revolt: no looting.
II
"I didn't expect any less." "It's a matter of national pride."
-101-
"
"Because of the Communist lies?" "We know well that the Russians and their locals attempted to represent Budapest as a city of looters, rioters and hooligans. " "They are trying to blacken the revolution's image ... its reputation." "Ian says he saw jewelry and pens and watches untouched in shop windows ... I mean the windows were smashed, Papi, but nothing inside was touched." "That's great." "He also walked by a shop window which was empty and you know, Papi, there was a notice:
'Goods not looted but taken inside
for safety. ' " "Astounding." "But listen to this Papi!
The great import, the tremendous
charter of the revolution according to Ian is its dedication to purity.
No
revenge,
no
looting,
no retaliation,
only love,
friendship, even towards the Russians." "Love your enemy!
The Christian ethic."
"After ten years of Communist indoctrination!" "The deep spiri tuali ty of our people is not shaken." "But Ian reports indignation too." "About the Russians?" "No." "The political police?" "Us."
"The Chabaffys?"
-102-
"No Papi, us Americans, the Western nations, the British, the French, the united Nations ... A deep disappointment that the West does not help." "Does it affect the affection the Magyars always held a "Not yet Papi. pondent. example,
"
Ian reported the story of an American corres-
There is still reverence for everything American.
For
a father held up his child to see the American flag
draped over the windshield of the newsman's car ...
just so he
could see and touch the stars and stripes." "That is moving." "I haven't told you an important item.
Ian ran into Maria."
"Maria?" "You know, the Potocki girl." "Poor Laszlo's daughter?" "Yes ... the only woman I think I an ever really loved." "I hope he does nothing foolish now
"
"But tell me, Papi, what's going on at your end?" "It's not encouraging at all. flashing his
smile.
nothing at all.
He pats backs and shakes hands and does
No leadership.
the state Department,
Ike is electioneering and
No plan.
Can you imagine that in
with thousands upon thousands of people,
nobody came up with a contingency plan in case the satellites ... the captive nations revolt! is caught off guard!
Washington is surprised!
Washington
Our ambassador at the U.N. is a well meaning
fellow, but he has not got the power, the authority ... " "Of course."
-103-
"The French are not bad, and the Cuban delegate is a fearless man, but on the American front there are a lot of words and smiles and wringing of hands, but sadly, no action." "Budapest would like to see a contingent of Marines and British and French paratroopers." "I've been suggesting as forcefully as I could that we send in a token force." "Even if it's a small contingent of united Nations observers, it'd help." "We have to show resolution
"
"All I see is irresolution, indecisiveness, the usual complacency.
Have you heard about the reception at the Turkish embassy
in Moscow?" "What happened?" "It was a masterful performance by the Russian foreign minister Shepilov and the minister of defense, Marshal Zhukov." "The conqueror of Berlin." "Shepilov told foreign correspondents that if we stop firing and if there
1S
no danger ... big ifs ... Russian troops would
withdraw from Budapest." "Do you believe them?" "They might withdraw to prevent the Russian units from deserting and taking up arms against their Kremlin masters." "Ian reports withdrawals ... not eastwards ... only southwards." "Rather ominous ... Shepilov admitted to 'bureaucratic manifestations' -- that is, mismanagement.
-104-
But he kept taking the
usual line about counter-revolutionary elements -- mark you, not people, but elements -- criminals, anti-democratic ... 11 liThe usual garbage. II IIHe side-stepped the most important issue: the withdrawal of Russian troops from Magyarland." IIDid he say anything about Russian losses?" 1I0n l y that they were not heavy. II IIAnd about reinforcements?1I IIZhukov said none were sent. II "That sounds fishy. II "They need time, Papi, to mobilize more Russian divisions and send them into Magyarland through Ruthenia.
The Kremlin needs
time! II IIThat's what we should not give them. II "They'll tie up the United Nations in knots with delaying tactics and vetoes.
In any event what we need is moral fiber."
"Resolution." "Bluff must be met by counter-bluff, but all that
1S
only
good if we have the will power, the resolution as you call it Imre, to back it up wi th force. II 1100
you think we do?"
II It's in very short supply in Washington right now. " II Ian sends an S. O. S. for medicines and anti-biotics -- all kinds of medical supplies. II "Short?"
-105-
"Desperately.
The wounded exceed ten thousand.
Morale is
terrific, but we can't let the wounded heroes bleed to death that would be
intolerable."
"I'll get that going at this end.
II
"There are plenty of supplies in Switzerland,
Austria and
Germany and with the NATO troops in Western Europe
It's a
matter of logistics and -- money." "I'll prod washington. " "I'll work on the government here in Vienna. " "Imre, dear, the Magyar people are giving the free world an opportuni ty which will not be available for another generation ... "
198.
[ October 30th, Tuesday - Budapest. Ian is going to pick me up in the next hour. this scribble
during my break in the office.
I'm writing
It is again one of
those days when I have barely time to breathe. It 1S not at all one of those days! It 1S the day when our revolt is finally triumphing! know where to start. mind.
I don't
I just jot it down the way it's coming to my
I work it backwards with the latest news first.
It is
almost midnight. The radio is just announc1ng that Cardinal Mindzszenty has been released.
Earlier in the evening we receive a long report in
-106-
the office on how this came about.
The prince-primate has been
hidden in a manor house near the Slovak border the past year. found out last Tuesday, demonstrations.
exactly a week ago,
He
about the student
The next day the political police guarding him
confiscated his radio and stopped the newspaper. For four days he was shut off from the world.
Yesterday the
guard-commander informed him that the "mob" was after his life and he had to be removed to another location. The cardinal resisted the police-guards' orders. match.
It literally came to a push and shove
Finally, the political policemen gave up the struggle.
Yesterday the director of the Office of Religious Affairs, a Communist state-organization,
informed the cardinal that he had
governmental orders -- he didn't specify which government -- to remove him.
Mindszeny replied he was
not prepared to budge,
whereupon the bureaucrat spent a lot of time on the telephone talking to Budapest. This morning he told the prince-primate that he was unable to get in touch with his superiors and decided to travel to Budapest for instructions.
In the meantime, the local peasants surrounded
the building where the cardinal was held after the rumor had spread in the village that the Russians were ready to kidnap our reverend spiritual
leader.
By four
this
afternoon the
local
commander of the political police was still unable to get his hij acking organized and left word with the cardinal he would return the next day.
-107-
At that point the folk in the village took matters into their own hands and demanded admission into the manor house.
The polit-
ical police-guards were frightened by the threatening tone of the hundreds of peasants surrounding the place and reluctantly allowed a deputation to visit the cardinal.
The folks told him the Russians
planned to kidnap him in a tank decorated with Magyar flags, ostensibly to take him back to his palace in Budapest (it is across the street from Ian's house in the citadel).
What I liked
best about this story, and I'm sure Ian will like it too, was that the village where the Roman Catholic prelate is held is predominantly Baptist and Lutheran.
In the fire of our revolution the
religious differences are being melted away! Shortly after the Communist bureaucrat left for Budapest the local political police-guard made a momentous decision. to embrace the revolution and to free Mindszenty. l
,
It decided
By declaring
the prince-primate arrest illegal in the first place, they declared him free to go wherever he wished. The commander of the local Magyar Army had intercepted the
\
)
bureaucrat's telephone conversation and realized the cardinal's life was in danger. sides,
At the very moment when the guard switched
an Army squad arrived under the command of a maj or and
pronounced Mindszenty free and offered to take him to the capital. l
,
Our report indicated that the cardinal decided to stay at the manor house for one more night and is due to arrive here tomorrow, after eight years of imprisonment, torture and humiliation.
-108-
Now all the other news. a special bulletin:
At 3 this afternoon the radio had
"Dear listeners, we are opening a new chapter
in the history of the Magyar radio.
For many years this station
has been an instrument of propaganda and lies.
We wish to be
henceforth the spokesmen of the Magyar resolution!
II
Earlier in
the evening we got a transcript of several radio announcements of the day in the office.
I like them all, and the ones I like most
I made two copies of so Ian could send one to Imre tomorrow.
The
other is for this diary.
TO THE YOUNG GIRL WITH THE RED HAIR We would like to speak to you, to shake your hand, to learn your name and then ask:
"Where did you find the strength to summon the
courage that stunned us all."
It was a week ago when we first set
eyes on you in the crowd of demonstrators, beseeching the radio station to broadcast the demands of the revolutionary youth.
From
below you signaled to us as we were watching at the window of the station building the events unfolding outside on the streets.
We
were powerless to respond to your appeal for help because the managers of the station refused to broadcast any item which was not sanctioned by their bosses.
The youth delegation to which you
belonged barely succeeded even in getting a hearing. finally condescended to speak to you. themselves to talk even to us anymore.
The managers
They could barely bring And let this be quite
clear: it was out of the question for them to listen to the will of the people.
-109-
So we know you only as the young girl with the red hair. When you finally burst into our place, your face was burning with indignation.
But first we must let the world know that you didn't
start the fighting.
We were inside the broadcasting building.
saw and heard everything.
We
You proclaimed your demands with in-
creasing emphasis while inside the building we tried to convince our bosses to listen to you.
They refused.
Not your voice, but the voice of the new party secretary was on the airwaves with one of the most shameful speeches of our time. The demonstrators -- you among them -- protested on hearing that unspeakable tirade. that kind.
You demanded an end to broadcasts of
The security police inside the building replied by
throwing tear gas bombs at you. You tried to get into the building.
The commander of the
political police guard ordered an attach with bayonets drawn. were on the first floor above the main door. screams
of the wounded.
We
We heard the first
A salvo was fired point blank.
The
harvest of death began. We cried out, and we tried to restrain the political policeguard, telling them not to shoot.
That corps was indoctrinated by
the regime, and its blindness was limiting. And then you found arms.
We didn't see how it happened
because we were pushed back and locked up offices.
-110-
in the
editorial
when he was made first deputy prime minister in the new government: "The victory of the revolution must be now defended with unmistakable determination above all against those who would like to drown it in anarchy,
or to turn it against the vital interests and
rights achieved by our people ... II with all this I almost forgot to write down that the two vile Kremlin boys,
Suslov and Mikoyan, had arrived in Budapest.
Ian
will be able to tell me much more about that. This morning I walked with him to the office 1n a mild October sunshine.
All cars and trucks are flying tri-colored flags.
didn't hear any gunshots. streets.
We
No newspapers are distributed on the
We were barely able to get one.
The editorials call for
free elections and demand the Russians go home. heen waiting for all this to happen! And soon Ian will hold me! ]
-112-
How long have I
The seige began. of the revolution.
It was the first and one of the most dramatic It was way past midnight.
late as 2:30 when you broke into the building.
It was perhaps as And you, the young
girl with the flaming red hair, were the first.
In one hand you
carried our beloved tri-colored standard, in the other a weapon of liberty. We who did see you than shall never forget you! All the nation's thirst for liberty was burning inside you. Mayall your battles end thus,
in victory!
We want to know
you, to shake your hand and thank you for having g1ven us a free Magyar radio station.
(Signed) Free Magyar Radio station Organ of the Revolutionary Committee, Free Radio Kossuth.
* It is all worth it,
all the suffering of the past twelve
years, to read something like this.
Other important events happen
today: the announcement of Russian withdrawal, the formation of a coalition government, a general cease-fire, the reorganization of the army, l
J
cabinet.
the speech of Prime Minister Nagy announcing the new For me that tribute to the redhead (and my hair is fair)
is the most moving. In the morning I typed up a short speech by a colleague of our editor-in-chief, Erdei, which was broadcast later in the day
-111-
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR THE FATHER OF LIES
[ You are of your father, the devil and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he has nothing to do with truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Jesus the Christ, speaking to the Pharisees, a sect of Jewish fundamentalists. The country calls you, attention Magyar! Here is the hour, yes, now or never! Chains of slavery, we solemnly swear, We never, yes, never again shall bear! Petofi Fail not in your function of loving in a loveless place made out of darkness and deceit, for thus are darkness and deceit undone. A Course in Miracles. be quiet little hungary and do as you are bid, ~ a good kind bear is angry we fear for the quo pro~quid. e.e. cummings]
199.
October 30th, Tuesday, Budapest. Ian and Maria talked more in their pauses and silences than in their speech.
He had made a miraculous recovery from his ex-
-113-
periences facili ty
a decade ago. in
questions
private
One after-effect lingered:
communication.
However
a
lack of
well-intentioned,
from the women in his life tended to push him deeper
into his shell.
with Maria he found to his joy he was able to let
go.
Ian and Maria had peeled off the outer layers of
Gradually,
their souls, shedding not only private thoughts, but public issues, history, philosophy, ideology.
Ian wished he had a tape recorder:
their words tumbled out like a waterfall. "Where did this purity of vision originate?" he asked Maria. "Where did this determination to keep the revolution innocent come from?" "It's hard to say." Early in the mornlng.
The two remained embraced, talking ln
low tones. "A whole nation reaching for cosmic consciousness," said Ian. "You talk in riddles, my love." "A miraculous striving to tune into the eternal wavelength of humanity at a divine level." "Love does that?" "The only reality." Maria.
In the silence Ian moved even closer to
He could feel her eyelashes brush his cheek whenever she
blinked. After a pause she asked, "Do you know William, Baron Apor?" "Wasn't he a bishop somewhere?" "That's where the purity of vision you talk about has started ... one of the sources
"
-114-
"Now I remember ... sheltered Jews?
Wasn't he a bishop in Transdanubia who
He was a thorn in the side of the occupying
authorities." "He kept petitioning the German authorities," continued Maria. "One day he got permission to visit the Jews in the ghetto, but two 55 officers barred his way. not escape,' he thundered.
'The divine commands Hitler can-
'One day he'll have to stand before
his Maker and give an account of his deeds! '" "That was not love," whispered I an. "From that courage he ascended to love ...
That was just
before Easter." "In 1945." "When the first Russian soldiers arrived at his seat. Ash Wednesday.
It was
The priests and lay people in the palace were
searched and their valuables taken.
A Russian soldier relieved
the bishop of his gold watch. "Bishop Apor kept vigil all night," Maria went on.
"He was
determined to defend the many people who took refuge in his home. The cellars of the palace were jammed with women frightened by the rumors of wholesale rape and pillage.
On Thursday another group
of Russian soldiers arrived who were content just to taunt the bishop and his priests. "On Good Friday the bishop sent his office-manager to the Russian kommandatura to ask for protection.
The Russian commander
replied to the priest that he was in no position to supply guards and in any event, front line soldiers acted as they pleased.
-115-
The
priest continued to plead for help with the remark that the bishop personally dissuaded many of his parishioners from escaping, arguing that the stories about the behaviour of the Russian soldiers were slanders.
But it was in vain.
liOn his return, he found the palace invaded by another group of Russians,
led by a major.
Quite drunkenly they demanded the
services of young women to 'peel spuds' and to 'do a little housework.'
The Russians adamantly demanded the young women.
A Russian
pushed the barrel of a sub-machine gun against the bishop and forced him to lead them down to the cellar. lar door the bishop turned around.
In front of the cel-
The major started to pull at
the chain which held the cross on the prelate's chest. "Fired by indignation, he pushed the Russian major back up the stairs.
At that instant another group of soldiers found the
cellar through another way.
The bishop and the major heard screams
for help as the soldiers started to abduct the womenfolk. bishop rushed up to the soldiers and screamed at them: here!
The
'Get out of
Get out! ' "At that very moment, the maJor or one of his men fired three
shots at Bishop Apor.
One made a hole in his robe, another glanced
off his forehead and the third bullet penetrated his stomach. When the bishop collapsed, the Russians took to their heels. liThe wounded prelate was taken to the hospital on a stretcher by half a dozen men who dared to brave the dangerous night.
Russian
patrols stopped the small group several times and lifted the blanket to check if a wounded was indeed on the stretcher.
-116-
"On each occasion,
Bishop Apor found strength to lift his
hand and bless the Russian soldiers.
As he had fasted on Good
Friday i t was possible to put him on the operating table immediately.
Later in the day he lost consciousness.
He regained it on
Easter Sunday, long enough to take the last rites. "His death bed was surrounded by admirers. aloud.
He said:
The bishop prayed
'I offer my tribulations as an offering to my
sweet homeland and to the whole world.
Saint Stephen, pray for us
Magyars.'
This was his last prayer.
These were his last words.
The nun who was the nurse on duty noted on record he died a saint on April second, at five minutes after one in the morning." "Imre knew him and now that you have told me the story,
I
remember," remarked I an. "Do
you
remember,"
asked Maria,
"that the press was not
allowed to print one word about the murder of the bishop!" "I was in Russia at the time." nose with his nose.
Ian touched the tip of Maria's
He quoted in a whisper:
"Love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you ... " " ... pray for those who abuse you," Maria whispered back when she noticed Ian was losing the thread of his quote from the Sermon on the Mount. other also;
"To him who strikes you on the cheek,
and from him who takes away your coat,
offer the
do not even
wi thhold your shirt ... " "And there Jesus the Christ uttered the golden rule: you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. '"
-117-
'And as
IIDon't you think Bishop Apor has shown us the light?" asked Maria. "Can a whole nation vibrate in love?" "Ghandi inspired a whole sub-continent." IIWho is our Ghandi?" "Cardinal Mindszenty." "Broken in prison. II "Where are the leaders?1I "Do we have any?" asked Ian. liThe revolution broke out spontaneously, like a cry for deliverance.
It is leaderless. II
II It is called criminal." II ... or anti-democratic. II IIGhandi wasn't called flattering names either." IIWhat was he called, my love?" II A half-naked fakir," said Maria. IIBy whom?" IIChurchill." IIWhat about your father?
What about Imre?1I
"They won't come unless called. II "Both are still much beloved. " "Not yet forgotten?1I "You'd be surprised!
Magyarland cries out for a leader."
After a long pause Ian said, "let's listen to the radio." Maria moved away slowly and switched on the radio.
After a
few minutes of gypsy music, the two heard the announcement:
-118-
"As
reported earlier, the withdrawal of Russian troops from Budapest is in progress.
units of the Magyar Army, the police, armed workers
and youth are taking over the job of maintaining order.
At 0900
hours all fighting must cease and armed groups still resisting shall henceforth participate in restoring order.
We will continue
to inform you about the withdrawal of Russian troops. " "Dare we believe it?" asked Maria. "Give me a kiss." " I'd better get ready, my love." "It's not yet seven." "I should be
I mean, if you let me, darling ... at the
office by eight." "I'll go with you. "
200.
October 30th, New York. When the Magyar revolution appeared triumphant and the Russian troops were withdrawing from Magyarland, news reached New York this day which reversed with one stroke Magyar fortunes and Russian humiliation. War broke out in the Middle East. It was initiated by the prime minister in London. Perhaps it's a sign of a decaying empire that its leaders are periodically stricken with insanity at times when sanity is at a
-119-
premium?
Certainly that happened several times to Churchill and
his successor Eden. Churchill was struck at least three times.
During the First
World War he was responsible for the disastrous Galipoli adventure which cost many thousands of casualties as well as his job as a cabinet minister.
In 1944,
he was responsible for an infamous
percentage deal with stalin which helped consign one hundred million people in Central and Eastern Europe to Russian slavery.
And
throughout his time in government, he helped deny freedom to hundreds of millions in India. Eden was equally prone to misguided deals and insane adventures.
In between the two world wars, as England's foreign secre-
tary, he failed to promote unity between the peoples living in the Danube valley. centurey,
He was, like most Western leaders in the twentieth
blind to the pivotal importance of that region as an
effective barrier between the large masses of Russians and Germans. Instead, he encouraged policies and short-sighted deals which set the peoples
l~ving
in the Danube Valley against one another.
The
deals created in the heart of Europe a power-vacuum that Hitler and Stalin were only too happy to fill. From this shaky start Eden built up a distinguished record as a negotiator.
After the Second World War he settled, or at least
helped to settle, the Iranian oil dispute; the withdrawal of British troops
from Egypt; the armistice following the Korean conflict;
the war between France and Indo-China which involved, in the background, the united states and China; the quarrel between Yugoslavia
-120-
and Italy over Trieste; and the controversies between Russia and the Western powers which,
only a few years earlier, had led to
Austria's independence. At no time was sanity at a greater premlum than in October of 1956 when the Magyar revolution broke out.
Nothing less was at
stake than Russian domination over Poland and the peoples of the Danube valley,
and even more importantly,
the very survival of
Russian imperial power. The Magyar revolution created a lethal challenge to the Kremlin's drive for world domination.
It was a challenge from within,
led by the Communist-trained elite and students educated under Russian domination.
It was a cancer that threatened to destroy
the entire fabric of MOscow's conspiracy to rule the world. The Russian leadership badly needed a master-magician with a fantastic conjuring trick to draw world attention away from the catastrophy which threatened to engulf their empire from Magyarland.
A successful conjurer,
like a picador ln a bull fight,
becomes successful because he or she creates a diversion away from the principal action to a secondary action. centered on a side issue,
While attention is
the magician can perform the trick
unobserved. The Russians dreamed about such a master-magician to draw the world's attention from the principal action in Budapest to a side issue,
any issue.
In their fondest dreams they dreamed about a
magician who would not only draw attention away from where the
-121-
real action was, but would also create confusion among the capitalists and pit the capitalist nations against one another. On October 30th the realized.
fondest
dreams
of the Kremlin were
A master-magician showed up to do this conjuring trick
which not only drew attention away from Budapest, he also managed to pit capitalist England and France against the rest of the world led by the capitalist united states. That magician was England's prime minister, Anthony Eden. On that day he,
along with his French colleague,
sent an
ultimatum to Egypt in response to Egypt's nationalization of the Suez Canal, demanding permission for Anglo-French troops to take control of the canal. This adventure was quite insane, as it was preceeded by negotiations which promised to return the Suez Canal to international control.
To add to the insanity, this act of war was surrounded
by a web of deception the Kremlin would have admired.
To begin
with, Eden kept Eisenhower in the dark about his criminal designs. Additionally, Eden followed the Russian recipe of cloaking treachery with negotiations conducted under the auspices of the United Nations. Eden's conspiracy was spiced with another Russian ingredient: an apparently plausible cover story to cloak an aggresive design. For this deception Eden and his French partner needed a third party.
Israel, eager to settle an old score with Egypt, was happy
to volunteer.
The day before, on October 29th, three hundred and
nintyfive Israeli paratroopers dropped from sixteen Dakota planes about fifty kilometers east of the Suez Canal.
-122-
This action was
supported by seventy-two Mysteres and F-84 jets of the French air force.
Eden had his cover story.
The Anglo-French invasion was
launched ostensibly to separate the Israeli and Egyptian armies and in the process occupy the real objective: the Suez Canal. All hell broke loose. Eisenhower was enraged that the sacred presidential election process was so rudely interrupted just a few days before election day by America's closest ally.
The united Nations was aroused and
busily passed resolutions against Anglo-French agression.
And the
Russians rose to righteous indignation in the united Nations with speeches which, by changing only a few words, could have been used to characterize their own actions against Magyarland. From then on events unfolded inexorably. the wind of treachery,
Eden, having sown
reaped the whirlwind of humiliation.
The
Anglo-French agreed to a cease fire, after only one day of hostilities, without having obtained the objective of securing the canal. The canal was blocked to shipping.
A run on the pound severely
depleted England's financial reserves. not humiliated by Eden. prestige and power.
Egypt, led by Nasser, was
Instead, he was brought new heights of
Posing as Arab champions, the Russians forced
the withdrawal of these imperialist agressors.
And soon Eden,
a
sick and broken man, tendered his resignation. Tibor, his old adversary at the League of Nations (the prewar united Nations), watched the unfolding of the Suez drama with increased apprehension and sadness. American leadership.
He was
looking for bold
He hoped for coordinated Western action to
-123-
induce the Russians to stay out of Magyarland.
He wished for
effective united Nation's help for his beleaguered homeland. A strong and mighty wind arose.
For Tibor the wind was blow-
ing in the wrong direction.
201.
[ October 31st, Wednesday, Budapest. Early in the morning we walked over to the primate's residence with Ian.
Mindszenty's palace, on the same street as the Chabaffy
townhouse,
is still quite dilapitated, still full of scars from
the siege.
We found the corridors and rooms crowded with people:
bishops, generals, peasants, well-wishers and country priests. The prince-primate greeted us affectionately. cassock was rumpled and of poor quality. his back slightly bent.
He held his head high.
I'll never forget his eyes.
And his
They penetrate my soul.
Mindszenty had a few words with Ian. a message from Imre.
He appeared unshaven and
His dark hair was overshot with gray.
But his voice was reasonant. eyes!
I noticed his
He handed the cardinal
The cardinal tells us he arrived here at
5:00 in the morning in an armored car decked with flowers and escorted by four tanks under the protection of the Magyar Army. One of his aides described his trip as the most moving experience of his life.
The cardinal's passage through the villages
was marked by tolling of bells, showers of flowers and blessings.
In a couple of towns north of here the throng was so thick the small convoy had to slow down to a walk.
The first impression
about the capital by our spiritual leader was damaged buildings, inactive factories and happy faces. Ian told me he is greatly relieved that despite the long imprisonment, Mindszenty's voice sounds firm and confident. movements are authoritative.
While we were with him,
more delegates and well-wishers arrived.
His
more and
He gave a brief state-
ment to the army expressing his admiration for their courage and for the accomplishments of the college students, writers, peasants and workers.
He paid tribute to his liberators and gave his pon-
tifical blessing to all.
He said he isn't ready to make any state-
ment until tomorrow at the earliest, as he wants to be fully briefed before hs says and does anything more. Then he left us to celebrate mass in his private chapel and to get ready for a conference with his bishops.
I was glad and
much gratified when our radio announced that the Magyar government considers his imprisonment an illegal act.
It is restoring his
full civic rights as well as recognizing his authority as head of the Roman Catholic church.
I never expected to live long enough
to see him a free man and witness his complete vindication. Ian is unable to come with me to the office.
He bicycles out
to the Frankhill airport to be on hand when the ever increasing shipments sent by Imre and others from Vienna arrive.
Later Ian
tells me a veritable air shuttle is in operation bringing in quan-
-125-
ti ties
of food
and medicine
from Austria.
He
sees Belgian,
Rumanian and Swiss, Polish and Austrian planes too. Pandemonium in the office.
I have to take a message to prime
minister Nagy from the writers Guild.
Ian told me earlier he had
no trust in him because he is a Communist and only reacting to the tremendous pressure by the people and has been notably reluctant to take any initiative up until now.
While I was over at the
Parliament building, the premier gave an interview to an Austrian reporter.
I must confess I had confidence in Nagy, but what I
hear him say to the man from Vienna makes me realize Ian might be right.
I jotted it down from memory right after I returned to the
office.
I realized Ian may want to know.
The interviewer started with the Warsaw Pact. Reporter:
Are you l.n it or not?
Nagy:
We are in it.
(I think that is the most unwise
statement - confirming a Russian bondage after so much sacrifice). Reporter:
Do you wish to leave the Warsaw Pact?
Nagy:
We have begun negotiations.
(He avoids g1.V1.ng a
direct answer). Reporter:
will you apply for Western aid to rebuild
the shattered economy? Nagy: source.
It appears we have to appeal for help from every
(Again he ducks a direct reply).
Reporter:
Based on your negotiations,
leaving?
-126-
is the Russian Army
Nagy: from.
Apparently.
I don't know for sure where they came
(This is obviously untrue.) Reporter:
There are some Russian troops which invaded Magyar-
land from other countries.
Are these also withdrawing to their
original bases? Nagy:
I think so.
but they'll go back.
I don't know where they came from,
II
Reporter:
You stated you didn't invite the Russians in?
Nagy:
I didn't.
Who
did? At that time I was neither prime minis-
ter, nor on the central committee of the Communist Party.
(Once
again he ducks the question with an evasive answer. ) Reporter: Nagy:
Why did people think you have invited them in? I don't know.
(Again he avoids putting the blame
on his fellow communists.) Reporter:
Did you state that Russian troops were needed to
re-establish order, or did you not? Nagy: of the sort.
(aroused)
No, not at all!
I never said anything
I must add that that report has caused a lot of
confusion and damage.
(Once again, he avoids putting the blame
where it belongs.) Reporter:
What is your first priority?
Nagy:
To restore order here.
(But that is entirely up
to the Russians' willingness to stop attacking us!) the economy back on its feet.
And to get
As I am leaving a delegation arrived from the provinces to see the new prime minister.
The uproar in the countryside
1S
about the continued presence of Russian troops in our homeland. In the evening I reunited with Ian. He says some pretty depressing things.
He is in an uproar too. He has reliable reports
that the Russians are not leaving at all.
He says more and more
Russians are pouring into our homeland through Ruthenia. up
He called
Imre immedaitely and also sent a handwritten message with a
pilot returning to Vienna, saying that the Russians are readying a gigantic double cross! Ian hopes his father can do something about it in America. He feels time is running in favor of the Russians because the Western nations are now completely paralyzed by Suez. From one day to the next there is a complete turnaround in Ian's expectations.
He is furious that the government is attempt-
ing to hide the fact that the Russians are moving in the wrong direction.
He thinks that such a deception by the new government
(most of whom are Communists anyway) is ominous. Even Vince has difficulties calming Ian down at supper.
To
change the discussion, he brings up Ian's favorite subject -- the purity of the revolution. I
reminded him of the cardinal this morning.
The foreign
correspondents and our own people were asking Mindszenty questions about his imprisonment, all of which he refused to answer.
The
primate finally declared that it is not opportune to remember the
-128-
past,
and he isn't prepared to inflame public opinion against the
political police. Then Vince related the story of his own patrol which yesterday went hunting after political policemen terrified of being lynched by the people they had tortured for more than a decade. In a deserted alley in Buda, Vince's patrol found two political policemen and shoved them into a car.
At the end of the alley a
crowd began to gather; and shouting and threatening, Vince and his friends raised their guns to protect the prisoners from the crowd and managed to get them to prison alive. I an said that near
the
airport this morn1.ng the Magyar
traffic-control troops found a dead political policeman runway.
near the
The salary-stub in his pocket revealed that his monthly
pay was fifteen times greater than their own -- a fact which didn't go down well at all.
Under these circumstances the moderate be-
haviour of the people is truly astonishing,
declared Ian.
On
Kossuth Square a few days ago, someone recognized a former political policeman dressed in civilian clothing. kill him!" rule!"
That was voted down with:
The call came, "Let's
"We will not have a mob
The people decided to hand him over to the authorities.
Vince came up with another story about a political policeman discovered by a crowd ready to take the law into its own hands. When a group of freedom-fighters realized that he was a Jew, it came to his defense, declaring that not even a hint of anti-semitism was allowed by their high command.
Vince concludes that consider-
ing so many Jews were among the Stalinist repressors,
-129-
including
all the top leaders imported from Moscow, these incidents clearly show the freedom fighters are zealous about guarding the reputation of the revolution. Undeterred Ian continues to harp about the forthcoming Russian double-cross.
"I have a sixth sense about these things.
today that Suslov and Mikoyan are back in Budapest."
I heard
I told him
that the Guild got word that these two emissaries put their stamp of approval on the new coalition government and agreed to put the relations between the Kremlin and its neighbors on a new basis and even agreed to discuss the complete withdrawal of all Russian troops. To Ian this
1S
conclusive proof that the Russians are speak-
ing with what he calls a "forked tongue" -- an expression he says he learned in Colorado.
He says that for this very reason the
cabinet is currently debating whether or not to withdraw from the Warsaw pact.
Even the Communist ministers realize that Russian
troops pouring into our land clearly violate the Warsaw pact.
The
concensus calls for a neutral Magyarland and demands Nagy protest to the two top Kremlin men. member,
Ian heard from a senior Union Party
(yes, the party is now allowed to come back into the open! )
that Suslov and Mikoyan had assured the Prime Minister that the Russian troop movements are routine,
involving minor units; and
they are being carried out purely for the maintenance of order. This further convinced Ian of Russian duplicity. We are both tired.
In our tent we listen to the radio which
announces the departure of our Olympic team.
-130-
The athletes remove
the hammer and sickle emblem from their uniforms and are more concerned about what is happening here than what would happen in Australia. I
sense that Ian is going through an emotional ferment he
won't discuss.
He laments the thin veneer of his faith.
pray, he prays for more faith. and phrases.
When we
He says his head is full of words
He says he feels the need to write one more great
poem in which he will celebrate victory in defeat and triumph in disaster. "You know what I read in the Bible the other day?" whispered Ian in bed. quired;
"Everyone to whom much is given, of him much is re-
and of him to whom men commit much, they will demand the
more." I kept silent; I knew my Ian well. "That's the origin of noblesse oblige," he continued after a pause.
He turned over in the bed then added,
"Passion for perfection
Pursui t of purity ...
as in a trance, II
"I have an oriental answer for your restless quest," I whispered back. "My love,
you always
"
A moment later I continued very
quietly, with slow emphasis: "It's from the Brihado-aranyaka Upanishad:
From the unreal lead me to the real! From darkness lead me to light! From death lead me to immortality! ]
-131-
202.
November I, Thursday, Moscow. The Presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party was called into an emergency meeting at 2 a.m. This top ruling body of the Russian empire, ln other times known as the Politburo, had only a superficial resemblance to any similar organization elsewhere.
It was a nest of vipers.
Per-
sonal friendships as we understand them and loyalties were nonexistent.
It ruled by fear and hatred, not love and respect.
The
volatile relationship between its members, the most predatory and talented opportunists on this planet, was based on mutual suspicion and self-interest.
They were constantly shifting,
position, not unlike Hitler's inner circle.
jockeying for
It lorded over three
hundred-million slaves with a mixture of bloody terror,
random
violence, and cynical exploitation. It attests to the strength of the Russian and other captive peoples that they survived such a band of cold-blooded murderers and insane monsters. members
since its institution in 1919, the Politburo's
crushed over thirty million human bodies,
comfortably
surpassing, possibly more than tripling, Hitler's unenviable record of genocide.
Such government nurtured an extraordinary instinct
for survival on the top.
Since the outbreak of the revolts in
Poland and Magyarland, the Presidium had held frequent sessions, arguing endlessly for and against military intervention.
-132-
Now the eleven full members of the Presidium quickly filled the large dreary conference room dominated by a large dark table and dark chairs.
The
first
to
arrive was Marshal Kliment E.
Voroshilov, covered with vain glory, imbued with ineptitude, blessed with persistent good fortune. non-enti ty,
but a useful figurehead,
early days of Bolshevism.
and
At seventy-five, he was a a surviving relic of the
He was Stalin's whipping boy, his drunken
drinking companion, and his target of suspicion as an English spy. Three years earlier Voroshilov had become chairman of this board of the vipers.
He was also titular president of the Soviet union.
He was accompanied by a man nine years his junior, the vicechairman Lazar M.
Kaganovich,
a
ablest administrator in the land.
Ukrainian Jew,
reportedly the
He had distinguished himself as
one of Stalin's top executioners, exterminating the kulaks in the Ukraine and in Siberia and liquidating trade-unionists. This pair was followed by Marshal Nikolai A. Bulganin, sixtyone, prime minister, apparatchik par excellence (as he was a shade less bloodthirsty than his colleagues,
a useful compromise man).
Behind him came Vyacheslav M. Molotov who during his sixty-six years had been called the "best filing clerk in Russia" (by Lenin), "a mediocrity incarnate" (by Trotsky), a "hammer" (the word molotov means hammer in Russian) to Stalin's steel (and stalin means steel in Russian).
wi th Voroshilov,
he was the longest serving full
member (since 1930) and another able expert in liquidating opponents and practising terror; some Americans ironically referred to him as the Stonewall Jackson of Russia's foreign political campaigns.
-133-
This aloof man preceded Georgi (Yegor) M. Malenkov, stalin's heir apparent; colleagues,
and as he was more intelligent than most of his
and therefore more dangerous, he had been forced to
resign as premier a year earlier for being, explained,
"inexperienced. II
A pair
Maksim Zakharovich Saburov,
Mikhail
of
as it was carefully
technocrats
followed:
Georgievich Pervukhim,
at
fifty-two the youngest member of the Presidium. Last to come into the room was the troika the others were awaited.
First came veteran trade-specialist Anastas Ivanovich
Mikoyan, a wily Armenian and a quintessential survivor. Mikhail Andrej evich Suslov,
Then came
director of mass-deportations from
Lithuania, Moscow Center's ideological guru (a position the clubfooted Gobbels held in Hitler's court). the plane from Budapest.
He arrived straight off
Shepherding Mikoyan and Suslov was the
brilliant party boss Nikita Sergejevich Khrushchev, considered by some of his colleagues a loudmouthed peasant and hamhanded country bumkin who made his reputation as the Ukraine's bloodiest commissar. He had been Stalin's longtime servile courtier and his principal denigrator after his death.
His colleagues tolerated him temporarily
as their principal spokesman,
and it was he who dominated the
discussion on Magyarland. He asked for a report on Budapest.
Mikoyan and Suslov, primed
by Khrushchev on their way from the airport, minced no words: the Communist Party had disintegrated in Magyarland; the Magyar Army had turned on the Socialist comrades; the Red Army, and worst of
-134-
all,
the glorious Red Army showed unforgivable sympathies for the
small clique of counter-revolutionaries and returned emigres, led by naive and misguided "deviationists" (a fashionable epithet for uncooperative slaves).
At the mention of the Red Army, those who
were jealous of the constant demands on the national resources by insatiable generals looked in the direction of two marshals present, Voroshilov and Bulganin. liThe Magyars were always a stiff-necked, stubborn lot, Voroshilov,
II
growled
fingering the forest of decorative hardware on his
chest. II
Comrades ! II
said Khrushchev as he jumped up.
historic occasion.
"This
~s
an
We are faced with a crucial choice: should we
move our troops back to Budapest and crush the counter-revolutionaries, or should we wait and see whether the internal Socialist forces would liberate themselves and thwart the evil designs of reaction?" Kaganovich,
a veteran of twenty-six years as a full member,
who distrusted the upstart Khrushchev, twitched his moustache and asked, putting emphasis on every word he uttered, "Are we really faced with such a grave choice?" implying to the awareness of all present that such a pass would have been unthinkable in the good old days under Stalin. Khrushchev avoided enemy,
looking into the eyes of his longtime
but answered him resolutely:
II
If
we decide to let the
working class build itself up, which may take a lot of time, we risk that the counter-revolution would prevail.
-135-
Don't you agree,
Comrade
Suslov?"
As
the
most
junior
member --
he
had been
re-elected to the Presidium only in July of the previous year and he owed his rehabilitation to Khrushchev -- Suslov said what his protector expected him to say:
"There is serious danger, Comrades,
that the counterrevolution will prevail unless we corne to the aid of the Magyar working class in its gravest crisis." Molotov, the veteran hardliner, couldn't let pass this opportunity without taking a swipe at the peasant upstart.
Adjusting
his pince-nez, he talked slowly, partly to conceal his stammer and also to lend heavy sarcasm to his question:
"Has our mighty Soviet
corne to such a pass that a handful of emigres, revisionists, and reactionary elements pose a serious threat to us?" Khrushchev gave the old stuffed shirt and one-time bourgeois a withering glance:
"Do you suggest,
Comrade Scriabin," asked
Khrushchev with even heavier sarcasm (and by addressing Molotov by his father's name he implied none too subtly that his colleague was abandoning his role as Molotov, the hammer), "that we abandon our fraternal comrades in Budapest?" Bulganin, always ready to meditate, hastily interjected as he stroked his goatee:
"What if the Magyar working class might take
a fancy to the counter-revolution? Mikoyan and Suslov -- and I
Didn't we hear from Comrades
didn't hear any contradiction from
Comrade Marshal Voroshilov -- that the youth of Magyarland is especially susceptible to the blandishments of the capitalists?" "Comrades!
Members of the august Presidium!"
Khrushchev was
on his feet again, raising his voice as he went along.
-136-
"If we let
the counter-revolution succeed, NATO will take root in the midst of Socialist countries.
This would pose a serious threat to our
fraternal members in the Warsaw Pact. II IICzechoslovakia, Rumania, Bulgaria,
and Poland of course, II
seconded Suslov again. IINot to mention the Soviet Union itself, the gravest threat,1I screamed Khrushchev.
liThe NATO countries are already insinuating
themselves into this affair!
They are adding fuel to the flames
of the civil war in the hopes the gains of the revolution would be liquidated and capitalism restored in Magyarland. II IILet us remember, comrades,1I said Molotov slowly, lithe conclusion of the Austrian peace treaty last year. II
with the tone of
his voice he managed to put the blame on Khrushchev, by innuendo, who had allowed such a disaster to happen.
IIMagyarland, unlike
Poland, borders on a capitalist state and could join our capitalist enemies. II lilt would be inexcusable for us to stay neutral,1I Khrushchev went on, pounding the table.
IIWe must serve the goal of proletarian
solidarity! II The debate went on for hours, each member hoping to see the others make a compromising statement which might be used against them in some future showdown or make a mistake which could make them vulnerable.
Veteran survivors like Mikoyan and newcomers
like Mikhailov, Pervukhin and Saburov knew better than open their mouths, and so they let the others fight it out.
Khrushchev didn't
seem to tire pursuing his ardent wish, which was to teach the Magyars a lesson.
"Comrades!" he said.
"We have the great fortune that Suez is
rendering the Capitalists impotent!
We are witnesses to the process
which the all-wise Lenin has predicted, namely that the Capitalist countries are going to dig their own graves!
Suez is pitting
America against the English and the French capitalist adventurers! It would be unforgivable,
simply unforgivable if we didn't take
advantage of these favorable circumstances for assisting our comrades in Budapest!" Suslov spoke once agaln: " . .. and act quickly!" propose
a
"We have to act shouted Khrushchev.
He went on to
resolution to intervene with overwhelming forces in
Magyarland.
It was adopted unanimously.
Khrushchev didn't waste any time. Yakovlevich Malinovski, 1945.
"
He called on Marshal Rodion
the abductor of Wallenberg and I an in
Since February Malinovski had been commander-in-chief of
Russian Army Ground Forces. Ivan Stepanovich Knoev, states.
Khruschchev also called on Marshal
commander-in-chief of the Warsaw Pact
Malinovski and Knoev were two of Khrushchev's closest
military supporters, and they were candidate-members of the Presidium. "How much time would it take," asked Khrushchev, "if we instructed you to restore order in Magyarland, crush the counterrevolutionary forces and strike a blow at the imperialist camp?" The burly, rugged Malinovsky, the freshly minted First Deputy Minister of Defense, was his outspoken best: Khrushchev!"
-138-
"Three days, Comrade
IINo longer," seconded Konev. "Then start getting ready,
Comrade-Marshal Konev.
You'll
hear from us when it's time to begin!" hissed their boss. wi th the Presidium I s unanimous resolution supporting him, Khrushchev's panic subsided.
He set to the task of terminating
Magyarland's how of independence with a vengeance. liantly what Eisenhower failed to do.
He did bril-
He lined up support among
Russia's allies behind an historic decision.
He enlisted the help
of China, Poland, Rumania, even Yugoslavia.
In the next forty-
eight hours Presidium members had a busy meeting schedule and a lot of travelling to do.
A troika consisting of Molotov, Khrushchev
and Malenkov (the leaders of the various factions liked to keep an eye on each other) conferred with the Polish Communists.
Khrushchev
and Malenkov flew to Bucharest to confer not only with the Rumanians, but also with the Bulgarian and Czech Communists.
The administrators
of Russia's colonial dependencies were eager to support their masters from Moscow; after all, their necks would be first on the block should the Magyars win their independence.
The Communist
agents in the European colonies not only supported Moscow center's violence, but repeatedly urged speed of execution. In the end the Chinese fraternal comrades, struck by Eisenhower's indecision and hesitation, nearly threw a monkey-wrench into these frantic activities.
Khrushchev sensed that the Presidium's decision
papered over the deep cleavage within.
He was anxious to bolster
a decision which was crammed down everyone's throats by his forceful personality and by the major fraternal power-centers.
-139-
Should
something go wrong, he could then point to the fact that all good comrades, within and without the Kremlin, had supported the Presidium's decision.
Khrushchev played his Chinese card skillfully.
He knew the Chinese loved to gain face.
What better way to do
that then draw them into the decision-making process involving an act of historic importance.
The Chinese obliged Khrushchev.
En-lai, the Chinese Prime Minister, flew to Moscow,
then to Poland.
Chou
interrupted a trip to Burma,
For the first time in recorded
history, the Chinese were invited into Europe. The fateful die was cast.
203.
November 1, Thursday, Budapest. Ian spent most of the morning at the airport which was now closed to Magyar aircraft because it was ringed by Russian armor and troops. troops,
The Magyar Air Force was ready to engage the Russian
a willingness countermanded by the government with the
explanation that now is the time to lI
II
await ll the departure of the Russians.
ma intain discipline ll and to Later Ian learned that the
Russian embassy announced that the Magyar airfields had been surrounded by Russian armed forces to secure the evacuation by air of Russian troops and their families stationed in Magyarland. Fearing the worst,
Ian dashed back to Maria's office.
She
had just finished preparing a message by the writers Guild as
-140-
today was Memorial Day: tion!
[All honor to the dead of the revolu-
The Magyar writers took part in preparing the revolution.
Now it is their duty to guard over the honor of this revolution ... We calIon everyone to hand over the guilty without harming them to National Guard and Army patrols. of us. on this.
Personal revenge is not worthy
We are convinced the Magyar people agree with us writers The whole world is watching us and recognizes the honor
of the revolution.
It should not be stained. ]
It was no longer possible to conceal from the public that Russian troops are pouring into Magyarland.
When he finished
reading Maria's handiwork Ian could no longer surpress his sadness. "One report alone," he said to Maria, "mentions eight hundred and fifty Russian tanks in a single concentration in the East, near Miskolc.
Can we call that a withdrawal? II
IIWhat about world opinion?1I asked a writer who had just joined them. liThe Russians are just not going to accept defeat, II said Ian almost in a whisper. II All the Russians are doing, II argued Maria,
II is to prevent
the revolution from going completely against them. II II ... by bringing in more and more tanks and troops?1I asked Ian with understated irony. "Those are nothing more than reinforcements.
Did you hear
what Moscow radio announced in its Magyar broadcast?1I asked a writer.
-141-
"Do you believe whatever is broadcast from there?" asked Ian. "What you said is important," replied the editor vehemently. "We just got the text a few minutes ago. you:
Listen to this, both of
[ How many times did we have to listen to the cynical words
of bourgeois propaganda in connection with the events in Magyarland, to the dirty anti-Soviet attacks.
The Soviet Union respects
the sovereignty of other nations in the spirit of Lenin.
Nothing
is further from Soviet intentions than forcing its will on Magyarland and
interfering in its internal affairs.]
That I s clear
enough. " Exactly at the same time Yuri Andropov, the Russian ambassador, repeated exactly the same words to the Magyar cabinet when he was summoned to give an explanation for the Russian troop movements.
Andropov,
the veteran Russian secret police operative,
effortlessly played it cool and spoke smoothly with his forked tongue:
"No Soviet troops have arrived in Magyarland," he de-
clared to the extraordinary session of the cabinet he was invited to attend.
"Only a few police units and a few of the secret police
are involved." "A column consisting of over one thousand tanks could hardly be called a police force," Prime Minister Nagy shot back. "We only want to make sure that the withdrawal of Soviet troops takes place 1n an orderly fashion.
The police units have
been handpicked to stiffen the morale of our troops." The cabinet remained unconvinced and demanded an answer within one hour.
Before noon Andropov telephoned.
-142-
"The Soviet government," he said, "stands by its declarations yesterday that it is pulling out its troops and is willing to discuss the renegotiation of the Warsaw Pact." "Are you willing to give a solemn declaration that no fresh troops have crossed the Magyar border? II asked Nagy. "No," replied Andropov. 111'11 go into the streets," shouted Kadar, the new boss of the Magyar Communists. your tanks!"
"I'll fight with my bare hands against
The new local agent of the Kremlin was as much of a
master of deception as his boss Andropov.
The tragi-comedy at
Schloss Klesheim at Salzburg where Hitler and his entourage had trapped the Magyar leadership in March twelve years earlier while German troops invaded Magyarland was dramatically re-enacted.
The
revival had more audacity and less subtlety than the original play of 1944.
While the new agents of subversion and treachery played
their alloted parts in the Parliament building in Budapest, the Russian troops tightened their noose on Magyarland. The Prime Minister in 1956 had a slight advantage over the Regent in 1944.
He was in direct contact with the teleprinter
operators at the United Nations in New York.
At 3:26 p.m. upon
recelvlng final proof of the Russian invasion, Nagy instructed the operators of the foreign ministry to get in touch with teleprinter "MNY055 11 immediately. IIUni ted Nations, printer BP679.
New York ...
are you there? II
asked tele-
"Yes," here.
replied the transatlantic operator.
"We are still
Who are you?" "Diplomac Budapest."
It was 10:26 a.m.
in New York.
The
direct connection was made possible by a telex landline from Budapest to Vienna, and by wireless from there to New York. While this was going on in New York, Maria and Ian in Budapest talked to a Magyar reporter who had seen Suslov and Mikoyan earlier in the day.
Ian had an even harder time remaining calm than he
had in the morning.
Earlier today he had visited the U.S. and
British military attaches trying to convince them that his observers,
who had reported massive Russian troop movements into
Magyarland,
were reliable beyond question.
The Western profes-
sional intelligence operatives had been, according to Ian, unconvinced.
In Ian's mind their attitude was even more dangerous than
Andropov's and Kadar's.
He maintained that the Kremlin operatives
acted professionally, the Westerners stupidly. What Ian didn't know was that the British apparatnik in Budapest was Pogo's man, acting professionally as a good Kremlin-trained apparatnik should.
That was the reason why he ignored not only
Ian's report,
but also the broadcast of Radio Free Miskolc at
8: 25 p.m.
evening before:
the
[Dear listeners!
We were the
first with the news about Marshal Zhukov's order to withdraw.
Now
we are the first to report that the Russian Army is carrying out operations on the border, which amount to nothing more than going around in circles. ]
Ian's outburst in Maria's office was interrupted by an excited reporter. "I went to the party's offices at Academy street to interview Kadar, the new boss." "What paper did you represent?" asked Ian. "The Truth, the newspaper of the Magyar youth and army organizations," he replied proudly.
"I was in the waiting room, which
was decorated with impressive marble pillars.
The chairs were
occupied by men dressed in blue topcoats and Russian fur-caps; Kadar's secretary asked me to be patient because her boss was busy wi th an important meeting. " "Did you find out what the meeting was about?" asked Ian. "Yes.
I asked a party man I knew who told me:
'He is with
Mikoyan and suslov discussing Russian troop movements.' Prime Minister Nagy left.
His face was gloomy.
First
Then Suslov, his
face smiling, followed by Mikoyan ... You know, he is not as dark as in his photographs.
His hair and moustache are graying ...
They both wore navy blue top coats like their guards." "Birds of a feather," murmured I an. "I stood near the entrance," continued the Magyar enthusiastically.
"The Kremlin pair shook hands with me.
1n a sense. ment.
We were equals
I represent the Magyar press, they the Russian govern-
Then they went downstairs,
got into an armored car and,
escorted by several other armored cars, headed for the airport. By now they must be on their way back home! "
-145-
Another writer came up to Ian and Maria.
"Cardinal Mindszenty
will be on the air in a moment!" Everybody clustered around the radio in the office: [ After my long captivity, the Magyar homeland.
I speak to all the children of
I harbor no hate against anyone in my heart.
This fight for freedom is unique in the history of the world. youth deserves all the glory.
Our
Thanks and prayer for the sacrifices.
Together our army, our working men, and our country folk are shining examples of patriotism. tremely grave.
The most basic requirements for living have been
absent for days. priority.
The situation of the country is ex-
We have to find a renewal.
I'm briefed now,
It's an urgent
and I'll deliver an address to the
nation within a couple of days. ] "He talked to all of his children," exclaimed Maria. "I harbor no hate!" said Ian quoting the prelate. At 6:56 p.m. the radio announced the prime minister: of Magyarland!
[People
The Magyar National Government, expressing the
will of millions of Magyars declares the neutrality of the Magyar People's Republic.
The Magyar people wish to live in true friend-
ship and in the spirit of the united Nations charter with Russia and all the peoples of the world ...
In this decision all our
people are united as perhaps never before in history. ] Kadar, the Kremlin's man, spoke next. "In a glorious uprising our people have shaken off "I don't want to listen ... " said Ian. "Please, be patient," Maria countered.
-146-
"
Kadar proceeded to claim credit for the Communist Party for the revolution.
"We can safely say that those who prepared this
uprising were recruited from our ranks ...
The grave and alarming
danger exists that armed foreign intervention may bring to our country the fate of Korea.
We must eliminate the nests of counter-
revolution." II
Shame on him!
II
shouted I an.
"Not a word about our neutrality
and our abrogation of the Warsaw Pact!
II
A few hours later Kadar left the cabinet meeting with the Secretary of the Interior, ostensibly for a "dinner engagement.
II
The two cabinet members got out of the limousine near the Russian embassy, their chaffeur reported on his return, and left in another car which was waiting for them. The noose of armor around the capital was reinforced with a second noose, the noose of deception that day. that of treachery was about to be tightened too. taking no chances.
The third noose, The Kremlin was
The hanging was being prepared in triplicate.
204.
November 1, Thursday, New York. The lynching party was organized for all humanity to see. But the united Nations and the U.S. Marines did not come to the rescue.
-147-
The call for rescue arrived at precisely 12:21 p.m., immediately after Nagy's broadcast.
It was addressed in English to the
secretary General of the united Nations and signed by Prime Minister Nagy: [ Reliable reports have reached the government of the Magyar People's Republic that further Russian troops are entering into Magyarland. ambassador,
The undersigned summoned Mr. Andropov,
the Russian
and expressed his strongest protest against the entry
of further Russian troops into Magyarland.
He demanded the instant
and immediate withdrawal of these Russian forces. He informed the Russian ambassador that the Magyar government immediately repudiates the Warsaw treaty and,
at the same time,
declares Magyarland's neutrality, turns to the united Nations and requests the help of the great powers in defending the country's neutrality. Therefore,
I request your excellency promptly to put on the
agenda of the forthcoming general assembly of the united Nations the question of Magyarland's neutrality and the defense of this neutrali ty by the four great powers.
II
Imre Nagy, President of the Council of Ministers of the Magyar People's Republic and Minister of Foreign Affairs. 1100
you received, please?1I ] -- this was the only grammatical
error in the entire transmission.
-148-
The
united Nations
teleprinters
replied:
"Received well
thanks very much 12:27 p.m. eastern standard time, united Nations, New York."
The teleprinters immediately recognized the extraor-
dinary nature of this message.
Governments usually did not com-
municate with the Secretary General directly -- only indirectly through their own united Nations delegations.
The teleprinters
sent the telex to the secretary general's office by special messenger.
It arrived there exactly eight minutes later.
Suez was on everyone's minds.
And lunch.
The wire services in Europe heard the Prime Minister's broadcast and checked with the Secretary General's office. No, the appeal has not been received, was the reply. After
repeated requests,
the united Nation's
press
chief
personally went over to the Secretary General's office and managed to dig out the telex and summoned an emergency press conference at 2:00 p.m.
Half an hour later the mimeographed appeal of Nagy was
circulated and buried into the delegates bulging "in-trays."
It
was not marked "urgent" and was unseen by most recipients until the evening at the earliest. Tibor learned about Nagy's appeal in the afternoon and rushed from his apartment to the united Nations.
within one-half hour he
was conferring with Dr. Emilio Nunes-Portuondo, the Cuban ambassador.
Four years earlier the two had shared a platform at a meet-
ing denouncing the Russian occupation of half of Europe, and they had become good friends. l
,
-149-
"As you know my two sons are in Europe," Tibor reported. "The text the press chief released less than an hour ago confirms everything the boys have been telling me for days!" An hour later Emilio conferred again with his Magyar friend. "Tibor, I don't have any luck with the other delegates." "Don't they have the copy of the telex?" "Yes -- in their 'in-trays.'
Many didn't even have a chance
to read it." "What did happen after
"
"The general feeling is that there are only troop movements in Magyarland. settle Suez.
In Egypt bullets are flying right now.
Let's
After that we can deal with Magyarland. "
"That may be days!
In the meantime my country will be crushed."
"I tried to tell that to many an African,
Arab and Asian
delegate." "And ... ?" "They are after the blood of the two colonial powers, England and France.
I was told bluntly everything else was a colonial
plot to divert attention from the criminals at Suez!" The General Assembly met before five -- to discuss Suez. Then the bureaucratic fandango began in earnest.
Some delegates
maintained that the topic was Suez; therefore, Budapest could not legally be discussed. Emilio disagreed.
"This would be the first special session
ever held under the 'uniting for Peace' procedure dating back to Korea," he argued.
"We have no precedents at all!
-150-
We are going
to make our own.
Let us make the right ones.
Once we are in
session, we are our masters and could, if we so desire, put anything on the agenda.
All we need is a two-thirds vote! II
Not so, argued some of the other delegates. pest is on the Security Council's agenda,
As long as Buda-
the Assembly cannot
legally take it up. Emilio was not discouraged. of the Security Council.
III am one of the eleven members
I'll introduce a resolution tonight.
Let the Russians veto it.
We'll transfer Budapest over to the
Assembly! II Not so argued some other delegates. referred to the II forthcoming assembly. II due to meet on the twelfth. last night.
The telex from Budapest The regular session was
The special session was called only
How could the cabinet in faraway Budapest know about
it? Emilio was still not discouraged:
liDo you think Magyars wish
to wait eleven days when new Russian troops are pouring into that ,
j
country by the hour? broadcasts?
Do you think Budapest is not tuned into our
Don't you think that Nagy knew about the special
session as soon as we did?1I The delegates remained unconvinced.
IIProve it!1I
IILet the Secretary General call Budapest.
That would clear
up everything immediately. II The Secretary General had other ideas.
About this time he
marked down in his personal diary a quote from the Old Testament:
-151-
[ Be still before the Lord ... Fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way, Over a man who carries out evil devices. ]
He took the psalmist's advice literally and didn't fret about Budapest and didn't even bother to acknowledge Nagy's cry for help until 1:05 a.m. - twelve hours later. The Russians didn't waste any time during those twelve hours. The telex landline was cut between Budapest and Vienna.
The united
Nations' acknowledgment of Nagy's appeal was sent to switzerland for onward transmission to Magyarland.
How it was sent was not
the Secretary General's concern. Neither was the telex addressed to him which arrived eighteen minutes after Budapest's formal appeal, at 12:45 p.m., more than twelve hours earlier and before the telex landline was cut off: "I have the honor to inform you that Mr. Janos Szabo, first secretary of the permanent mission, will represent the Magyar Peoples' Republic at the special session of the general assembly of the united Nations to be convened on November 1, 1956 in New York."
Pogo's colleagues at the United Nations had worked efficiently. The telex was filed under "administrative matters."
More than
twenty-four hours later, the Assistant Secretary General assured the Security Council that no such message had been received. "He is lying," shouted Tibor in exasperation. the Italian ambassador.
-152-
He contacted
His appeal fell on friendly ears:
I!
I can't imagine, Your
Excellency,l! he told Tibor, "that this night will pale into a new day without a gesture of help to your country! But the Italian,
I!
like the Cubans before him, quickly found
himself in a quagmire of bureaucracy and sabotage. settle for raising a point of order.
He had to
Only then was he able to
mention the urgency of Magyarland's appeal. Neither the Secretary General nor the United States ambassador to the United Nations mentioned Budapest even once throughout the evening's debate.
Both approved of the Italian's point of
order, but refused to press for any action that night.
-153-
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE FRIENDSHIP WITH ALL
[ If a great country gives way to a smaller country it will conquer the smaller country, and if a small country submits to a great country it can conquer the great country. Lao Tsu We are the enemies of no one. We want to live in friendship with all the people and all the countries. Cardinal Mindszenty so rah-rah-rah democracy let's all be thankful as hell and bury the statue of liberty (because it begins to sm~ll). e.e. cummings ]
205.
November 2, Friday, Budapest. The Writers Guild offices were jammed with foreign correspondents, radio announcers, media representatives from allover the world.
Maria was barely able to make her way to her desk.
had become headline news everywhere.
-154-
Budapest
The new issue of the Guild's Literary Gazette, with poems and articles praising youth, being published today.
freedom,
the future and rebirth, was
One poem consisted of a single sentence,
described tyranny from cradle to grave: how it envelops one, seeps into one,
into the poet's beat,
the painter's brush.
Another
contribution reflected on the dictator who is lying downtrodden in the snow,
at no loss to the world.
An
article concluded:
many deaths I've seen in the last few days!
I died many times
myself, in my soul, and each time I was reborn. for certain.
I am Magyar.
A
Magyar who,
1150
I know one thing
l.n these lethal and
electric days, may collapse one hundred times but will get up again the one hundred and first because there are things awaiting me: a sacred duty, an unbarterable mission.
Another ode, entitled
IILet Our Bleeding People be Happy at Last and Free, II prayed for a better future. The phone rang on Maria's desk.
Kelemen, the Potockis' old
major-domo and Maria's protector in the post-war years, was calling from Miskolc. IITereza is dead, II he cried. IIWhat ... ?II asked Maria, stunned. II A Russian tank ran her over ... II II When?
Where? II
IIYesterday.1I women told me ... back ... The women
Kelemen was barely able to continue. I wasn't there ... II
II ... What about the women?1I
-155-
liThe
The Russian tanks came
The women went up to the tanks, beseeching:
" back! she run
Please go home!'
is
called Maria,
'Don't come
Tereza and another woman ... you know ... too ...
the grocer's wife ...
were ...
over ... " Aimlessly holding the receiver in her hand long after the
line had disconnected, Maria, with tears in her eyes, was seeing only Tereza's gentle face and shy, expressive eyes. "This can't be true!" she cried out.
Paul Ignotus and several
reporters around her desk turned toward her.
She told them the
news from Miskolc. "It's true," murmured John MacCormac of the New York Times. "Henry Giniger, my colleague in Miskolc, has just reported ... " Maria had no time for more tears.
She got busy with the
writers Guild's other major project for the day; namely, collecting money for the widows and orphans of the fallen. morning she placed several collection boxes,
During the
uncovered,
around
some of the major crossroads of Budapest, putting a bank note of a thousand dollars in each, campaign.
a gift of the writers to kick off the
A note was pinned on all the boxes:
"The purity of the
Revolution allows us to use this method of collection for the families of the martyrs. them there unguarded.
The Magyar writers Guild."
She left
Jozsi picked them up in the afternoon: in a
few hours the people had donated one hundred ten thousand florins. Back at the Literary Gazette offices a message was waiting for Maria.
Ian had called: all morning he would be at the railway
station, where tons of aid packages sent from allover the world
-156-
were being unloaded.
Whe she returned,
London Observer invited her for lunch.
Louis Lederer of the
The two talked about the
Revolution and Ian's preoccupation with it. " . .. I'll be happy to testify, It Louis said,
Itthat this is
turning out to be the most idealistic revolution I know of." "That's just one reason, It replied the gentle man from London. ItAnd I saw a list left by freedom fighters in a shop of what they had taken and the cash which they had estimated was due for it. But what I admire the most are the poems.
Have you seen them?
Pinned on walls in the poets' own handwriting?
I remember one
well. [ You are heroes But not the heroes of our songs of the past We have no word for you yet We shall not rest until we have found the word! ] ItHave you seen this one?1t asked Maria.
ItIt's short, too:
[ Every minute a hero dies But every minute a new one 1S born. ] "And there is not even a whisper of anti-semitism!" Louis went on.
itA Jewish friend of mine told me yesterday,
no distinctions any more by class or religion. together.
'We Magyars have We are all in this
It was worth living for to get this far.
and I have a lot of sad memor1es.
I'm a Jew,
But for the first time I feel
proud to be a Magyar! ' It "Yes, this morning the rabbis of Budapest and the revolutionary committee of the Jewish community appealed to Jewish organizations abroad for help. It -157-
"Basil Davidson of New statesman -- that's an English paper, my dear --" explained Louis, "told me a Magyar general gave sharp orders this morning to intervene at Republic Square when he heard about the anger of a few people in the crowd there who had recognized a political policeman.
And Marian Bielicki, a Polich corres-
pondent, told me the other day about her visit to a camp where these policemen are kept.
Apparently, most of them have no grudge
against the freedom fighters.
The fact is that more than one owes
his life to them." "Compare those attitudes with an interesting tidbit I picked up earlier," said Louis, bending closer to Maria.
"Andropov sent
a message to the prime minister --listen to this, you won't believe it!
'A mob is threatening my embassy,'
government can't keep order,
he said.
'And if the
I'll call in the Russian troops.'
The prime minister immediately sent General Kiraly, the commander of the Budapest garrison,
to the Russian embassy,
this ... you won't believe this either
and listen to
"
"I will," said Maria smiling. " ... the Magyar general couldn't find a single demonstrator ... Sorry, Maria, we have to break this off ...
We have to see what
Cardinal Mindszenty has to say at his press conference At his palace,
"
the Prince-Primate spoke in German with a
vibrant voice. "We appeal to the West today for political support in Magyarland's struggle against Russian domination and for gifts to relieve the suffering.
The Magyar people have a unanimous wish: that the
Russian troops leave our homeland." -158-
He addressed the press in his small,
almost bare,
study.
liThe poeple want to work for their own benefit and for the life o路f the nation ...
I'm deeply moved by the telegram I have received
from His Holiness, who sends his apostolic blessing. II "Are you confident about the future?" someone asked. "Naturally." "Are you going to be prJ.me minister and run the country now?" asked another reporter. II
I am the Primate,
II
he said stiffly.
"Are you taking over the leadership?" asked a third. "Please be good enough to leave me some peace."
He abruptly
left the room. When she returned to her desk, Maria found the text of General Maleter's press interview, broadcast the day before. He had opened the meeting with disclosures of new Russian troop movements.
liThe view of the Magyar Army,
II
the military
commander of the revolt and Deputy Minister for Defense had then said,
II
is that we want to live in friendship with all peoples. II
He had then declared his support for the new government, provided it fulfilled his promises to the people. "What negotiations has the government entered into up to now, with this end in sight?" a reporter from India had asked. "Deputy Prime Minister Tildy of the Union Party conferred yesterday with Politburo-member Mikoyan, who promised that those troops that are back in our homeland for purposes other than the maintenance of the Warsaw Treaty will be withdrawn from the country ... II -159-
"Does this mean,
II
a Polish journalist had added,
"that the
so-called Warsaw troops will remain?" "Out of the question,
II
the general had replied.
"Tildy has
informed Mikoyan that we shall repudiate that treaty in any event; and our government has demanded immediate negotiations about it.
II
"What will happen to those troops who are entering Magyarland now? II "Those we shall treat as falling outside the Warsaw Treaty. I must declare that we are mature enough to overlook, moment,
for the
the slow fulfillment of promises made by foreign leaders
to aid in our negotiations. new troops as provocation.
In the meantime we will look at these However, we shall not throw our arms
away until Magyarland has achieved victory and independence.
II
"Who really organized the revolt?" a Swiss newsman had questioned. "Nobody. tranquili ty,
The revolution broke out because we wanted peace, freedom,
and independence and because the foreign
occupiers responded to these reasonable requests with fire. the start, unarmed,
independent groups faced the intruders.
At They
are no longer unarmed: Magyar youths now make their own weapons. General Maleter had gone on to display one such weapon.
II
It
was a regular siphon bottle with two fifteen-centimeter ribbons of cloth hanging from the top.
If gasoline were put in the bottle,
he had explained, it would saturate the ribbons. were set on fire,
Then, if they
he would have the very sort of hand-thrown
missile which had rendered so many Russian steel monsters harmless.
-160-
"Tell us something about your part in the battles,
II
a Yugoslav
reporter had asked. II
In the early hours of Wednesday the twenty-fourth,
I was
ordered to proceed with five tanks to the eighth and ninth districts in order to relieve the siege of the barracks there.
I
soon became aware that the besiegers were not bandits but loyal Magyars.
I
insurgents.
informed my minister that I would go over to the We have been side by side ever since.
We shall
continue the struggle until the last armed foreigner leaves our homeland.
II
Maria looked up from the text of General Maleter's broadcast to see Jozsi returning from his last round of collecting money from the boxes.
He was soon followed by Ian.
Maria told Ian about her lunch with Louis. "I talked to General Kiraly, you what happened with Andropov.
II
Ian announced.
"Let me tell
Kiraly proceeded to Hero's Plaza
near the Russian embassy; he had a squadron of tanks and a motorized infantry batallion.
He was immediately ushered into the office of
Yuri Andropov. "'1 have been personally ordered to check the rioting here,' he told the ambassador.
'But I
see no rioting.'
Andropov was
clearly embarrassed. II
'There have been reports of trouble,'
Kiraly.
'But it has stopped.
in your business. side.'
he managed to tell
We Russians dont' want to interfere
We understand your business, and we are on your
Then Andropov walked around his desk and said smoothly to
-161-
the general, 'Did you know that we have offered to negotiate with your government to move our troops out of Magyarland immediately? We want a meeting to arrange the details of the evacuation. ' II IIThat's wonderful news! II exclaimed Maria. IIPerhaps I'm wrong about the Russians after all, II added Ian with a smile.
IIThis afternoon I've seen the Union Party leaders,
old friends of Imre's. sented.
Tomorrow the new government will be pre-
Most of the cabinet ministers are not Communists.
We'll
be free at last. II Maria kissed Ian gently. IIYou'll see, everything will work out fine. II IIAt the Union Party I heard the best news yet. a town in the Lowlands near Transylvania. divisions arrived there. portedly announced. for it.' tinued,
It came from
Troops from two Russian
'We don't want to hurt you,' they re-
'We need some food, and we have money to pay
The most interesting thing about this event, II Ian conlIis that, before entering the town, the Russians stacked
their arms outside the city limits. II
206.
November 2, Friday, New York. Under the Warsaw agreement, the Russians had the II r ight ll to occupy Magyarland with three divisions.
-162-
The 17th Motorized Guards Division sealed the frontier with Austria; the 2nd Motorized Division surrounded a Magyar army corps in Transdanubia,
southwest of Budapest;
and the
92nd Armored
Division was poised over the lowlands east of the Danube.
They
were supplemented by numerous specialized troops, including smaller units stationed along the Transylvanian border.
The 2nd Division
was sent to Budapest to crush the revolt which had broken out on October 23rd.
A few days later it withdrew to avoid its own
annihilation. Simultaneously four more divisions,
including the 32nd and
34th Motorized Divisions, were mobilized in Rumania, Ruthenia, and the Ukraine.
As of today,
wi th seven divisions
the Kremlin
equipped with two
1S
poised in Magyarland
thousand
fi ve hundred
tanks. The headlines of the New York Times cover story greeting Manhattan was "Soviet Tanks Again Ring Budapest.
Nagy Defiant,
Appeals to U. N. " At the same time the Kremlin's disinformation composers were presenting a
top-tlight production.
Radio Moscow intoned the
overture: How many dirty charges have yet to be leveled against the Soviet Union in connection with the events in Magyarland?
The
Soviet government has faithfully followed Lenin's principle of respect for other nations' sovereignty and is far from even the thought of forcing its will on Magyarland or interfering in her national affairs! ]
-163-
simultaneously
Budapest's
Communist
Party
preparing an editorial for the next day's issue. began,
"We
approve of
Imre Nagy's
newspaper
was
Its editorial
declaration advocating the
neutrali ty of our country and the withdrawal of Russian troops from the country's entire territory." Arkady Sobolev, the Russian ambassador to the united Nations, was another instrument in the Kremlin's symphony of lies.
At the
Security council's debate he quoted a Russian release: "A report is being distributed by press agencies which says: 'Early today a government spokesman said that no new Soviet troops crossed the Russian-Magyar border during the night.'" who was a high-ranking KGB officer like Andropov, blandly "there are 'no facts,'
Sobolev,
then asserted
and there is no evidence to sub-
stantiate the allegations against Russia." Prime Minister Nagy, an old Communist himself, was not fooled by the symphony.
He,
appeals and protests.
too,
was busy,
To begin with,
sending off a barrage of three notes were addressed
to Yuri Andropov and other ranking diplomats in Budapest.
The
first proposed that "negotiations should begin without delay
"
and that Russian troops stationed in Magyarland should withdraw immediately.
The
second demanded that negotiations on Russian
withdrawal begin that very day in the Parliament building, and it named the Magyar delegates.
The third stated that "today, Novem-
ber second," new Russian units were crossing the frontier and that he was "urgently informing" the ambassadors stationed in Budapest as well as the Security Council about this latest military move.
-164-
These letters were reinforced by two appeals to the United Nations.
One had preceded them,
and an even more urgent one was
following: [ On the second of November, ] the prlme minister wrote to the Secretary General, [ further and more exact information reached our government about large Russian military units which have crossed our border, marching toward Budapest.
They are now occu-
pying railway lines, stations and safety equipment ...
The Magyar
government has deemed it necessary to inform the embassy of the USSR and all other diplomatic missions in Budapest about these steps directed against us. ] [ At the same time, ] the appeal continued,
[my government
has forwarded firm proposals on the withdrawal for these negotiations. ]
Nagy went on to [request your excellency to call upon
the great powers to recognize the neutrality of Magyarland and ask the Security Council to instruct the Russian and Magyar governments to start negotiations immediately. ] Tibor was quickly informed about this appeal.
He spent the
rest of the day at the united Nations building.
He even tried to
see Eleanor Roosevelt, but she wouldn't see him.
The three Western
nations decided on a short letter requesting an emergency session of the Security Council.
Tibor was dumbfounded that it took a
special messenger
hours
Council President.
several
to deliver the letter to the
He read the letter at 1 p.m. and then didn't
call a meeting together until 5 p.m.
-165-
But the tardiness was monitored with excitement in Budapest, where it was already late at night. action.
Surely it was the time for
The Russians would veto any action in the Council, but
certainly the General Assembly, if called into session, could deal with the emergency. The Secretary-General was, Suez
crlS1S,
of course,
still busy with the
so he delegated overseeing this new crisis to a
communist Under-Secretary General.
The Security Council immedi-
ately became bogged down in legalities about the rights of John Szabo, Magyarland's delegate.
Did he legally represent Magyarland?
If so, shouldn't he have the privilege of speaking? when should he speak?
And if so,
Before or after the regular members?
The Communist Under-Secretary General replied that he had only the Magyars'
word for Szabo's status.
"We have not yet
officially received in the secretariat any particular information on the credentials from the Magyar government itself."
Then his
non-Communist aide leaned over to whisper to his boss, who in turn blandly rose to correct himself:
III have just been informed that
a cable has been received from the Magyar government appointing John Szabo for the emergency session of the General Assembly.1I
He
neglected to mention that the cable had arrived more than a day earlier. Finally,
the U. S.
Ambassador rose to speak.
The council
chamber rang with flowery rhetorical tributes to Magyarland.
To
Tibor's consternation, he failed to introduce a resolution which, even if vetoed by Russia, could bring the matter to the General Assembly for action. -166-
The Council President suggested a new meeting three days hence.
Emilio, briefed by Tibor, protested.
The session was then
adjourned until 3 p.m. the next day. "Bocca grande!" cried Tibor when he got back to his apartment. Ann had never seen him this agitated before. let him speak.
As was her wont, she
Several Latin-American delegates and a few trusted
Magyar friends were expected to work out a strategy for the next day's session.
Ann quickly came up with her husband's favorite
drink, a Jack Daniel's on the rocks. "Bocca grande!" he repeated. "My dear, what happened?" she asked, when she realized Tibor needed a moment's respite before his guests arrived. "The bocca grande wouldn't even see me! II Tibor went on. took a sip out of the glass,
He
frowned and muttered something in
which Ann caught the word "disgrace. II
She
~ in ~ence
to Mrs. Roosevelt, the phrases IIshe kept me waiting half an hour ll and II I'm busy right now. " "You know,1I he finally said, "we didn't even get a resolution introduced. II
207.
November 3, Saturday, Budapest. "Not even a resolution?" echoed Ian in Budapest. glued to the radio at 3:00 in the morning.
-167-
He was
He had arrived at a
resolution himself which,
for
the
time being,
he was keeping
silent about. "Please let me go to Tereza' s funeral.
It'll be tomorrow,"
Maria whispered before falling asleep. Ian and Maria went to Vince's apartment early the next day. Jozsi slept there with Vince's children.
The rays of the winter
sun shone brightly through the lace curtains.
Vince, by nature
taciturn and withdrawn, entertained everyone during breakfast with the new revolutionary humor:
"Did you see the Russian propaganda
building over in Pest sporting a bid sign 'store for Rent'?
And
the three manequins in the department store window named after three fallen agents of Moscow?
... and Stalin Square with nothing
left but the bronze boots of the dictator's statute?" Joszi piped up proudly, "We call it Boot Square now." "I
still
announced Ian,
like the one
about the political police best,"
"which used to discourage more than three people
walking together in the streets." "Let's hear it!" the breakfasters chorused. "Proletarians of the world unite!
But not 1n groups of more
than three!" In the background the radio kept on broadcasting continuous bulletins and appeals.
The day before there had been appeals from
the National College Youth Association appealing for unity (it declared that in recent years all peasants had been made equal -equally poor), from the Union Party (announcing that it had joined the government),
and from the executive committee of the Trade
-168-
unions (announcing a meeting to discuss the economic and political situation).
The Ministry of Health had appealed for cleanliness
and the burning of trash; the Revolutional Committee of Customs officials had demanded the removal from government of persons associated with the previous terror; and the protestant bishops had asked overseas listeners for help. Education
had
announced
Finally, the Ministry of
the cessation of compulsory language
courses in Russian and the reintroduction of religious instruction. Today Ian, Maria and Vince were further pleased to hear that "according to information from the airport,
a message has been
received from Prague announcing that an aircraft had arrived there carrying sixteen united Nations delegates" and that Kodaly had "requested the Russian composers to plead with their government for the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Magyarland." After
the
excitement
spread allover the city,
about the United Nations
observers
not many paid much attention to the
broadcasting of three questions posed by one of the twenty-five dailies and the answers given by the Revolutionary Committee of the ministry of foreign affairs. "Is it true that the Magyar delegate at the united Nations, who behaved so disgracefully, Russian oil engineer.
was actually Leo Konduktorov,
a
II
"It is true that Peter Kos in reality is a Russian citizen and his name is Leo Konduktorov ... " Maria,
bending over to Ian,
whispered:
even speak Magyar! "
-169-
III
heard he can't
II
Is it true,1I continued the broadcast, IIthat Konduktorov
was given the new name of Dr. Peter Kos by the Magyar Ministry of Foreign Affairs?1I II It is true that the current leadership of the Ministry participated in the renaming of Konduktorov. II IIWhy is it that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not inform the nation of these facts?1I IIEven before the prime minister's announcement, the Revolutionary Committee had also prepared a proposal for the speedy removal of all Stalinist diplomats.
The necessary steps have
already been taken ... II The day before, Ian had managed to get hold of a car which belonged to a Communist functionary who had escaped to Russia, and today he took Maria and Jozsef to work in style.
He dropped Maria
off at the Writers Guild and then drove to Parliament Square, to the congressional office of the reborn Union Party. The Magyar-Russian committee on the withdrawal of Russian troops was already in session when Ian arrived.
The Magyars were
lead by General Maleter, the Russians by three-star General Malinin. Before noon,
the government was reorganized for the third
time since the outbreak of the revolution.
It reverted to the
make-up of twelve years earlier, with the defense portfolio allocated to a non-party member, General Maleter.
The purpose was to
increase his prestige with the Russians at the negotiating table. The news during the lunch break sounded promising to Ian. The Russians asked for the restoration of the Red Army monuments,
-170-
for the continued upkeep of Russian military cemeteries and for military honors accorded to the withdrawing of Russian troops. A telephone call after lunch confirmed that a Union Party leader had been elected by the city council as mayor of Budapest. The news seeping out of the conference room continued to be hopeful.
After the Magyars had accepted the three initial Russian
requests,
four more were presented:
first the Russian withdrawal
was to be accompanied by a Magyar government declaration that the departing troops
had not been occupation forces.
Second and
third: the Magyars were to restore all Russian memorials and pay compensation for losses suffered during the revolt and for Russian property left in the country.
Fourth: Magyarland was to become a
Finnish-style neutral nation leaning to the East, rather than an Austrian-style one leaning to the West. At 3: 00 p.m., speak to General
General Maleter left the conference room to Kiraly,
announced solemnly: Meanwhile,
the Budapest garrison commander.
He
"Everything is going well."
Ian was fascinated by the reports comlng in from
the countryside to the Union Party offices.
There were increasing
dialogues everywhere between Magyar civilians and Russian soldiers. Delegations were being sent to meet Russian troops approaching provincial cities in order to learn their intentions.
Reports
streamed in mostly from the south and the west, where so much of the Russian troop movements were taking place.
When the delega-
tions of two southern cities approached the Russian commanders with the request to avoid built-up areas because "the people are
-171-
1n a
turbulent state,"
the Russians
appeared surprised:
"We
thought we were going to have to fight Fascists and counterrevolutionaries. Then,
1I
when the Magyars,
explained the truth of the replied:
many of whom could speak Russian, situation,
the Russian commanders
"We I 11 never shoot at Magyar people. "
And a Union Party official who monitored the news from the radio stations allover the country came into Maria I s office, exclaiming excitedly, "A Russian batallion near Miskolc has handed over its arms to the civilian population.
The Russian officers
explained that the Russians do not wish to fight the Magyars!
II
A message followed with news from a small town in the south on the Danube:
after the Russian officers had learned what had
gone on before October 23rd, they promised not to open fire on the Magyars. The news from Pecs, the center of uran1um m1n1ng and railway lines near Szigetvar -- where Imre had counted Tonus and Ian had met Maria for the first time -- was also encouraging. officers told the town delegation: in your affairs ...
The Russian
"We do not wish to interfere
Our intentions are peaceful.
In confirmation of these details,
II
the local radio station
sent the following broadcast in Russian to the Russian troops: [ We Magyars do not wish to occupy other countries, and we do not wish to force a single nation to think and live as we do. Russians.
May you live as you wish.
We are Magyars.
with you: let us live as we wish in our small country.
-172-
You are
We plead We wish to
be your friends, sians!
and we wish to live in friendship with all Rus-
Our people have suffered enough already.
Please go home
and let us renew our lives in peace and quiet! ] At 6:00 p.m. the meeting with the Russians in the Parliament building broke up. Ian joined with the Union Party leaders and General Kiraly to listen to General Paul Maleter's report. "The Russians have agreed to withdraw all their troops," the general announced. Cheers greeted this news. "To avoid transportation bottlenecks," the general continued, "the Russians have proposed a phased withdrawal.
They claim that
they are not equipped for movement in the winter and ask us to be patient.
The withdrawal will begin on January fifteenth."
A murmur of disapproval rose in the room. "We made a counterproposal to set the date back a month and have the withdrawal begin on December fifteenth," Maleter continued. "What a Christmas present that would be!" exclaimed a peasant congressman from the Union Party. "The
agreement would solemnly declare," continued Maleter
wi th his report,
"that the Russian forces do not wish to attack
us; that they have come here only at our invitation; and that they leave with military honors." "We'll be happy to line up on the streets and wave them goodbye with flowers and cheers!" shouted a Union leader standing next to Ian.
-173-
"General Malinin pointed out that,
since the first meeting
was held at the Magyar Parliament building, the second should be held out of courtesy at Russian headquarters.
He added that he
had a direct telephone link to Moscow there, which might prove useful during our final negotiations.
We therefore agreed to meet
at the Russian field headquarters on Chepel Island tonight at 10: 00," concluded the hero of the revolution. "Uncle
Ede' s
old
stomping
grounds,"
murmured
I an.
"The
Russians mean business after all." "As long as there is a willingness to negotiate, there
1S
an
opportuni ty to find a solution," declared the new mayor. Ian left to pick up Maria and Jozsi. to set aside doubts and misgivings. early dinner," he suggested. radio set.
He decided it was time
"I '11 take you out for an
"Let's just make sure we're near a
I want to hear the primate's address to the nation."
"When will that be?" asked Maria. "At 9: 00," replied Ian. "Wonderful!" shoulted Jozsi, his eyes alight. nearly three hours!" happened before.
"That gives us
Three hours with his parents: that had never
His wound was quite healed, and he felt so happy
that he could have shouted for joy. At 9:00 p.m. precisely Radio BUdapest announced:
"Cardinal
Mindszenty, Archbishop of Esztergom and Prince Primate of Magyarland, will address the world and the Magyar people."
-174-
Ian, Maria and Jozsef -- his parents had picked him up at the hospi tal that evening -- were in Vince's apartment on citadel. The three listened to the broadcast. [ By the grace of God, imprisonment ... we
have
I am the same man as I was before my
There is no country which has suffered more than
during the
course
of our thousand-year long history.
Magyars struggle for their independence ceaselessly, mostly in the defense of Western countries ...
In the course of history this is
the first occasion that Magyarland has enjoyed the sympathy of all other civilized nations.
We are deeply moved by this ... ]
[ Even in our extremely grave situation, [ we hope we have no enemies,
] continued Mindszenty,
for we are the enemies of no one.
We want to live in friendship with all the peoples and all the countries. ] After greeting brothers close and far, the church leader came to the heart of the matter:
[Our future and our position now
depend on what the Russian Empire,
consisting of two hundred
million people, intends to do about its military forces within our borders.
Radio reports say this military force is increasing.
are neutral.
We
Has the idea ever occurred to the leaders of the
Russian Empire that we would respect the Russian people far more if they wouldn't oppress us? withdraw her armed forces soon
We sincerely hope that Russia will ]
"A good speech, isn't it?" said Maria in an undertone. "He's obviously prepared it with care after talking with his bishops and the political leaders," replied Ian.
-175-
Mindszenty appealed for the resumption of work, then went on: [ Now we need general elections,
free from abuses, in which all
parties can nominate candidates under international supervision. Personal revenge must be avoided ...
If events unfold decently
and according to prom1ses made, my task will be not to make any accusations ...
We put our trust in divine Providence. ]
"His excellency couldn't have
said it better,"
applauded
Vince, referring to Ian's father. "Let's go to sleep, my love.
I'm bone tired, and you must be
too," said Ian. As Maria followed him down the stairs to the "tent," she put her arms into his and remarked, "Your father would have been happy to hear Mindszenty talk.
II
But Ian was unable to go to sleep despite Maria's soft kisses, which rained on him like a spring shower.
She looked into his
eyes as she was facing him, lying on her left side. was encouragement enough for Ian to blurt out:
Her presence
"I'm trying to see
the sense in all of what's going on and what is going to happen ... I've been going back to the beginning, will
And do you know what?
clearly ...
I'm beginning to see it more
Yesterday, I read in the Gospel according to John the
words of the Saviour ... spirit ...
to di scern the divine
[That which is born of the spirit 1S
You must be born anew.
and you hear the sound of it. ] rest of the passage comes or whither it goes;
yes.
The wind blows where it wills, Now let me try to remember the
[But you do not know whence it
so it is with everyone born of the
-176-
spirit . ]
What
I
found out only yesterday was the fantastic
revelation in the footnote. ready for this?
In that chapter of John.
Are you
The same Greek word means both Wind and spirit!"
208.
November 3, Friday, New York. Tibor listened with mounting interest to what Imre had to say over the telephone.
It was 8:45 p.m. in Vienna, but only 2:45
p.m. in New York. "I'm glad I
finally got you, Papi!" shouted Imre over the
scratchy transatlantic connection. "We have a Security Council meeting coming up in fifteen minutes." "Our only hope!" said Imre.
"What I'm calling about
1S
to
let you know the Austrian frontier is sealed!" "Sealed you say?" "Tighter than a drum.
The Austrian envoy in Budapest visited
the prime minister earlier today,
announcing a closed zone along
the Austro-Magyar border." IlWhat for?" "To stop any Magyar emigres from entering Magyarland ... You know, Austria's neutrality must be protected. leave immediately."
So Feri was told to
Imre was referring to the former Union Party
prime minister who had gone into exile in 1947, the year Imre had fled Magyarland. -177-
"He was kicked out ... Now you see the wisdom of my staying here!
II
"I'm glad, Papi, that I took the trouble to get a visa in New York.
The real problem is that the Magyar side of the frontier is
sealed too
by the Russians.
II
"Are you sure?" "Absolutely ... here.
We can monitor many of the radio stations
One reports two hundred Russian tanks have crossed the
Magyar-Russian border.
Another report claims there are two more
columns of Russian tanks crossing our borders -- one column of three hundred and the other of three hundred and one. total of over eight hundred. report estimates
II
That's a
Imre went on rapidly: "Yet another
there are already eight Russian divisions in
place as of yesterday, more than twice the three permanent occupation divisions.
More Russians have arrived today!
Can't you do
anything? II liThe naivete, the indecision, the lack of leadership know Dulles is under the surgeon's knife right now.
II
"Yes, Under-Secretary Herbert Hoover, Jr. -- Ike
1S
in charge,
but the presidential elections are only three days away have to run ...
Thank you, dear Imre, for calling.
"Call me back as soon as you can, Papi!
you
I
II
II
Tibor arrived just in time to hear the delegate from Communist Yogoslavia ask for an adjournment of the Security council meeting,
arguing against interference
during the negotiations
which were going on between the Russians and the Magyars.
-178-
To Tibor's consternation,
the u.s.
ambassador seconded the
idea: "Adjournment for a day or two would give a real opportunity to the Magyar government to carry out its announced desire to arrange for an orderly and immediate evacuation of all Russian troops.
II
The Australian and British delegates didn't agree with the American's wishful thinking; France seconded the Australians and the British:
[We have not only the right but the duty to find
out whether the troop movements are not rather a regrouping of Russian forces so that they will be able to intervene with such suddenness as to make possible the establishment of a government to the liking of Russia. ] The new Magyar representative confirmed that negotiations were in fact going on. Now the Council's attention turned to the Russian delegate, who had become strangely and uncharacteristically reticent.
Only
after Ambassador Walker of Australia taunted him with the remark that lithe absence of any comment from him would be rather ominous,
II
did Sobolov rise to make one of the shortest speeches in united Nations'
history:
III
can confirm that such negotiations are in
progress." The French delegate was getting restless.
He wanted a vote
on the American resolution, which proposed that the United Nations [ affirm the right of the Magyar people to a government responsible to its national aspirations and dedicated to its independence and
-179-
well-being.
These rights and freedoms were guaranteed to Magyar-
land in the peace treaty signed in Paris on February 10, 1947. ] The President of the Council remarked that the session had to end soon because the General Assembly was due to meet at 8:00 p.m. to discuss the Suez crisis.
Several nations offered to split
their delegations so simultaneous meetings could be held.
The
u.S. ambassador didn't second the idea, and it was dropped. The President then suggested an adjournment without a vote on the resolution until Monday.
Tibor threw up his arms ln frustra-
tion when the u.S. ambassador didn't join in the protest.
Australia
suggested adjournment only until the next day because the situation in Magyarland was joined
desperate.
In the vote,
Iran to defeat Australia's motion
,After a quick dinner, Assembly.
the united States
for such a meeting.
the delegates walked over to the General
On the agenda was the Suez crisis, which was about to
be resolved by sending a united Nations peace-keeping contingent to Egypt. Thus the Kremlin, which had been keeping a certain number of troops in readiness to intervene at Suez, was now able to redeploy them in Magyarland. running,
As the engine of the war machinery was already
such a shift in gears was not only possible but also
convenient.
And so only time and nerve were needed for success.
Time was conveniently provided by a combination of deception on the part of the Kremlin and lack of nerve on the part of Washington; in other words, West.
by lies in the East and self-delusions in the
In the October-November 1956 poker game
the
stakes were
enormously high.
Each chip on the table represented the fate of a
million people.
That gaming table was stacked high with many
chips.
The united States, infinitely more powerful than Russia,
failed to call the Russian's bluff. at the table.
All the players were already
The bidding had reached a dramatic proportion.
Tibor stayed in his seat in the guest gallery as he watched the
delegates
file
into
the
chamber of the Security Council.
wiping a tear out of his eye, he said quietly: "God help us!"
It
was 6:55 p.m. New York time.
209.
"God help us,
II
General Paul Maleter said simultaneously in
the officers' mess of the Russian army headquarters, many thousands of kilometers removed in space from Tibor.
It was nearly 1:00
a.m., Central European time, Sunday, November 4th. Several guns were pointed in the direction of the two-metertall spare figure of the Magyar general. Was he remembering that critical hour on October 25th, only n1ne days before?
After an exchange of gun fire between his tanks
and the rabble he had been sent out to subdue, all arms had fallen silent. tank,
It had been about 1:00 p.m.
taken off his warrior helmet,
He had climbed out of his and gone to the telephone in
the barracks which the angry crowd had been besieging.
-181-
The barracks had been filled with captured and wounded rebels. He had begun to ask questions. younger than twenty, become
a rebel.
A wounded factory worker,
no
had explained to the general why he had
wi th increasing passion,
he had talked about
slave wages and long hours, about exploitations and suppression. And again and again about his dreams of liberty, about the hopes of the Magyar people. Forgetting his wound, growled in conclusion:
the worker had raised his arm and
"Even if you string me up and kill me, our
revolution is going to win!
Even you, general, are going to find
out sooner or later that the Russian orders making Magyar kill Magyar are insane." In the
curtain of dead silence,
everyone out of his office. down.
the general had ordered
He had paced up and down, up and
Then he had made a decision.
He had then stepped out to
shake hands with the "reactionary counter-revolutionary." A resounding cheer had greeted his gesture. Then he had called up his boss, the Minister of Defense, and made it official.
"I'm joining the freedom fighters."
Or was he now remembering the class in deception and subversion which,
as a good Communist officer, he had attended a few
years before?
Marshal Zhukov,
commander of the Russian armies
about to storm Berlin, himself about to be decorated by the United States and the British, had just invited sixteen leaders of the Polish Underground Army for a conference. March, the year 1945.
The month had been
The place, the Russian army headquarters in
-182-
;j..
..
", '::
!i".' -: CA' , u"d ~ -'
Poland.
The agenda,
as the highly decorated top general had put
it, had been talks "in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and confidence. "
Machiavellian bloody treason had flourished. The f Poles had been arrested and taken to Lubjianka prison in Moscow. Was General Maleter saying to himself as he stared into the gun barrels of the Russian security policement,
"I should have
known"? And the meeting had gone so well. correct,
then rather affable,
The Russians had been
even friendly.
punctually at the agreed hour, 10:00 p.m.
He had showed up
The Russians -- three-
star General Malinin, two-star General Stepano, one-star General Shchenbanin,
and
three
Maleter cordially.
other officers --
had greeted General
He had been accompanied by a minister of state
and two senior officers. recording secretaries.
Two men,
silent in mufti, had acted as
A corpulent, much-decorated Russian colonel
had mused about Lenin and his glorious principles of non-interference which were about to be put into practice in Magyarland with splendid consequences.
An hour had gone by.
Malinin had suggested Maleter call General Kiraly, the garrison commander of Budapest, on the hot line, just to let him know that "all is well." "Now I'll turn in ... good night's rest ...
Maler had overhead General Kiraly's aside: Tonight,
for the first time,
I'll have a
Don't wake me until nine."
At military headquarters, in the shadow of what had once been the Schwarz steel mills, the Russians had become positively cordial. They had wanted to know what, in the guests' minds, had been the
-183-
highlights of the revolt. account,
The Magyar general obliged them with an
and the Russians had in turn congratulated him on the
heroism of the Magyar freedom fighters. Another hour had gone by.
The Russians had politely sug-
gested that it was time for a break.
After midnight snacks, the
Magyars had had to listen to a long list, the locations of all the Russian war memorials the populace had destroyed during the revolution.
Their restoration was most important and urgent.
Even
more important were the military honors to be showered on the departing Russians.
Flowers,
by all means, and military bands.
Enthusiastic cheering from the Magyar comrades. General Maleter had had no difficulty in agreelng to these agreeable demands,
already agreed upon earlier.
Another hour had
gone by, and more.
He had attempted to sum up the Magyar position:
"We have learned the value of neutrality through the blood bath of two world wars.
Our burning wish is to rebuild our homeland our
own way, without interference
II
The door of the conference room had opened.
A junior Russian
officer had whispered something into the ear of the three-star general. The Magyar Prime Minister was on the line, calling from the Parliament building. "AII is well?" "Making progress, II
I
Maleter had replied.
want you to listen now to the Commander of the Budapest-
South District. to me.
II
What he is telling me is quite incomprehensible
II
-184-
The Magyar officer had repeated his report to Maleter.
II
Our
artillery positions are being approached by heavy Russian armored formations. there.
I estimate there are at least five hundred T-54's out
They have ignored our calls to stop.
"What the hell is going on,
II
comrades!
II
had turned to three-star General Malinin. are you trying to pull!
I
Red-faced, Maleter
"What kind of a stunt
just got a report about heavy tank
formations getting ready to attack Budapest!
II
The doors of the conference room had flown open, a squad of Russian security policemen tumbling in, guns at the deadly ready. Leading them had been Serov, the most feared man in Russia, the boss of all the Russian security forces, in person in mufti. Serov had called out: your kapiskas
lIyou, comrades, may leave.
We'll note in
(records) that you have performed your duty in a
satisfactory manner.
II
Malinin had gotten up. What had he seen in them?
Maleter had looked into his eyes.
A professional soldier's guilt perhaps?
The professional soldiers in the tanks rolled toward Budapest. The clatter of the advancing armor made a racket loud enough to wake up the entire city. The garrison commander, General Kiraly, was up at four and on the hot line to Prime Minister Nagy: Give me orders to defend ourselves! "No!
II
replied Nagy.
II
"Budapest is being invaded!
II
Absolutely not!
mistake ... "
-185-
There must be some
Delusion was not confined to the Security council delegates. II. ••
Calm down!
Ambassador Andropov is right next to me
standing here in my office!
He's telling me to keep calm.
must be a terrible mistake!
There
He's calling up Moscow right now.
Don't open fire under any circumstances!
II
When the garrison commander put down the receiver he shook his head with bewilderment.
He had heard a rumble in the back-
ground which had sounded like a terrifying, irrestible avalanche. At 4:24 a.m. the first Russian shot was fired.
It was fol-
lowed by an artillery barrage second only in ferocity and intensi ty to the one Marshal Zhukov had unleashed on Berlin in the final hours of the Nazi Empire eleven years earlier. cannons atomized the air.
The roar of
In a few hours, thousands of buildings,
forty-thousand apartments, were pulverized.
Thus was Magyarland
crucified on the cross of tyranny for the fourth time in twelve years. Then the tanks broke into the city, twenty-five hundred of them. General Kiraly had at his disposal eight tanks and fourhundred regular army soldiers. all
directions.
The Russian tanks swarmed in from
Dispersing in twos and threes along the main
avenues of the city,
they rumbled slowly on, spewing death and
destruction with cannons and machine guns. heart of the city, the Parliament building.
-186-
Soon they reached the
Kiraly was on the hot line again: pierced!
II
"0ur defenses have been
he reported to the Prime Minister.
liThe Russian tanks
will reach Parliament Square before long!" "No more reports please!" was the reply.
The line went dead.
The dawn broadcast of Radio Budapest was interrupted at 5:20 a.m. l
,
An excited voice said:
Attention!
Attention!
Prime
"Attention! Minister
Attention! Nagy will
Attention!
address
the
Magyar nation. II [ Today at dawn Russian troops have attacked our capital with the clear intention of overthrowing the legal Magyar government. Our troops are fighting.
The government is at the helm.
I am
notifying the people of our country and the world of this fact. The broadcast,
alternating with the national
repeated in British, Russian,
and French.
anthem,
] was
The announcement that
it had been sent to the united Nations followed. At 6:12 a.m. came another. [ Attention!
Attention!
The Magyar government appeals to
the officers and men of the Russian army not to shoot. avoid bloodshed! our friends!
Let us
The Russians are our friends and shall remain
]
Then, at 6:56 a.m.:
[This is the Magyar writers' Guild!
To
every writer in the world, to all the intelligentsia of the world! There is but little time!
You know the facts,
need to give a special report!
Help Magyarland!
that there is no Help our writers,
scientists, workers, peasants and our intelligentsia! ]
-187-
And finally at 7:24 a.m.:
[SOS!
SOS!
SOS! ]
Then Radio Free Budapest became silent.
210.
November 4th, Sunday, New York. When the first Russian gun was fired at 4:24 a.m. on Sunday in Budapest, it was only 10:24 p.m. Saturday in Manhattan. "Barbarity!" "Willfully ignoring the united Nations! II "Killing women and children!
II
"A hideous crime of aggression! II "A brutal, premeditated, armed attack!
II
This bouquet of oratorical skill filled the halls of the United Nations with the intensity of the Russian artillery which was torching Budapest at exactly the same time. Instantaneous verbal retaliation! Not at all. The Russian ambassador, so unassuming only a few hours earlier at the Security Council session, was unleashing his oratorical fire power at Britain, France, and Israel for their misdeeds in Suez. Half an hour after midnight, Tibor and a few of his Magyar friends entered the U.S. ambassador's office.
-188-
"His excellency is busy right now," he was told. When the Magyars became insistent, united Nations guards were summoned to remove them. At 3: 00
a. m.,
when Radio
Free Budapest had already been
silenced, the Assembly adjourned. Council went into session. ten to one.
Five minutes later the Security
The two-day-old resolution was passed
The Russians cast a veto but could not prevent the
Magyar "matter" from being voted over to the Assembly. The same day, in the afternoon, the Assembly met.
The united
states ambassador introduced a resolution calling upon the government of Russia to stop immediately -- "desist forthwith" was the diplomatic phrasing -- all armed attack on the Magyar people and to withdraw its forces without delay from Magyar territory. also called upon the
governments
It
of Russia and Magyarland to
permit United Nations observers to enter the country, move about in freedom there, and have their findings submitted to the united Nations.
The Assembly voted
fifty
against, with fifteen abstaining.
for
the
resolution,
Magyarland was not represented
at that meeting anymore than it had been in Budapest.
-189-
eight
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX A BLESSING
[ The world is ruled by letting things take their course; it cannot be ruled by interfering. Lao Tsu You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemies!' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Jesus the Christ How can you who are so holy suffer? All your past except its beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing. A Course in Miracles ]
211.
November 4, 1956, Budapest. The cardinal hitched up his cassock before he ascended the steps of the Parliament building. Only two hours earlier, 1n the dawn hours when the Russian divisions were creeping upon Budapest, he had received an urgent summons over the telephone from the Prime Minister.
A hostile
band of armor was gripping Budapest in an ever-tightening bank.
-190-
The time of illusions was over. left, was
These troops, there was no doubt
had no friendly intentions.
called.
Cardinal Mindszenty,
An emergency cabinet meeting the spiritual leader of the
nation, had been invited to attend. Budapest's appearance on that gray Sunday morning must have appeared as deja vu to the prince of the church.
The reimposition
of Russian rule resembled more and more the reimposition of German rule twelve years earlier.
In 1944 the Germans had twice occupied
Magyarland, first in the spring and then in the late fall. post war period,
Russia had twice invaded Magyarland,
In the
first 1n
1945, and now again in the late fall. In 1944, the Germans had set up an elaborate tragi-comedy at Schloss Klesheim to trap the Magyar leadership, and they had used L
,
deceit to lure the Magyars into Nazi territory.
Now the Russians
orchestrated an elaborate hoax to spring a trap for the leaders of the Magyar revolt, and they too used treachery to lure the Magyars into Red Army territory. Then and now the Magyars wished nothing more than disengagement from hostilities.
Playing on these hopes, Hitler had cajoled
the Magyars with the pretext that he wished to discuss the disengagement of Magyar troops from the Russian front, and now twelve years later the Russians explained they wished to negotiate the withdrawal of Russian troops from Magyarland. l
,
Then and now two
specialists in kidnapping and subversion were used to mastermind the double-cross and abduction.
In 1944 it was a German officer
called Skorzeny who arrived in Budapest disguised as a civilian.
-191-
This year he was a Russian secret police agent called Yuri Andropov who was posted to Budapest in the guise of a diplomat. Then and now the Magyar Prime Minister found refuge ln a foreign embassy.
Then and now he subsequently found himsel f a
prisoner. The cardinal looked up at the overcast early morning sky above the Parliament Square.
He didn't see any united Nations
paratroopers or united Nations planes bringing peace-keepers and observers to his tormented land, only Russian jets swooping down in support of the armored throng swarming on the ground. Mindszenty's arrival at the Parliament building was less than auspicious.
The venerable
structure was already guarded by a
small detachment of Russian tanks. He had with himself a priest fluent in Russian who sought out the commander of the armored troop. l
,
He carefully avoided any
reference to his eminent charge when he boldly addressed the officer:
"We have been asked to come here by the Magyar government. liThe Magyar government,
smile,
II
II
II
the Russian shot back with a sardonic
I have to tell you, is not in charge here.
I am!
II
and
with a magnanimous gesture he let the cardinal's car pass through the armed gate-keepers. Inside the building Mindszenty found panic and disorder.
The
Prime Minister had already left at 6 a.m. to seek refuge in the embassy of the Communist government of Tito. tuary it proved to be.
An illusionary sanc-
Secret police boss Serov in Moscow and
Communist top boss Tito in Belgrade, with the help of a rising
-192-
security police officer called Yuri Andropov, played a cat-andmouse game with Nagy for a few weeks.
The end play was the same
as ln 1944: the Magyar Prime Minister was handed over to the security forces. was
Uncle Geza became the prisoner of the Gestapo and
sent to Dachau.
Nagy became
a
Russian prisoner and was
murdered. Only three members of the cabinet were able to answer the summons for the emergency meeting now attended by the cardinal. One of them was a minister of state who was busy drafting the final appeal of the government. It was short and to the point: to
follow
an anti-Russian policy.
[Magyarland has no intention I
reject the slander that
fascist and anti-semitic actions have stained the glorious Magyar revolution.
The entire Magyar nation participated without class
or religious discrimination
]
[ My orders are to use all the weapons of passive resistance against the occupying power and its puppet government and not to consider them as legal authorities. ] [ ... It would be irresponsible on my part to allow the precious blood of Magyar youth to flow any longer.
The people of
Magyarland have sacrificed enough blood to show the world tenacious attachment to freedom and justice.
Now it is the turn of
the world powers ... ] [ I appeal to the great powers of the world for a wise and courageous decision ...
God preserve Magyarland! ]
-193-
Imre's old colleague,
the timid Reverend Tildy,
advocated
surrender. The provincial university professor turned Minister of state was fashioned out of tougher timber.
He refused to surrender.
After sending copies of his appeal to the key embassies in Budapest, he entrenched himself in his office with a machine-gun. heard to explain:
He was
"At least my resistance will prove to the world
that the Russians had to use force to take over. II After the appeal was unanimously approved, Mindszenty left the cabinet meeting in the company of his secretary.
The pair
reached the entrance of the Parliament building and discovered that the cardinal's car, the same Magyar Army vehicle which had brought him in triumph to Budapest only a few days earlier, had disappeared. The two priests went back to the cabinet offices. liMy car is gone,
II
announced the cardinal.
to go on foot to get back home to the citadel!
"We'll just have
II
General Kiraly, the Budapest garrison commander who had paid a last quick visit to the seat of the Magyar government, overheard Mindszenty's remark. "Your Eminence, II he cried, "You can't walk back to the citadel. That is out of the question. guarded by Russian tanks.
All the bridges over the Danube are
Your safety must come first.
II
"What shall we do?" the cardinal asked of no one in particular. The clatter of approaching Russian reinforcements was becoming noisier.
-194-
There was not a moment to lose. "What about an embassy?" someone suggested. "Which one?" asked the cardinal's secretary. "Which is the nearest one?" asked Mindszenty. "The American embassy is only a short distance away," replied the chief of the cabinet office. "Let's go!" said the cardinal. put on an overcoat.
He rolled up his cassock and
with his priestly garb concealed, he hoped he
wouldn't be recognized. six young Magyars from the pr1me minister's office and the staff of Radio Budapest, which had moved into the Parliament building during the revolution, szenty's safety.
decided to do something about Mind-
They felt the sYmbol of Magyar resistance must
not be allowed to fall into the hands of the secret police again. The sextet provided a living screen for the cardinal to try to help him escape.
The number of Russians milling around the build-
ing was increasing by the minute. Three of the youths led the way and three formed the rear guard. The improvised screen worked.
The cardinal and his secretary
managed to slip throug the Russians. It was still early in the morning when Mindszenty reached the American embassy.
There was no ambassador present.
The old one
had left weeks ago, and the new one had not yet managed to get through the Russian checkpoints barring his way from Vienna.
The
U.s. embassy, like the British embassy in Washington, was without
-195-
a chief in those momentous weeks. the cardinal.
The resident minister greeted
within half an hour he was able to convey to him
the news that the President of the united states had granted his request for asylum. "Your Eminence, II asked the minister.
IIWere you aware that
your government has already submitted that request?
It was done
yesterday. II Cardinal Mindszenty shook his head in wonderment. Diplomats and guests were glued to the radio for the next several hours to listen to the lastest news. At eight that morning it was announced that the government had been imprisoned by Russian troops. [ All Budapest bridges are occupied by the Russians ...
Russian
jets continue to enter Transdanubia from the south ... ] IIFrom Yugoslavia?1I exclaimed an unbelieving American. [ Russian paratroopers are landing ... armored troops are entering from the north ... ] "From Czechoslovakia," explained the cardinal's secretary. [ ... desperate battles ... ] the broadcasts went on.
[The
Revolutionary Council of Transdanubia has taken temporary executive power in the absence of the government which has been imprisoned by the Russians ...
The miners have armed themselves and
have joined the Magyar troops resisting the foreign invaders ... ] The cardinal put his hands together in prayer. casts continued: work immediately
The broad-
[Doctors, nurses, hospital workers, report for All under eighteen and over sixty-one return
-196-
home ...
The Magyar Army has pushed back the Russians to the
suburbs of Budapest ...
The Russians are setting up barricades in
the inner city to defend themselves against the mounting fury of the people ...
Budapest is in flames ... ]
wi thout any warning a voice in English spoke through the crackle of background noise: [ Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal ... ] The voice melted into the background noise.
212.
The large banqueting room of the Sacher Hotel in downtown Vienna was jammed with reporters.
Many had arrived only a few
days before from Budapest and had been barely able to get away before the steel band around Magyarland was closed again. "On behalf of the Magyar people," Imre said in his opening remarks,
"I wish to thank you all for the splendid coverage you
have given our uprising against an alien and oppressive tyranny." "Why didn't you respond to the popular call and head the government?" asked a newsman from Agence France Presse. "That is not my job," replied Imre.
"We have seen what a
disaster it was for Magyarland to have imported politicians interfere.
You are well aware that the leadership of the Communist
-197-
Party was imported from Moscow.
I certainly do not wish to be
considered an intruder by our people." "Isn't there a great difference between the Communist agents imported from Russia and yourself?" asked the man from the New York Times.
"Those agents were forced on the Magyars.
You were
asked to form a government." "I believe Prime Minister Nagy was the choice of the people on the spot. and a
He was a Communist, yet he became a revolutionary
patriot.
It was
not for me to push him aside ...
to
interfere." "What about your father, representative.
Dr.
Chabaffy?"
asked the Reuters
"would he not have been a logical choice as presl.-
dent of the republic, as a statesman above party politics?" "I believe that Cardinal Mindszenty is a man of such stature. In any event there was only a single circumstance which would have pursuaded my father to take on the highest post in the fatherland. Only if he would have been elected in a universal, secret ballot by the free will of our people." "What do you think caused the Russian change of heart," Imre was asked by an Italian representing the Corriere della Sera, "when they decided to conquer Magyarland?" "I don't believe there was a change of heart at all," Imre.
said
"When the West and the united Nations failed to act, the
Russians merely carried out their original intentions." "Did Suez paralyze the West?" asked the man from the United Press.
-198-
II
It was a masterpiece of mistiming as far as we were concerned. II
"Surely the Russians didn't know,1I remarked a Polish newsman, "that Eisenhower would fail to act. II "Perhaps not," replied Imre.
liThe Russians over-reacted at
the beginning, based on poor advice by Andropov and the Budapest Communists.
There was no going back anymore ...
Perhaps if events
would have moved at a slower pace and the demands had showed more moderation, the revolution would have attained its objectives. II "00 you think the Russians could agree to free elections?"
asked the Manchester Guardian reporter. "Not likely.
The only free elections the Russians ever allowed
in post-war Europe took place in my country, eleven years ago almost to the day, and that was only because the Kremlin miscalculated the extent of the bitter harvest the Red Army had sowed.
No
decent Magyar would vote for the Communist ticket after the pillage and rape of 1945. II "00 you think there was a danger of a right-wing campal.gn of
terror without Russian interference? II
asked the man from the
Deutsche Presse Agentur. liThe Magyar nation is too sober-minded to have tolerated one. There is no right-wing extremist power base in Magyarland.
The
Union Party could be considered right-wing, but even before the war, twenty years ago, my father advocated the redistribution of land among the peasants.
In my view it's unthinkable that the old
days of large holdings of land by private individuals would ever come back.
Additionally, I don't believe that the workers would
-199-
or should return control of large industries to the former owners." "Do you think Nagy's declaration of neutrality," asked a man from the the Daily Telegraph of London, "was the cause of Russian intervention?" "As I said earlier, the decision to crush the revolution took place much earlier,
and independently of it.
I do believe the
Kremlin's mentality is not yet advanced enough to grasp the fact that an independent neutral neighbor could develop into a more valuable trading partner in the long run than a subjugated country seething with discontent.
I can assure you the Nagy government
had no intention of disrupting established trade relationships. It only wanted to renegotiate commercial agreements on the basis of the equality and non-interference so strongly advocated by Lenin." "Then ln your view it was senseless what the Russians have done," asked an Indian reporter,
"returning with armed might and
crushing the revolution by force?" "Absolutely - unless the Kremlin wants to return to the bad old days of Stalin.
And that would surely fail as it has failed
so miserably in the past.
The tragedy of the Russian people - and
not only of the Magyar people - is that the Khrushchevs and the Andropovs are in these days burning the bridges which might lead to a peaceful solution - the wounds the commissars are inflicting on our people are so deep that they could fester for another generation.
Yet there is no way to pick up Magyarland and put it
-200-
somewhere else.
We have to go on surviving with the Poles and
wi th our brothers in the Danube Valley who share our slavery. II IIWhat is your assessment of the revolution?1I asked a representative of the New York Herald Tribune. II It's a turning point in history. lin-style
tyranny -
fraud which it is. kept in bondage,
It has exposed the Krem-
an even worse tyranny than Hi tIer's Our people were browbeaten,
the
terrorized and
yet when the decisive moment carne, our people
were out on the streets, even those who were Communists or Communist supporters.
The Magyar nation wanted to regain its self-
respect by challenging the oppressor. pened to the Communist Party? no pressure to dissolve it. Have you,
And did you see what hap-
It vanished overnight!
There was
It was disbanded by common consent!
ladies and gentlemen, ever heard of a party in power
that voted itself out of existence?
The breath of revolution made
all of us Magyars first. II IIHow much truth is there to the allegation,1I asked Life magazine reporter,
IIthat the revolution became a reactionary counter-
revolution and that therefore Moscow's interference was something justifiable?1I IIDidn't you see with your own eyes that this was a revolt from
the
inside?
The
ini tiative
carne
from young Communists.
There is not a scintilla of evidence to the contrary.
The Com-
munists got sick and tired of their own misdeeds and prepared the ground for the revolution and fought for the revolution.
This
enabled the Social Democrats and our party to come forward by invitation of the Communists and participate in the government. II "What does the future hold?1I asked a Japanese reporter. For the first time during the news conference Imre showed some hesitation.
He glanced in the direction of Tonus, who was
standing close to the wall and watching him intently.
She gave
Imre an encouraging smile. IIThere is hope! II he said at length.
IIThere must be hope.
The Russians can't possibly keep up this terror in the face of determined Magyar resistance. II 1100
Kremlin
you maintain then, II asked a Swiss newsman, 1S
making
a
mistake
supressing
Magyar
IIthat the
freedom
and
independence? II IIAbsolutely.
It is a colossal blunder, I believe.
the point of view of Russian self-interest
Even from
Just as the twice
repeated invasions by Hi tIer hastened the downfall of the Nazi empire,
the twice repeated invasions by the Kremlin will surely
hasten the downfall of Moscow's empire.
The message of the Magyar
revolution will reach all corners of Russia.
It will plant seeds
in the souls of Russians which will bring slowly, yet with certainty, the dissolution of the evil which we are witnessing right now. "
-202-
213.
"Ian was right!" exclaimed Tibor. "About what?" asked Ann.
The Chabaffys were sitting in their
livingroom in New York the following Friday. had passed three resolutions on Magyarland.
The united Nations One called for free
elections, the second for a "cease and desist" order against the Russians,
and a third for large-scale aid.
The first two passed
with overwhelming majorities, the third unanimously. "About Tito ...
When the chips were down,
Ian told us many
times the Yugoslav authorities invariably sided with the Russians. He thought all that aid to Tito was not only a waste of money and energy, but actually weakened us!" "What brings up the Yugoslavs?" asked Ann.
"Just a little
while ago you were complaining bitterly that the Indians, of all people,
Ghandi's
India that had such a prolonged struggle for
liberty, voted against free elections in Magyarland at the United Nations today?" She shouldn't have said that.
When her husband was Magyar
ambassador to the United Nations' predecessor before the war, he had crossed swords many times with the Yugoslavs.
Magyarland's
southern neighbors and Eden had been Tibor' s whipping boys in Geneva twenty years earlier.
Eden,
in the pre-war years,
had
played the old act of balancing one European country against the other until not one was strong enough to resist Hitler, and now he
-203-
acted as a spoiler in the Magyar crisis by master-minding the Suez fiasco. "I have a
friend at the State Department," replied Tibor,
with a tone suggesting the individual was a highly placed official, perhaps the Under-Secretary himself.
"He has just passed on some
interesting information about the Yugoslav ambassador in Washington. " He paused for a moment to relight his cigar.
"When American lead-
ership was plagued with timidity and indecision, Tito's man posed as an expert in the inner workings of Communism.
When he heard
the United States was considering forceful action in Magyarland, he pleaded with the State Department not to think in terms of a provocative act
"Tibor waved his cigar in the air and mur-
mured: "Provocative act, my foot ...
imbecility
indecision ...
caution ... inaction."
Tibor wasn't aware as yet of the secret conference which had taken place exactly a week earlier, on Friday, November second, on the island of Brioni in Yugoslavia.
It had resulted from the
Kremlin's conspiring the day before. The participants were Khrushchev and Malenkov, representing Russia,
and Tito and his top assistants: Kardelj, Rankovich and
Minuchovich from Yugoslavia.
Khrushchev had been anxious to cover
his flank before unleashing his tanks against the Magyars.
So he
had taken a quick plane trip to visit the Yugoslav dictator on his island retreat in the Adriatic Sea.
-204-
liThe weather couldn't have been worse," recalled Khrushchev later.
"We had to fly through the mountains at night in a fierce
thunderstorm.
Lightning was flashing all around us
During
the storm we lost contact with our escort reconnaissance plane which was flying ahead of us ...
When we landed a car was waiting
for us and took us to the pier.
We climbed into a motor launch
and headed toward Comrade Tito's place on Brioni island. was pale as a corpse ... at the island.
Malenkov
Tito was waiting for us when we arrived
He welcomed us cordially.
We embraced and kissed
each other. II The discussions had lasted from seven in the even1ng until five in the morning. hours.
Much ground had been covered in those nine
Khrushchev didn't ask Tito's permission to reconquer Mag-
yarland, only for his understanding.
Tito had not only approved,
but had given the men from Moscow some sterling advice. counseled diplomacy, not rough-and-tumble politics.
He had
The Yugoslav
had advised the Russians to prepare a careful diplomatic offensive.
He had confirmed the continued cooperation and active assis-
tance of his ambassadors at the united Nations and in Washington. He could point out with pride that at the united Nations the Yugoslav ambassador had already managed to have the Magyar question tabled during the crucial days lasting from October 28th to November 3rd.
Yugoslav interfering and scare-mongering in Washington
had proved to be even more effective, as the only countermoves Khrushchev feared would come, if at all, from America and not from the united Nations.
-205-
"Those guys are in as much of a mess in Egypt as we are in Magyarland. II
Speaking about the West,
don't have to worry about them.
Khrushchev declared:
IIWe
There will be protests and reso-
lutions, but comrades, nothing, nothing at all will happen as far as action is concerned ...
there is a Russian proverb, II he added
wi th a sly grin: 'An obliging bear is more dangerous than an enemy. ' II What other, even more sensitive subjects came up? at the united Nations? blackmail?
Betrayal in Budapest?
Subversion
Kidnapping and
All these were tried and tested weapons in the comrades'
armory and needed only a slight adjustment for the occasion.
II I
said all along, II declared Tibor when Ann offered him a
second bourbon on the rocks, happen ... We had to try ...
IIthat nothing, nothing at all, will we had to struggle.
dear Ann, it teetered on the edge of a knife. ei ther way.
At one point,
It could have gone
But when Ike ... II he let the rest of his thoughts
hang in midsentence. Tibor didn't spend much time on reflection or recriminations. That was all in the past, and he knew no one could change what had happened.
What he could salvage of the wreck and what he could do
about the future in the present were more important for him.
In
the past week he had decided that what was most needed was help for
the refugees streaming out of Magyarland.
He organized a
non-profit organization: First Aid for Magyarland.
He spent all
his waking hours collecting money, medicines and medical supplies. The U.S. government had already provided twenty million dollars
-206-
for
emerging assistance.
Tibor asked an old friend,
a former
President of the united states, to head First Aid and Tibor himself acted as chief executive. million dollars.
In a few days he had raised over a
He constantly kept in touch with Imre in Vienna.
The conscience of the world kept opening the doors where Tibor asked for help.
Donations came pouring in.
Immediately
before and after the final assault, even the Russians kept the Budapest-vienna highway free for first aid to pass through to the bleeding, starving Magyar capital. Tibor was now getting up to leave for another meeting of the First Aid board. "Did you read this item in the paper about Suslov's speech?" Ann asked her husband. "ls it important?" "He
is
reported here
'immortal words'
of Lenin.
as
having said something about the
The paper,
she continued rapidly,
II
"printed a quotation from Lenin just below the text of Suslov's speech
and that is something new to me.
We Americans know so
little about these things .... " "Darling, read it out loud "I quote
I really have to get going.
[ We may not use force to compel other nations
to ally themselves to Russia. free agreement may be used.
Only a really voluntary, a really This is impossible if there is no
freedom to repeal the agreement. ment.
II
Only equals can come to an agree-
The parties must have equal rights if the agreement is to
be real...]
And listen to this Tibor!
-207-
II
exclaimed Ann, reading
the last words slowly:
[ ... and not a conquest marked by phrases! ]
unquote." "Do you see at last, Ann," said Tibor in parting, "that socalled Communism imperialism?
1S
nothing more than a mask over naked Russian
Tell me, Ann dear, any word about Ian?"
214.
"Tonus darling, any word about Ian?" asked Imre at the end of November.
"And Maria?"
Tonus hung onto every word Imre uttered.
Now that he had
tracked her down and beheld her after the lapse of years, he knew he couldn't marry anyone else, and he hadn't ceased loving her since that night of the ball in Budapest.
For Tonus, this was a
perfectly reciprocated feeling. The two spent all their time helping the swell of refugees who streamed out of Magyarland into Austria.
By the end of Novem-
ber Imre and Tonus had monitored some one hundred thousand.
After
the initial rush spent itself, over two thousand a day were still corning. "Have you seen him?" "Have you seen her?" "Have you seen them?" In the camp the Austrians had set up close to the border, Imre and Tonus kept asking every refugee from Budapest about Ian and Maria. -208-
Those weeks brought the lovers even closer together.
Imre
was able, for the first time, to share his prison and camp experiences with Tonus.
At the onset he spoke haltingly and with reser-
vations as he described the torments and agonies he had witnessed and endured.
When he came to the celestial dreams and revelations,
he was unconsciously carried away and began talking with the feeling of a person reliving experiences which have made a deep mark on his consciousness. Tonus' expression and the glow 1n her eyes underwent a subtle change.
Her own adventures rose to the surface and clamored for a
listener.
Imre's confidence brought out the best in her and she
was now able to discuss events she thought had been buried forever inside her. Sitting opposite Imre, electric vibration,
looking into his eyes,
feeling his
Tonus was able to talk about the love and
compassion she had felt for Ian, the love which looked at one time for bodily communication and the compassion which sought reciprocity. She related the schemings of her mother and uncle, the depression which had engulfed her on her return to Europe, the brief fling with an understanding Parisian, the even shorter engagement to a Westphalian nobleman, and the loneliness of the star-crossed lover she had imagined herself to be. recesses of her heart,
After she had revealed the secret
she felt no bitterness.
except its happiness, was gone. share her life with Imre.
All her past,
She felt blessed being able to
There were no more doubts or reserva-
tions about the love both felt for each other.
-209-
Imre was still absorbed with his burning desire to see Magyarland free of interference and enjoying the blessings of peace and freedom yet that absorption also underwent a subtle change.
He
no longer felt that he had a sacred mission to liberate his homeland.
Tonus viewed with growing understanding the old turmoil
inside him which now began to subside into tranquility and into the peace of love.
Imre gradually released his fears, anxieties,
frustrations, and even his anger and anguish about the sword which appeared to have slashed Magyarland with such fury. He released his negative emotions to the care of God who recycled them back through Imre in the form of a love which his Son had taught the world in the Sermon on the Mount, a love which loves unconditionally,
loves even enemies and persecutors, yes,
even Russians, even Hitler and Stalin, Eichmann and Andropov, even the Gestapo and the NKVD, even the traitors, the tormentors, even the double-crossers and double-talkers. Both had sad relapses in their growth of this new love.
Imre
had been enraged when he heard that trainloads of freedom-fighters were being shipped back to Russia and that the terror of the reorganized security forces had returned in greater and more cruel -if that were possible -- dimensions, the striking members of the workers'
and when he had heard that councils,
which had taken
over the functions of the now illegal unions, were arrested, imprisoned, and deported to Asia. Tonus too had her departures from love when, in the refugee camps, she witnessed the upheaval, the sorrow, the disappointment
-210-
of mothers, wives and children, and the anguish of the homeless in the wilderness.
She also admired the unsung heroism of the women,
the silent inner strength of the wives, widows, and mothers; and the stories she heard in the camps about the valorous women of Budapest. After the suppression of the revolution the women of Budapest had been called out for a silent demonstration.
By word of mouth
and through clandestine leaflets the name of the meeting place had spread like wild fire: the Hero's Plaza.
The women came in rivu-
lets of twos and threes from the corners and by-ways of the capital. These grew into streams of hundreds, rivers of thousands and finally tens of thousands.
The women had been dressed in black, and each
had carried a flower in the left hand and a candle or rosary ln the right.
At Hero's Plaza the women had encountered a cordon of
Russian armor.
The women had flowed around the Russian commander
in total silence.
A single woman had raised her arm.
Army officer had given way.
The Red
The women put their flowers and tokens
of piety on the tomb of the unknown fallen.
That night the windows
had been lit in the homes of the departed, of the wounded, arrested,
the deported,
and the silent.
the
Momentarily Budapest had
been once again the city of Light. Both Imre and Tonus had relapses worrying over Ian and Maria.
from the new love while
As the hours turned into days and
days into weeks without any word, both fell silent, knowing that in their silences the longing and search for the two loved ones kept going on.
-211-
At the end of one of these silences, Imre held Tonus' hands with his.
The two looked into each others eyes with persistent
loving and a shy eagerness. "We are having a bath .... II
...
II
to cleanse us
II
a spiritual bath
II
we agree
II
we understand
II
we love
II
I pray for Maria
II
for Ian
...
... ...
II
II
II
II
II
II
II
When the tears stopped flowing, Imre and Tonus continued the silent dialogue: II
If I speak in the tongues of men and angels
II
but have no love ... II
II
I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal
II
and if I have prophetic powers, and understand all the
II
II
mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith,
so as to
remove mountains ... II II
but have no love
II
I am nothing .. , II
II
Love is patient and kind
II
Love doesn't insist on its own way
II
Love bears all things, believes all things ... hopes for
all things, endures all things II • • •
II
II
II
Love never ends ... II
-212-
II
1/
For now we see in a mlrror dimly, but then face to face
1/
as we see each other now ... face to face
1/
Above faith and hope there is love
1/
and the greatest of these is love
1/
which surrounds us
1/
and I an and Mari a
1/
we loved them ... 1/
1/
and they loved us
1/
1/
1/ 1/
1/ 1/
1/
Imre and Tonus caught each other short with the realization that the past tense had been used. 1/ Ian loves and lives now. 1/ I/Maria lives and loves now. 1/ I/We all have so much to look forward to
1/
1/ . .. because we live forever ... 1/ Despite the thin layers of moisture over two pairs of eyes the light of their love sparked shy, eager smiles. 1/ Let's find the good ... 1/ "Beloved,
I have started to collect some press clippings and
made some notes." "Did you find 10ve?1/ l
,
I/Perhaps ... yes, light ... that's it, light and the good
"
I/Why do I love you so much?1/ " I t has been a long, long journey." I/A pilgrimage amid hate, terror, war, barbarity I/Through winds, , ,
earthquakes,
sword ... 1/
-213-
fires,
"
the wilderness and the
II And now we have found love
II
II And peace. II After a long moment Imre and Tonus opened their mouths to ask the same question.
No words were necessary.
Both knew.
Both
added in silent prayer: IIAnd we bring the world all the love we share. II
215.
IIPalm trees!
Imagine palm trees! II exclaimed Tonus.
IIRussians
looking for palm trees in Budapest. II liThe troops thought they were in Egypt at the Suez Canal,1I added Imre. IIWho told you that?1I asked Johnny Eszterhazy. IIRefugees
here in our camps.
others said the Russians
had confused Magyarland with East Germany and were ready to repel non-existent American invaders. II 1I0thers were looking for the U. S. Marines in Budapest!" II
and were told the Magyars were fascists and Nazis ... II
II
and confused the Danube with the English Channel while
getting ready to defend Europe against an Anglo-American invasion. II Tibor listened to this in silence and signified only by a tilt of his head that he had absorbed this information and was considering it. ,
)
He had just arrived from New York.
He was sitting
in Johnny's livingroom in Vienna with Imre, Tonus and a few close
-214-
Magyar
friends who were briefing him on the latest news from
home. "Evidently the political officers had to feed the ordinary Russian and Asiatic soldiers with lies," he said at length,
"to
conceal the Kremlin's real intentions." He wrinkled his forehead and was on the verge of smoothing it out again when he continued: family ... my friends.
exceptions.
All of you ... my
We know how absorbed my son Ian was in the
purity of the revolution. there were
"Tonus dear ...
The innocent zeal of our cause ... When people were
Yet
shot at by security
policemen ... or tormented by personal tragedies, revenge ... the feeling of revenge took over.
Some of these policemen were strung
up ... summary justice was exercised ... in a few instances." "But when you see these exceptions spread over Life magazine and in centerfold photographs in illustrated magazines allover the world ... !" sighed Imre.
"This drama is better news than an
untouched shop window or an unrevenged executioner. " "Ghandi , ,
preached non-violent resistance.
Even in
India,
where the provocation was less pronounced, there were regrettable incidents ... " said Father Istvan, who had come to Vienna with his trusted friend.
'.
,
"We have to pray and meditate.
who suffer and meditate over the fate our nation has to suffer." "Let's talk about the good!" exclaimed Imre.
, ,
Pray for those
good things in this apparent tragedy."
-215-
"Let's find the
"Papi,
dear," Tonus started out.
"I have saved a lot of
press clippings and news stories which may be relevant. them to you, perhaps together
If I read
we can find the good."
"Go on, my dear." "I'll read what I have here in chronological order." "October 27 - broadcast from Miskolc calling on the authorities to grant asylum to all Russian soldiers who fought with the freedom fighters.
And listen to this:
the broadcast adds there
are numerous Russian soldiers who would do so if given a chance ... then from Time magazine, reporting on a Russian captain listening to Magyar complaints and getting angrier by the minute. thought the officer was angry at them. his hat down and said,
and I
quote:
The Magyars
Suddenly the Russian threw 'Bulganin and Khruschchev
would rape their own mothers,' unquote ... and the same day, another provincial announcement, citing a Russian soldier, quote 'Do not hurt us,
and we shall not hurt you.
We shall be glad to be able
to return home at last,' unquote." "That is the language of true Russia!" exclaimed viktor, who had joined the Chabaffys from London. "October 28 - a provincial radio, agaln quoting a Russian this time the statement of the local military commander, quote," Tonus went on, turning a page in her album. interfere in your national affairs.
and I
"'We will not
I think the rising of the
Magyar people against the oppressive leaders is just,' unquote." "No wonder the Kremlin replaced the Russian garrison with fresh troops from Asia," said Imre.
-216-
"Then I see a report about a Russian tank crew joining the freedom
fighters
in Budapest,
and Russian soldiers withdrawing
from a town when the people had a chance to explain to them the true situation ... "
Tonus read on.
"Another report from the same
place about the local kids who pelted Russian soldiers with apples, whereupon one of the tank crewmen raised his gun against a kid which was, I quote 'knocked out of his hands by another Russian, ' unquote. II
II
I heard such stories from several refugees,
"And here, Papi, SlS
II
II
said Ellen.
said Tonus, turning another page,
II
an analy-
on why the Russian garrison failed to suppress the revolt.
Would you like me to read it to yoU?" "Please do, and let me have a copy of that.
II
"0ne : the very intensity of the resistance.
Two: the support
the freedom fighters received from the regular army. L . .J
Three: the
troops didn't like to shoot at workers, students and women.
Four:
the Russians discovered they were ordered to fight for the kind of regime they'd be happy to get rid of at home. L
,
That was the reason
why some Russians gave away or sold their weapons to the freedom fighters.
And five: When the Russian troops realized that inter-
ference would create a bloodbath, a truce was agreed upon without a shot having been fired. Georgie!
II
And here is a story about your namesake,
said Tonus with a smile.
"Let's hear it,
II
her future brother-in-law urged.
lilt's about Colonel Schwarz, garrison-commander of a provincial town, who requested the population not to harm his soldiers
-217-
and reminded them that their kids played with Russian children. He thanked the town for supplying the Russian garrison with fresh milk.
He promised that any breach of discipline by his soldiers
would be severely punished.
He concluded by promising that his
troops had no intention of attacking the city. II III'm sure he meant it,ll remarked Johnny. II
Reports
I
have
reports
here, II
Tonus
went on.
IIRussian soldiers fighting with freedom fighters and dying side by side the Magyars, fighting against Red Army attacks. II IIThat's a big development, II declared Elma who had kept quiet thus far. II I t has come to that, II her husband agreed. IIThese reports prove,1I declared viktor rising from his chair, IIthat there is a fatal weakness in the Kremlin's calculations. II IILet me read just one more item out of my collection
II
said Tonus, then added, wishing to defer to her fiancee, IINo
.
I'll let Imre read it. II IIDarling
.~.II
IIPlease?1I IIThis is an interesting tid-bit from an industrial district of Budapest,1I explained Imre.
"The report begins with the state-
ment that the strength of the local National Guard was six hundred regular and three thousand reservists.
At the very beginning of
the revolution the guard had only sixteen rifles, taken from the local offices of the Communist Party.
The police and the post-
office contributed two hundred and forty-nine pieces, and when the
-218-
army joined the freedom fighters, all three thousand and six hundred were armed. artillery.
The army also contributed seventy-four pieces of
Then we come to the Russian contribution,1I Imre con-
tinued, lIacquired with cash, food, or booze.
Here is the list:
Two Stalin-type rocket launchers, One armored car, Ten pieces of artillery, including six anti-tank guns, Forty-four machine guns, Three hundred and fifty submachine-guns, six hundred pieces of infantry weapons, Three gasoline trucks, and Fifteen or more trucks loaded with ammunition. liThe report says that the freedom fighters destroyed fifty to fifty-five tanks and twenty to twenty-five armored cars with the rocket launcher acquired from the Russians. II Imre handed the album back to Tonus. IIThis proves,
as viktor said, that the Russian Army has a
fatal flaw, II said Father Istvan.
IIBut what good is there in that? II
This remark sparked a lively discussion.
The Eszterhazy
living room was filled with more than twenty people, friends of Imre and Tonus.
They had come from all corners of the globe to
celebrate the wedding of Imre Chabaffy and Antoinette, Countess l
,
Dadian. After an hour of animated conversation, as if on cue, every-
L
J
body looked in Tibor's direction.
He had the kind of power which
could weld together an assortment of reports, ideas, values and arguments and make sense out of them.
-219-
"Children, my friends," he began, lowering his head and looking like a bull about to charge,
articulating every word with care.
"All that we heard is very interesting ... significant.
It shows
there is a true Russian behind the appearance of a Red Army soldier. That is the reality as far as Russia is concerned.
But what about
us Magyars?" he asked growing more and more animated. The room fell completely silent. "What is our reality.
Have we Magyars as people changed?
Have we shown a capacity to grow?" He paused for a moment, then continued: "The answer, the year 1896,
I believe,
is that we have.
the year of the millenium when Magyarland cele-
brated its one thousandth birthday. then?
Let's begin with
OK, what was the situation
Many of us like to think back to those days of tranquility,
prosperity and peace.
Let us remember also that we Magyars, along
with the Austrians, were the chiefs of the Danube Valley and lorded over many people in a sort of Central-European Commonwealth.
The
key words, my children and my friends, are 'we lorded over.'
Now
what do we find significant this year in the middle of the twentieth century?" Tibor looked around the room and went on: important sentence. nation.
It is in Cardinal Mindszenty's address to the
That sentence is:
every people.
"One sentence, one
We desire to live in friendship with
This statement means equality.
No people is superior
or inferior to any other people, we are all equal.
This sense of
historic equality, long enshrined in the soul of my native Transyl-
-220-
vania,
has now penetrated into our national consciousness.
We
Magyars as a nation, have graduated to the wisdom of Lao Tsu, the great oriental sage.
I'll let my dear Ann quote him. II
His wife, visibly embarassed, found her composure quickly and said in her clear, sweet voice: things take their course.
II'The world is ruled by letting
It cannot be ruled by interfering. ' II
IIThank you, Ann dear,lI Tibor proceeded. of our new wisdom. love.
IIThat is only part
Another part is our devotion to purity and
We all know that my son Ian has put much emphasis on purity
in his daily reports, in his conversation with foreign correspondents, in his talk with Magyar poets and writers.
It translates
into the highest Christian ideals enunciated by Jesus the Christ in his Sermon on the Mount:
'Love your enemies.'
This expressed
itself in the regular Magyar Army's determination to keep the revolution clean, in the freedom fighters' credo calling for absence of revenge,
and in the Prime Minister's resolve, backed by the
whole nation:
'We will not be the first to fire a shot when the
Red Army attacks our homeland.
We Magyars will keep true to that
ideal. '" Tibor uttered these words with passion. away,
He suddenly turned
as if to hide the tears which fell from his eyes.
continued his eyes gleamed with light:
IIThen,
When he
my children, my
friends, at the very end of the revolution we Magyars rose another notch in national consciousness. were crushed,
defeated,
In the word of appearances we
trampled into the dust.
reached our highest glory.
In reality we
We abandoned our weapons.
-221-
The Minis-
ter of state declared when the Houses of Parliament were surrounded by the armored might and the treacherous intrigue of the aggressors, and I quote,
'Use all the weapons of passive resistance.'
words here are
The key
'passive resistance,' the kind Gandhi taught his
people." "In conclusion,
I wish to cite again Lao Tsu:
I
If a small
country submits to a great country, it can conquer the great country.' And that, my children and my friends,
is our new glory, our new
wisdom, our dedication to humanity." A stunned silence followed. stood up with Tonus. vibrant conviction: past is gone.
Imre, his handsome face flushed,
Holding his fiancee's hand he said with "How can we who are so holy suffer?
All our
Only its beauty remains as our blessing."
216.
O'er the forest Rain clouds lower, Through the wood Autumn shower From the oaks Dead leaves falling still, the nightingale is calling.
Twelve years earlier Jeno had played that haunting poem by Petofi, the Burns of the Magyars, when Imre had brought Tonus to Zsibo to introduce her to his Transylvanian family.
Now Jeno,
smiling even brighter than in those long ago days and crying with
-222-
even greater feeling,
was playing the same tune at the wedding
feast of Imre and Tonus.
His gypsy band couldn't decide which of
the countless feelings of sadness or of joy in their hearts and souls should come to the fore.
Carried away as much by the flow
of their own music as by the greatness of the occasion and the memories of their escape from Magyarland, Jeno allowed the full scale of emotions to play out of his fiddle.
He ascended from the
pit of melancholy to the heights of ecstasy, then descended to the oceans of sadness,
only to be swept up again into the flushed
clouds of sweet abandon. Johnny's townhouse 1n the Inner City of Vienna was packed with wedding guests, old friends and new ones, from all corners of the globe. Tibor was there with Ann, from America, as well as the twins with their husbands.
Atilla and Veronka came up from Italy, Liza
and Jakab from Switzerland, Tommy from Canada, Uncle Freddy and Margit from England, Hansie from New Zealand, Christina and Bela from Lebanon, Aunt Charlotte - making her living as a seamstress from Denmark, Uncle Ede from a far eastern business trip, Father Istvan from Mexico,
and Andras Frey from Munich.
Imre's guardian
angel in his first prison, Pepi, having seen the wedding announcement in the local paper, presented himself and was happily invited. So was Federico,
tracked down by a general in Belgium who kept
tabs on the members of what Uncle.Geza once called "the most exclusive club in the world."
Another unexpected last minute ar-
rival was Moira, the Chabaffy's former governess, who had married
-223-
a duke.
She showed up in magnificent splendor with her husband.
The pair was greatly admired by Daisy Hochschield, the premier dispenser of fashion in Budapest, who had dropped by on her way to Paris,
and by Moira's old lover,
Viktor,
who had arrived from
Brussels. The air was filled with "Do you remember"s and "you don't say so! "s. "I knew from the very first day that Tonus and Imre
"
"Don't the twins look radiant?" "Uncle Tibor is our greatest statesman." "Have you seen his beautiful oriental wife
I wonder if
she can speak any Magyar?" "Did you see that nasty scar on Imre' shand?" "Is it true that he is a multi-millionaire?" "Can you believe that Uncle Freddy, who lost all his Magyar estates at the card table, now lives in splendor at Brown's in London on his bridge winnings at
"
"Who tamed that wild man Georgie?" "I hear Janos has made a tremendous career at the Central Bank in Washington ... " "You mean Federal Reserve Board, dear
"
"What ever happened to that Rolls Royce?" \I. • •
the huge uranium mine close to my place of birth
"I didn't know Ellen had so much talent for business "What are Bela and Christine doing in Lebanon?" "Don't tell me he became a universi ty professor! " \
,
-224-
" "
"Veronka looks as radiant now as at her own wedding ... what year was that in?" "50 sad about Princess Ilka ... I wish she could be here.
II
"00 you think those emeralds are real?"
"Don I t tell me he was a cab driver in ... II II
I hear that handsome husband of Margi t's is a member of
Lloyds of London. II
II
Is it true she has eloped
II
"What ever happened to the old man,
that he dared to talk
about our new glory?" riding in the Mexico city Olympics
II
II
I
II
hear Johnny found a couple of Rubens drawings in the
attic ... " ". .. those
medium
range
missile
batteries
near
Lake
Balaton ... II "Did Bela Bartok dedicate his last violin concerto to a student he was in love wi th?" II
II
I was told she has never reciprocated his love for her
"Have you seen that ring on Tonus "Give me a dobosh torte any day.
I
finger?"
II
"That Teller ... we went to school together ... a genius
II
"What ever happened to ... II "Just when we finished rebuilding our house, it away ... II "When did he get the Grand Cross of "He gained a lot of weight
II
-225-
II
the state took
"That cake from Demm was superb." "I liked the Sacher ... " "Who is that wonderful gypsy primas?" "Was that white wine a Goldene Storch?" II
I'll never forget that beef tenderloin done up in hunter-
style ... and those lingonberries!
II
"The Russians are still holding onto Wallenberg! "Did you hear the latest joke from
II
II
"What happened to her in Dachau? II "I drank three glasses of that Rote Hussar. II "Nobody knows for sure. II "Didn't he save her life?" "I think she saved hi s . II After the wedding feast Tibor didn't sit down. once.
He danced but
He paced the grand room, occasionally stopping short and
talking to his old friends, gesticulating rapidly to reinforce an argument. Imre and Tonus joined him, and once more he embraced both. tear shone in his eye.
"God be with you always
I
II
he said.
A
"Re-
member an old custom of the Chabaffy' s, dear children. II "Which one, Papi?" Tonus asked excitedly. "We have a tradition of keeping a private place in our home, a sacred corner.
We go there in times when we want to be alone
wi th God ... to remember forgiveness.
I f you two ever quarrel. II
" . .. that would be impossible! II exclaimed Tonus.
-226-
II
just
go
there ...
have
a
place
home ... where you can kiss and make up.
like
that in your
Tonus, you are part of
the family ... come to me whenever you feel the need to ... II "Love you, Papi, you know that.
II
When he didn't respond she touched his hand.
He drew a pro-
longed sigh as if he were getting ready to ask a question.
Then
he thought better of it and glanced at the newlyweds with deep affection.
No more words passed between them that day.
the unspoken question.
All knew
IIWhere are Ian and Maria?1I
Jeno broke into the Viennese waltz,
"The Schonbrunner,1I and
Imre swept Tonus onto the floor. IIWasn't Ian stationed at Schonbrunn?1I she asked her husband. He nodded in assent. At the end of the dance Jeno stepped down from the platform where he was playing.
"This morning, II he said to Imre and Tonus,
then he paused for a moment and bent closer to Imre, given this piece of paper.
II... I was
'Be sure to give it to the young
prince and princess,' I was told ... II "Who? ... " and he knew he shouldn't have asked. "Here it is ...
I've done my duty ... II
Imre. "God be with you always! II
-227-
He tearfully embraced
EPILOGUE A STILL SMALL VOICE
And he said, 'Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind the earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. Kings 19: 11-12 ]
Imre sat down at the table of the bride and groom. the sheets of paper Jeno had given him.
He unfolded
He ran his fingers over
the top sheet smoothing out the wrinkles and the care-worn face. Slowly and with increasing reverence he scanned the pages. He recognized the wri ting immediately. Tonus glanced over his shoulder: Together the newslyweds read:
"Ian?"
SHIFT TO VISION CHORUS OF HUMANITY
There has to be another way! There has to be a better way! This terror Of error, This insanity Is mortality.
THE POET
From constant inward-outward strife We shift into eternal life.
MARIA
Our need is such a simple one.
CHORUS
And how is that about to come?
THE POET
Our own particular mission Is done with a shift to vision.
MARIA
Slide time into eternity And accept life's totality.
THE POET
We can't see the invisible. Spirit is not visible. Yet we see its effects clearly: It must be there: We can see the results clearly: It is right here!
CHORUS
Then how do we look at the world!
THE POET
We need not try to change the world, Just change our minds about the world. Begin to see nothing but love Beside, below, inside, above, If we only shift to vision.
CHORUS
That needn't be a tough decision.
THE POET
With light as our permanent gift Vision is possible with shift, It's the natural thing to do, For all of us, for me and you, Simple as opening our eyes To the God in our insides. It can happen in an instant, Then fear becomes so redundant. Vision shows us where we must go, Let not what we see stop the flow. Need a hundred-eighty degree Turn, a shift to vision, really see,
-2-
To vibrate clockwise, Not counter-clockwise. We have to reverse our thinking Discard learning in an inkling. CHORUS
Such a shift is to our liking. Does it have a hard beginning?
THE POET
It is utter simplicity, God's holy electricity. We need only a single shift As we made but only one mistake: Believing loss is possible For someone's gain. Impossible! That would confirm God is unfair, Attack justified, vengeance fair.
CHORUS
Oh, tell us, please What vision sees In all our days, In all our ways.
THE POET
First, remember: we have a choice, Yet, let us happily rejoice We can freely choose how to see, What would in our vision be. Then, let's leave behind everything, Get from self-lit hell releasing.
CHORUS
We want to leave insanity, To see our light, our sanity.
MARIA
In the silence of our stillness, With holy zeal and awareness Rejoice, Let's listen to the still small voice.
GOD
You and I, we are divine, You and I, forever shine, You and I, beyond all time We are one. Thus heaven forever won. You are not lonely ever, I am with you forever. Forever.
MARIA (praying)
-3-
GOD
There is nothing else, There is nowhere else. Our heaven is now. That is how We are one, Life is won. If you perceive both the good and evil too, Then you do accept truth and falsity too. And you make no distinction between the two, You accept duality, And reject our unity. But everyone lives in me You all live in me.
CHORUS
Only within us is heaven, Here is heaven And nowhere else?
MARIA (praying)
God tells heaven, Now is heaven.
GOD
What I make is eternal All else is ethereal Impermanent, so unreal.
THE POET
God is, ergo we are eternal, Releasing to God the infernal. False illusions.
MARIA
Shift to vision!
THE POET
Let us be still! That is God's will.
GOD
Supreme reigns eternal love. Not even I can change love in unity. Duality Shadows vanish in love's light In glorious love so bright. Love supreme Must begin with you and me. And as we offer only love We can receive only love, Or an aching call for love, Which must be returned with love Because of what we are: Love. That is holy salvation,
-4-
Changeless manifestation. Please just give me your thoughts! Go back as miracles, all!
All
MARIA
All what we see springs from our thoughts.
THE POET
Let not our vision's holiness Be barred by what our eyes can see.
MARIA
We spy unworthiness in others, In our sisters and brothers, Such impure, ugly reflection Reflects our dereliction.
THE POET
In our vision, let us remember, our beauty Is mirrored in all around us.
MARIA
Pause, and reflect on that beauty.
. GOD
In our oneness undivided, Oh, pray, do remember well, Listen now to what I tell: Giving is but receiving! As we can give only to ourselves. Oh, yes! Giving is keeping. If you keep on seeking, you are seeking Nothing: only empty dross Nothing: only empty loss. But to give is total proof What you have is really yours.
THE POET
Yes, that is our shift to vision.
GOD
In that holy shift Is my precious gift; The one and only error: Believing loss is possible Is now corrected.
MARIA
Yes, loss is quite impossible.
GOD
Beyond that single vision I'll give you with precision The joys of humanity.
CHORUS
Our inherited destiny?
-5-
GOD
MARIA (praying) GOD
MARIA GOD
MARIA GOD
MARIA I
I
GOD
MARIA GOD
MARIA GOD
MARIA GOD
Be still and know that I am God. Here are the joys of your lot. The first! in vibrant oneness You all share my holiness. Now your holiness we share. The second: No one has power, Not available tl-t4 all. Remember my Son has proclaimed: You shall do, believing my Son. So it has been pre-ordained. Now your power-strength we share. The third: My help for you is Predestined, available Lonely toil is overcome. The fourth: You can't fail to do What I've found for you to do. Now failure is overcome. The fifth: All good things are yours, I intend them to be yours. Your wealth and riches we share. The sixth: What you have asked for You have already received. Your great bounty now we share. The seventh: You are in the right Place always at the time right. Accident is overcome. The eighth: In all your learning You are all treated fairly.
-6-
MARIA GOD
Injustice is overcome. The ninth: Your beginning is not your birth As surely as your ending is not death.
MARIA GOD
Your eternity we share. The tenth: For the worthless world, In exchange for that nothing, I shall give you everything. Your holy oneness we all share.
MARIA (praying) THE POET
Truth is so far beyond Time, and beyond Place And space. It all happens in grace.
GOD
Now, I turn to you to save the world Through you everyone can hear my word, Because you are the light of the world. I am! And in me you all are one. For cosmic salvation able to come As much as you need Me -- you I need!
THE POET
Love and peace come all at once.
CHORUS
We in oneness are sublime, Holy, purest and divine, In our full recognition, In our true shift to vision.
GOD
We shall be one without cease, In that instant of love and peace.
-7-
[A STRONG AND MIGHTY WIND --- Very last page]
Reserved for text of official U.S. apology made by Secretary of State Condy Rice For policies Which helped to lead to the Enslavement of over 100 million people In Central and Eastern Europe AfterWW2.
After above text comes following:
No such courageous apology has been forthcoming so far from ex-KBG agent Putin, current lord and master ofRussia preceded by another KGB agent as lord and master ofRussia, Andropov, one ofvillains of A STRONG AND MIGHTY WIND.
[End of A STRONG AND MIGHTY WIND]