THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY IN BUDAPEST/CHEMICAL RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050076-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 76
• Publication Date: January 4, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050076-3
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050076-3
CLASSIFICATION CUNFIOENTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
DATE
ACQUIRED
SPORT
The Technical University in Budapest/Chemical
Research and Indus,;ry
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
1. In the department of inorganic chemistry at the Technical University,
Budapest; leot,~ e wPST_' t;i~aar general and inorganic chemis?r,-.
addition the A j,.; -:
retica. and nrq-"'Ina.: them'.-r:~ analysis. t,instructionnatrthelUniversity
required the majc_ portion of the faculty members' time because during
the .930Fs tie number of students tripled witho,
'~ V in the number of instructors, res and
I also syatematially t'
foliowe Co
t~hnr1-
1i.terature. My interest was to tha n..e..+ nal opplio p
ion of new r..e in
pliaation of
et~~A -
The she par men also published in th
on general anti inorganic chemistry. an o s, material
2. In applied research the following were the more important topics; pro-
duction of certain silica gels, quantitative and qualitative analysis
of their sorption, electrochemical production of bauxite, wet treatment
of bauxite for the production of silinic bauxite, enamel research, and
problems of glass manafacture. Papers on these topics ..cre r;ul's,:
parr! i~ ,:u :,:? 2~'
LCL1L/_ 1 A I
i.~'FID :NTIAL
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0
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CONFIDENTIAL/
Y , ng equipment, a large microscope, and
modern scales. We lacked optical instruments such as a ceps*trophotometer, etc;
smelting furnace, etc: The small allowance appropriated to the department was
used primarily for the purposes of instruction. The laboratory, built to our
own plans, was equipped with:direct current, central vacuum and compressed air,
evaporating vats, central gas generators, electric drying and heating a reading room, alibrary, furnaces,
and the necessary chemicals. By comparison, the
equipment of the Munich Technical University laboratory, both in quantity and
quality, was very inferior to that of the Budapest Technical, diversity: I
understand little of this equipment survived the iiege of Budapest.
i~. I?iost of the equipnen waF imported. from Germany, However prior to World. War II,
Hungary had precision sr.,.le and instrument factories as ve11 as chemical-glass
manufacturers whose prolucts equaled those of the American Pyrex or the German
Schott and Gen. Jena.
.5 Chemicals for the most part were received from the German Merck and Kahlbaum
enterprises. Just prior to World Wa I
I
Research work wss considerably handicapped by the inadequacy of laboratory
equipment. The equipment was not only insufficient, but also largely obsolete.
A large portion of energy and time was devoted to the procurement of?laboratory
equipment, which sometimes required several years. We vere finally able to
obtain a mode)% s%utoc lave thermostat milli
I
Hungarian firms began to coLpete
successfully in this field. The "Hungaria"-and the
chemicals of adequate purity for analytical Chilmrds e
lyrical ~urpoess prirrily, i froon domestistic
c
raw materials. Certain basic chemicals, which were consumed in quantity by all
chemical laboratories, could be obtained from Hungarian producers. These chemicals
included: sulphuric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, amonium hydroxide,
liquid air, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, liquid ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide.
Compressed Bajes were also available such as: oxygen
hydrogen, and nitxogen.
The Budapest Tec:mical University was the only technical university in Hungary.
A few years prior to Wcrld War II, the Budapest Economic University, and the
Sopron Mining, Metallurgical, and Forest?y Engineering University were consolidated
with the Budapest Techni^+R1 Uhivers
t:f. After Florld War II, the three mivercities
General Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
Chemical Tecarology
Agricultural Chemical Technolo67
Soil Science
Electrochemistry
Physics and Physical Chemistry
Mineraloc
Food Chemistry
Textile Chemistry
The Technir:e. 1J5it~ _iy was composed of two schools: the school of engineering
and rrchi~e?::urai engineer:i.ng, and the school of mechanical and chemical engireeri-ng.
In addition ';hecr. tic a separate school of economics. Each school was headed
by a dean who wa: e?,~rted for a period of one year by full professo:, Thr: oviti;oing dean became the c irmantof his facultytandrsupervised
its activities, The Tchnical University was headed by a rector who was elected
for a period of one year and who exercised the traditional autonomous privileges
of the university. The privileges included the election of professors and the
preparation of the curri:?ti]n. They also ensured the freedom of instruction and
the independence of the faculties from the political course of the government.
It may be as,umea, of course, that this in&ependence has been destroyed by the
present regime.
At the end of 1944 the departments and the heads were as follows:
Jeno Plank
I*lt10 Pu
Gaza 'Lemnlen
Josssf Yar
Gaza Bea ar-xotsba
Laszlo Zoe
Bela Later-
Aladar Vogl
ZoN n 3iaiiros
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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050076-3
 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/27: CIA-RDP80-00809A000600050076-3
Other ^a'.zj.ct; ti;c,;;r rs mathematics, chemical industrial engineering, drafting,
econo Lc and Lsir yr ?,- ?n,j`;1t by professors from other faculties. Numerous
special, non-mandatory subjects were taught by docents.
Chemical engineering students received both theoretical and practical instruction.
Each laboratory was, as a rule, headed by an assistant professor. In addition
,here wa> a staff of instructors and assistant instructors. Until the end, of World
War II. di Jonas issued b the faculty es
that isS "lie ou- inetructine students was specialized not specialized engineering ed as ise in the werc- faculty ofPnsive;
mechanical engi eriof w of
en ineerin or a~ricult in electrical engineering, hee,t
g g> ural engineering fields of; mechanical engineering. This
was due to the fact that the undeveloped state of Hungary's chemical industry
made excessive spe-iallzatic unnecessary. The chemical engineers left the
Technical (Ju.ver.i; ty with )nd foundation in theory and practice and a?. ,, ri~.~ci
sp..:i_e >no:1cdg wit!:. ,t di fieulty in the industry in which they Poutd jobs.
/0. The student;; were req,ii?d to take tests la all mandatory subjects and, after
performing the required laboratory experiments, a test had to be taken in that
field also. In addition to the tests, comprehensive examinations were mandatory
at the end of the fourth, sixth, and ninth semesters. The chemical engineering
course was divided into nine semesters (1 .years). Comprehensive examinations
in chemistry, chemical analyr?is, physics, and physical chemistry were taken after
the fourth semester; organic chemistry, manufacture of organic products, and
mineralogy after the sixth; and chemical technology, agricultural chemica], technology
and electrorhemistry after the ninth. Prior to'the third comprehensive
examination, each student was required to prepare a dissertation in the field of
one of the subjects of the last comprehensive examination. After the examination,
the student received a diploma in Chemical Engineering. The student was under the
guidance of a professor assigned by the department hand during his course of study.
I!? The course ??~;; rigid. The lectures and laboratory exercises were scheduled for
the entire 3emeater and deviations were not permitted. Attendance at the lsct ie,
were chtl.fi:ed by fr~arcr_+; rnl.l. calla, -.nd a student who missed several labcr~?c:,--;;
1.v . L!' ). per. . If ten student did not complete the press: ~: c1
h more o: , r :1 hs:3 to :eat the entire semester.
I~? St?:u r= delor'. to the Technolo&Y University only y Z_v after the snarl