THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF THE HUNGARIAN POST, TELEPHONE, AND TELEGRAPH (PTT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A047000230001-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 27
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 20, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: February 25, 1959
• Content Type: REPORT

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62 ~'O-tlzf
INFORMATION INFORMATION 11I.I ra
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
.S-E-C..R-E-T
COUNTRY Hungary
SUBJECT The General Directorate of the
Hungarian Post,, Telephone, and
Telegraph (PTT)
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
REPORT_
DATE DISTR.
NO. PAGES
REFERENCES
rE.
6 FEB 1959
27
RD
APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE
25X1
25X1
l
STATE
ARMY NAVY
AIR
IFBI AEC
(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by "#".)
RED
diagram showing the principal cable
25X1
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S-R-C: R-E-T
COUNTRY Hungary DATE DISTR. 31 JAN. 1,959
SUBJECT Thee General Directorate of the Hungarian
Po t. Telephone and Telegraph (PTT
DATE OF INFORMATIO
PLACE ACQUIRED
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
NO. OF PAGES .26
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SI- C/ E 7
THE GE AL DIRECTORATE OF THE HUNGARIAN PTT (C)
Table of Contents.
Pages Nr.
1.. Organization of the General Directorate 6
a. Effects of the Hungarian Revolution on the. Organization.3....' .... 6
b. Background Information. . . . . . 6
o. The General Director of the PTT..... ? .... , ? .... , ? .. 6
d. seotions.of the Organization. . . . . . . ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 7
(1)' The International seotion. . 7
(2). The Engineering Section . . . . . . . . . . . . . ? ? . . ? ? ? ? 7
(3) The PTT Researoh'station . . . ? . . . . . . . . ? . . . . . . 7
(4)- The Radio Section. . . ? ? 7
(5) The Telephone and Telegraph Section. 8
6)' Operational Responsibility . . . . 8
(7) PTT Repair Facilities. . . . . ... . ?,? 8
2. Wire Communication Facilities . . . . . . 9
a. Cable Circuits. ? . 9
b. Open Wire Oirouits. ? .? .. 9
a. Repeater Stations ? ? , ? ? ? ? ? ? ?. ? ? ? ? . ? ? ? ? . ? ? ? ? . .10
d? Switchboards Used by the PTT* . ? ? ? ? ? . .10
e. To11'Dialing.Squipment in Hungary . ? ? ? ? ? . ? . ? ? . . . ? ? .11
f. Ua. of Telex in Hungary . . . . . . . . ? ? ? . ? ? ? ? ? . . .12
S. Carrier Bquipmint Used by the PTT ? . ? .12
h. Cities with Dial and Local Battery Switchboards . . . . ? . . :12
34 Interdeoendenoe of? Hilitarar and Civilian CommunioatiRe systems .13
as Planning. ? ? .? e e e e e e ? . e e . e ? ? ? ? ? . ? . ? ? ? . ? ? 13
b. Wire Facilities . e e ? . ? e a e ? e ? e . e ? ? ? e ? ? 13
a. Military Interconnections a e'? e e e ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?13
d, Civilian and Military Microwave ? . ? ? . a ? . ? a a . . ? . ? . ?14
4. . 8oeoial Networks in Hunair' . . . e ? s ? . e ? ? ? ? ? . ? ? . ? ? ? ? 14
a. The "K" Network ? ? . ? ? ? 14
1 Technical Information. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? . ? ? ? . ? ? ? .15
2 Security Aspects of the "K" Network. . . . . . . . . . ? ? ? 015
3 Assi ent of "K" Telephones . .15
4 The K" Telephone Directory. ? .16-
b. The "M" Network . . . . . . 616
a. The PTT Service Network . . . .16
d.. The Special Network of the Communist.Party in Hungary . . . ? . . .16
e. The Special AVH Network . .16
5. The Overseas Receiving and Transmitting Service . .17
a. General Information . ? ? 17
b. The Receiving Station Near TARNOK`? ? ? . ? .17
a. 'The Transmitting Station Near 8ZM=FENVAR. ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?17
.$ EC 2E?
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SECMET
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Table of Contents
(Continued)
Pa. Nr.
Hungarian 'Radio 18,
a. General and. Organization Information.. . . . s e e s . . . 18
be ?Number of Transmitters'. .'. . .',. . . . . . . . . . . . ... 18
PTT:. Expansion Plane . . . . . . . . . . . 19
as General. Information . ... 19
be "Expansion of Wire Communioition,Faoilitiee. . . . . . . . . 7.9
as. Carrier Equipment .''. . , . ,. 19
do 8un ary of Possible EXPansion . 20,
Comments. . so . to . . .. . . . . s t i e s . . . . . . . . . . . ,. 20
Annexes . 22-26
SECRET
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SEc 2 E'T
THE GENERAL DIREOTORATE OF TEE HUXUARIAN
Introduction
This report contains information on the..organization and activities of
the General Directorate of the Hungarian PTT. To a considerable degree it
delineates the extent of expansion planned for the four or five years sub-
sequent to 1957 and the types of communications equipment planned for use in
this expansion. Also included are information on the overseas receiving and
transmitting stations and a description of the prevailing apathy toward this
service. Several special networks which use the cable circuits of the PTT
are discussed] the resistance of the Hungarian PTT to the use of high capacity
microwave links equipment is described in detail., Organization charts of the
PTT, a cable chart, and a sketch depicting the floor plans of a repeater station
in Tarnok, located .south.. of BUDAPEST, are included, as well as a. translation
of an article which appeared in a Hungarian language newspaper in February
1958. The article describes in detail the construction of the new headquarters
of the Hungarian Radio, which was a part of the PTT.
The cities mentioned in this report are listed below with their geographical
and UTM co-ordinates:
Name of Cit
Geographical
UTM
BAJA
N46-10., 318-56
08-4215
BUDAPEST
N47-30, 819-05
OT-5565
CESLBD .
N46-56, 322-33
DT-0825
CBAX'IAR
N47-23, 318-27
OT-0852
CSORNA
N47-37, 317-15
XN-6976
N47-31, 321-39
3T-4864
DOM80VAR
N46-23, 318-08
BO-7939
GYOR
N47-47, 317-38
XN-0785
HATVAN
N47-40, 319-41
DT-0080
KAPOSVAR
N46-21, 317-47
YM-1438
N46-54, 319-41
Ds-0096
N46-37, 319-17
08-6865
N46-35, 317-25
XM-8561
.5.EC r2 ET
25X1
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Name-of -of City
NAOYATAD
MISKOLC
NAGYKANIZSA'
SAVAR
SOPRON
SZEOSD
8Z6tC P ERVAR
SZOLNOK
SZOMBATIELY
ZALASQSRSUD.
Geographioal
N48-06,.820-47
N47-22, 818-12
N46-13, 317-21
N46-27, 316-59
N47-00, E17-27
N47-58, E21-43
N47-20, E17-28
N46-o5, E18-13
N47-25, E17-01
N47-15, E16-56
N47-1+1 E16-36
N46-15, 820-09
N47-12, 518-25
N47-10, 520-11
N47-14, 316-37
8ZTALIN411RD6:.: (DUNAPSNIBLS) N46-58, 518-55
TAMASI N46-38, 818-16
TARNOK N47-22, 318-51
N46-50, 51:'
s'Ec 2ET
DU-8428
BT-8950
XM-8221'
XM-5346
XN-8608
EU-5411.
XN-8645
Bs-8605
XN-5'254..,
xN-4635
xN-1984
Ds-3324
OT-0430
DT-3525
XN-2334
OT-4205
B8.9168
CT-3749
XM-4089
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1. Organization of the General Directorate (See Annex A)
a. Effects of the Hungarian Revolution on the Organization
After the revolution in Hungary, there was great emphasis on the
political reorganization of the country at all levels. There were a number
of changes in the political hierarchy of the country, and politicians maneuvered
for positions of increased importance in order to strengthen their personal
positions in the Party. There were no significant oh es in telecommunications
ministries, directorates, factories, and laboratories
was some shifting of personnel in some of the smaller faotoriesl
such changes would
The most si fioant change made
was the removal of Laszlo HffiP14ANN
BHG in Budapest, who was replaced by sz ar KAS; however, HBRMANN s removal
might well have occurred because of contracts he had Si ned with the USSR and
Red China which were hardly capable of fulfillment.
b. Background Information
The General Directorate of the PTT was a part of the Ministry of
Communications and Postal Matters and was directly subordinate to one of the
Deputy Ministers. The. Ministry was one of the most far-reaching in Hungary)
it was impossible to go anywhere in the country without coming in contact with
some branch of the Ministry or with some activity responsible to it. Because
of the great sphere of activity, it would be difficult to present the organiza-
tion of the Ministry of Communications and Postal Matters in preoise terms,
and because telecommunications facilities in Hungary were in a continual state
of flux, exact information varied from one week to the next. Plans were con-
tinually being made to increase communications facilities' new equipment was
being installed in many places) television activities were being increasedi
the PM high-fidelity network was in the process of organisation) and a great
deal of cable was being laid in southwest Hungary. All of this activity was
difficult to follow and quite possibly resulted in some shifting of responsibility
or possibly in the creation of new departments artments or sections) however the
PTT organization o in 1 6 assumed the form
shown in Annex A. the organization chart was available
to persons participa ng in scussions.concerning the equipment which would
be required for the planned television and frequency modulated network for the
country.
a. The General Director of the PTT
(1) The General Director
In March 1957 Imre =I08, a former technician in the PTT,
was General Director of, the PTT. MI0S occasionally used the title of doctor,
but it was doubtful that the title was authentic. His office was at BUDAPP9T 12,
kriszt~aKorut 6, telephone number 350350. The Director was frequently referred
to as the Postmaster General.
(2) The Deputy General Director
The Deputy General Director was KOVIBI (fnu), who had no technical
background, but was considered a good Party member. KOVV9I was referred to as the
Deputy Postmaster General. His office was located at the same address as that of
the General Director. KOV89I was directly responsible to DWICB for his actions
and decisions, and, in the absence of DEDICB, acted as.General Director..
S~GR~T
chief engineer of
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d;. Sections of the Organization
The General Directorate of the Hungarian PTT was organized
into sections, shops, and the PTT Research Station. Annex A shows that there
were 14 separate activities. The Education and Training, Personnel, Mail,
Signal Repair, Vehicle, Financial, Planning, and Work Affairs Sections are
self-explanatory, The sections of more than routine interest wares
(1) The International Section
The International Section was administrative in nature and
was responsible for gathering information on other satellite and Western com-
munications organizations. This information was disseminated to sections which
required it, such as the Engineer Development Section, the Planning Section,
and the Research Station. The section was also responsible for maintaining
files concerning international law; it received all publications of a technical
nature from the Mail Section and kept them on file. Personnel of this section
also translated technical documents and material.
(2) The Engineering Development Section
this section of the PTT,
was headed by Istvan NOVAK. The personnel, of this section were respon-
sible for insuring that the facilities or the PTT were the most up-to-date
possible. NOVAK made suggestions to the director and deputy director concerning
the development or purchase of technical equipment. The section also performed
studies of PTT facilities and systems and made suggestions for their technical
improvement when necessary. NOVAK, a strong advocate of carrier-type communi-
cations on cable and open-wire circuits, violently opposed those in the PTT
who were interested in the installation of high-oapaoity microwave links equip-
ment. In 1950 and 1951 NOVA{ worked on line routes for cable and open-wire
circuits for the Hungarian air defense system.
(3) The PTT Research Station
The PTT Research Station, established shortly after World
War II, was one of the oldest organizations of its type in Hungary. The
original purpose of the station was to perform tests on materials and equip.
ment to be used or In use by the PTT, Later, the development of telecommuni-
cations equipment was added to its dutiesd this responsibility still existed
in March 1957. At that time, the station or institute, as it was also known,
consisted of about 10 departments. Transmission, Television, Instrument,
Ohemical, Radio, Material Testing, Model Workshop, Library, Work Affairs, and
Logistics. The last three comprised the administrative section. In 1957 the
Station was headed by Dezso NAGY1 a Doctor of Physics, and an export on carrier
transmission.
(4) The Radio Section (Sae Annex B)
The Radio Section was the second largest section of the
General Directorate. It was exceeded in size only by the Telegraph and Tele-
phone Section. The head of the Radio Section was Tibor RONTO, a technician
who was formerly employed in the Telephone and Telegraph Section. He had no
special qualifications for the job, but he was a good Party member and in high
favor with the General Director.. The Radio Section consisted of two major
divisionsa the Radio Engineering Directorate and the Television Engineering
Directorate. The Radio Engineering Directorate was located at BUDAPEST 8,
Trefort ut, exact number unknown, and was headed by Laszlo SUSANSZKY The
Television Engineering Directorate was located at BUDAPEST 5, Vaoi utaa 33,
SeC RCT
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and was headed by Irme HODOS. The chief engineer was Zoltan MAROTH, and the
chief accountant was Karoly BACSINSZKY. The Radio Engineering Directorate
consisted of four departments, a receiving station near TARNOK, and a section
which technically controlled the PTT radio transmitters, of which there were
12 or 13. The four departments were the Financial, Technical, Work Affairs,
and the Microwave Links. The Television Engineering Directorate consisted of 25X1
three sections: the Television Studio, the Television Transmitter, and the
Television Links. the Television Engineering Directorate
would grow in the four or five years subsequent to 1957 because of the antici-
pated growth of the Hungarian Television and FM network.
(5) The Telephone and Telegraph Section (See Annex C)
The largest activity of the PTT General Directorate, the
Telephone and Telegraph Section, encompassed all of the individual directorates
in Hungary. In addition to the Budapest Directorate, which controlled only
the activities in BUDAPEST proper, there was a directorate for the BUDAPEST
suburbs,2 and one each at MISKOLC, DEBPMEN, SZEGED,'kia,.S, and.SOPRON. Each
of the directorates was organized in the same manner as the Budapest Directorate
(shown on Annex C). A directorate consisted of a director, chief engineer,
chief accountant, and technical, planning, work affairs, personnel, and financial
departments. The Telephone and Telegraph Section controlled all telephone and
telegraph facilities in Hungary as well as the operations of the international
radio receiving and transmitting stations.
The organization of an individual exchange activity in
Hungary assumed essentially the same organizational aspects as one of the
directorates. In Hungary, vertical organization was always the same from the 25X1
top to the bottom of an activity and within each separate branch. In each
exchange there would be technical, planning, work affairs, personnel, and
financial offices, in addition to a chief engineer. The head of the exchange
espond to the director at directorate level.
(6) Operational Responsibility
Each section head was responsible to the General, Director 25X1
through the Deputy General Director. Normally, only matters of policy ever
reached the level of the General Director; the section heads made their own
.decisions or received the approval of the Deputy General Directors The Resional
Dirsotorates had essentially the same authority as the section chiefs.
the head of the Telephone and Telegraph Section maintained 01.o3e
ional Dir
es 11 i
he Re
h
d
wee coo-
g
s o
ea
liaison with Y66?
25X1
over-all policy. Operationally, the Directorate heads were relatively free of
interference from either the emotion or the General Directorate. They were
allowed to make their own decisions concerning working hours of employees,
training of new employees, and maintenance procedures. Actually, such matters
were outlined by the General Directorate, and each Regional Director had a copy
of the orders. The chief engineer had the over-all responsibility for operational
matters in a Regional Directorate; consequently, he was chosen for the position
with more than ordinary oars.
(7) PTT Repair Facilities
a exa ang
which was responsible for all minor repairs in the exchange. It covered main-
tenance of switches, switchboards, power equipment, and distribution frames.
5EC 2ET
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A major repair section was located in each of the main cities of a regional
district to handle more serious repairs. If. equipment had to be overhauled
completely, it was dismounted and shipped to the BHG factory, to the factory
of manufacture if located in Hungary, or otherwise to the main PTT repair
shop in BUDAPEST. The PTT quite frequently sent their repairmen to the BHG
plant for refresher training in maintenance and repair of BHG-produced equip-
ment.
Maintenance crews were also used for outside plant facilities.
Such crews maintained and repaired open-wire circuits, performed cable main-
tenance, splicing, and repairs, and installed new sections of switching and/or
connecting cable when required. PTT crews were often observed working in
cable-heads, manholes, and on open-wire facilities. A crew consisted of about
three or four men,'and a PTT truck was usually available to them. All PTT
radio stations maintained their equipment in the same manner as wire facilities
were maintained. Local personnel performed minor repairs, but if major repair
or maintenance was required, the item was sent to the place of manufacture.
All PTT installations maintained small stocks of maintenance items such as
relays, wire of all types, capacitors, vacuum tubes, switches of all types,
resistors, and numerous other small items for communications equipment.
2. Wire Communications Facilities
a. Cable Circuits
(1) The majority of the wire communications in. Hungary were
carried over a large cable network which extended star-like from BUDAPEST.
The center of all long lines activity in Hungary was in the Jozsef exchange
in BUDAPEST, where all cable and open-wire long lines circuits terminated.
Parallel terminations were made in the Ministry of Interior and in Party
headquarters. Numerous small cities and. towns in Hungary did not have cable
connections with BUDAPEST. Lateral cable communications lines
and
exi
in Hungary did not
s -,
- - ?? _ such as TAME49I,
BUDAPEST. Town without communication circuits . a,
PAPA, MOR, KI9 oS, and others, were connected by open-wire lines to the
nearest city which had cable circuits. This was true of the many thousands
of small towns and villages in Hungary. The most important cable circuit in
Hungary was the one from VIENNA to GY, BUDAPEST, CMLED, and on to SZEGEDI
The next most important
d
t
.
e
from 5ZEGED it went on to Bffi. RARE, where it termina
cable circuit was from BUDAPEST to HATVAN and on to MISKOLC.
(2) All cable was of the voice frequency typal there was no coaxial
cable in Hungary up to March 1957? The number of pairs in acable v pied from
24 to 144. Most cable was manufactured in BUDAPRRT at the ab 1 G dr Cable
Factory). According to specifications of the -PTT 25X1
able in Hungary
a
l
--
l
..
ESDo from BUDAP ,, am from the road shoulder and buried 50 am deep. The laying 25X1
of cable was the responsibility of the Telephone and Telegraph Section of the
General Directorate of the PTT,
b. Open-Wire Circuits
(1) Although the majority of wire communications in Hungary were
carried over cable circuits, there was a considerable amount of open w;re in
the rural areas and also some in the immediate suburbs of BUDAPEST, GYOR,
MISKOLC, and 8ZEIMF t tVAR. open wire was also used in
many other heavily-populated areas. There was an open-wire carrier system
S c T 25X1
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between BUDAPEST and SZFKHgFEHERVAR in addition to the cable circuits; hqw-?
ever, open wire was not used for critical circuits because of its-susceptibility
to storms and other types of damage. It was used primarily for connecting
smaller cities and towns with those cities and towns where cable heads were
available.
(2) Lines were placed on wooden poles along highwaysSr roads,
and the number of pairs varied from 2 to as many as 24 in some localities.
Not all open wire had carrier on it, but that which did could be easily
identified because pairs were transposed every third pole in a clockwise
direction. Bronze wire was used throughout Hungary for construction of open-
wire lines. Considerable research was being conducted at the PTT Research
Station on the use of aluminum wire for communications purposes. Copper was
on the critical list, and steel and iron wire was undesirable for such purposes.
It was believed that as more cable was made available"to the PTT, open wire
would gradually disappear in Hungary, except perhaps in the more remote regions
of the country.
c. Repeater Stations
Those repeater stations which were not oca ea in exonange
buildings were eas ly identified because all of them had the same appearance.
They were designed by the Central Design Office of the Logistics Section of
the General Directorate.
(2) The repeater station I located, about 25X1
12 km south of BUDAPEST in the village of TARNOK on the main road to
it^wasron Highway 8; the station entrance was directly from the highway, into a 25X1
driveway. There were no guards, nor was there a gate at the entrance; but it 25X1
was necessary to ring a bell to get into the building. The repeater station
at TARNOK had considerable importance because it was the first in the BUDAPEST
West-Hungarian cable network. The building was one story high, about 40 m long
and about It was painted light ray and had a dark red roof. (See
Annex 3). w there were two technicians on dut 25X1
one of whom lived at the station with his family.
The interior of the station was neat an cleans and a equip-
ment appeared to be in excellent condition. Technical equipment. consisted of
Philips 48-channel carrier. a Dower panel, batteries and a diesel semi-automatic
emereenay power u it. 25X1
e near p
Hungarian. e equipment operated quite welly
d. Switchboards Used by the PTT
(1) Switchboard equipment used in Hungary was manufactured almost
exclusively by the BHG plant. Much of it was copied from well-known foreign
equipment, especially the larger automatic dial equipment such as the 7A2 and
7DU, which were copies of British Standard equipment. The 7A2 switchboard was
made in 10,000-line size and the 7DU was normally produced in increments up to
a maximum of 10,000 lines. Any city which required from 5,000 to 10,000 lines
wast:always equipped with a 7A2 board; the 7DU was installed in those cities
which required less than 5,000 lines. Both boards were of the rotary type.
In smaller cities or towns, several types of manual switchboards were used,
either the local or common battery type. These manual boards were developed
and manufactured by BEG, and some were of the cord type, others cordless, and
5EC 2~~?
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many differed in voltage requirements from 3 to as high as 48 volts. The
boards varied in size from 20 to 200'. lines, and some could be paralleled to
increase the capacity of an installation. It can be anticipated, however, that
the cordless type board will gradually replace those with cords,
(2) In large switchboards, the tre as . in Hunaary in 1.Q97 toward the development of the Crossbar exchange. Crossbar25X1
equipment would eventually replace the rotary systems, but because of the
economics of production, it would take 8 to 10 years to make the change. It
was not believed that the rotary system would be able to fill the requirements
of a high capacity system. As another consideration, since the West would in
all probability attempt to sell Crossbar equipment to Hungary, it was important
that BHG waste little time getting it into production.
(3) Several types of switchboards for special purposes were also
used by the PTT. These were the so-called "Midget" exchange, the CB.-55, and a
number of PBX boards.3 The "Midget" switchboard was one of the most interesting
of wire switching devices. It was being tested n 25X1
March 1957. It had been developed by the BHG pan, and th-e-PTT-Researoh Station
in a number of sizes for the purpose of alleviating the circuit shortages in
local cables. Technically, it was a small, automatic board with 5 trunk lines
and up to 20 party lines. It was to be installed in apartment houses and. in
private homes and could be termed "neighborhood PBX equipment." The boards
were identified in a number of ways; "Berhazkozpont" (Apartment House .Exchange),
"Gal-KBzpont" (Gal Switchboard, after the name of the BHG engineer who developed
it), "T koz ont" Mi et Switchboard), and "Mellekkozpont" (Satellite Switch-
board), the "Midget" boards were to be in production. by late
1957 and installation would start by.early 1958. They were much discussed. in
telecommunications circles, and it was expected that large numbers of local. 25X1
circuits would be freed through their use.
e. Toll.-Dialing Equipment in. Hungary 25X1
The subject of automatic toll dialing was discussed a great deal
in Hungarian telecommunications circles during the four or five years previous
to 1957; however, in March 1957, none was being used.
Operator toll dialing had been in use, but it was discontinued in 195 and changed
to manual service.
(1) The PTT resisted all, efforts to do anything to increase the
number of lines available for long-distance telephone calls because it would
affect the bonuses which PTT officials received. In addition to their salaries,
PTT officials received a bonus which was based on the total. revenue of the PTT.
The majority of long-distance telephone calls made in Hungary were of an official
nature, military, political, or between factory heads, The person making the
call would ask for the top urgent classification for his call in order not to
wait. This classification was the most expensive,, which resulted in more mone
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(2) Another factor involved in the reluctance o tKe-FTT to
increase its long lines capacity was that the majority of its top personnel
were of the "old school" and believed that cable and carrier communications
as established would best serve the interests of the country. The officials
resisted anything which would improve the intercity service in Hungary and
especially the installation of high capacity microwave links equipment.
Istvan NOVAK, head of the Engineering Development Section of the General
Directorate, was largely responsible for the resistance to long lines expansion,
and especially to microwave equipment.
f. Use of Telex Equipment in Hungary
It was used to a limited degree by some
of the Hungarian Trade Missions and their counterparts in the West. Telex
equipment was of Siemens-Halske manufacture and was maintained by technicians
of the PTT. there was little interest in its 25X1
use for Hungarian factories and no one encouraged its development.
g. Carrier Equipment Used by the PTT
The Hungarian PTT used several types of carrier equipment; some ~
of it was manufactured in Hungary.
a considerable amount of Philips 48-channel carrier was used. The
Philips equipment was not compatible with other types of carrier equipment
because it used a six-'siloo cle s eech band d. its use to certain
definite cable circuits. Philips carrier a
on the BUDAPEST-SZMMFERMVAR-KAPOSVAR-PSCS cable 25X1
The BUDAPEST-MISKOLC cable was installed at the same
time. In,- 1951, ox. 1952 however? the Siemens-Halsle carrier was removed., and
RLTCS_rn0ni~f nn+>>r~~t9 1 7_nYiannal narri Ar rpn1 a.na it- This ?a rn n . was .hA RQO.T
the carrier equipment on t VTINNA aMR ATMAPXq!P-Cr 3T.2n Q7.AnZn-
BELGRADE cable route was also the BSOJo
equipment on this nabla would have to ba a+4hla with that usad In A
the majority of the open-wire carrier used in Hungary was the
BBO-3 equipment manufactured by the BHG. in the
six or eight years subsequent to 1957 practically all carrier equip-
ment in Hungary would be replaced by the .. eve ope series.
one of the basic reasons for its development was the standardization of such
equipment in the country. Carrier telegraph equipment would in all probability
be the BHG-produoed VT-2k.
h. Cities with Dial and Local Battery Switchboards
when a decision was being made to install 25X1
automatic dial equipment in a particular city in Hungary, such factors were
considered as the population of the city, its importance industrially, and its
location. The number of lines considered necessary for a particular city was
also carefully estimated. It was very probable that in two cities of equal
size, one of which was industrial, automatic equipment would go to the industrial
city. The automatic equipment referred to would be of the large capacity systems
manufactured by BHG, such as the 7A2 and 7DU automatic dial switchboards. BEG
was developing a series of smaller dial equipment in 1957, and it was very
StCk T
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probable that this new equipment would be installed in many cities and towns
which previously had only manual equipment. BUDAPEST was probably the only
city in Hungary which had a six-digit system; all others had four-digit sys- 25X1
tems. MISKOLC, SZRGED, SZOMBATHHLY, PBSCS
DEBRECEN, GYO , BAJA, and KESKN'is'`T had automatic dial switchboards.
~7 25X1
SZTALINNAROS DUNAPBNrE), which had automatic dial equipment.- 25X1
It could only be assumed that all other cities or villages used
manual switchboards of either the local or common battery type. It would be
difficult, if not impossible, to describe the type of board located in each
city, town, and village in the country.
3. Interdependence of Military and Civilian Communications Systems
a. Planning
At several meetings L
or expansion of telecommunications
disousse
(concerning the installation
fa _i 1 i ti ea in H n2arv . mi l i .arv se oraa
At every meeting
a representative of the military was present who quite
frequently objected to some phase of the planning. the
development of civilian communications networks in Hungary was very closely
related to the military requirements, undoubtedly based on Soviet concepts
and control. In 1950 the military and the PTT met several times to discuss
the adequacy of the PTT facilities for use by the military in the event of an
emergency. Military requirements were thoroughly established, and it was
definitely determined that PTT circuits, as they existed at that time, were
insufficient for military purposes. Many new cable routes were required to
meet military needs primarily, and civilian needs were considered as a secondary
objective.
as a result of the military and PTT discussions in 1950, a great
e o ca a was being laid in the estern part of Hungary and this activity
was still in progress in March 1957.
the project was progressing at full speed and carried a $11M M
classification. The cables being laid were of standard paper-insulated, lead-
covered types for carrier service up to 60 channels, even though only 48-channel
carrier equipment would be used until about 1960, when 60-channel equipment was
expected in ar 25X1
oa a was being laid along most o the major high-
ways in the western pa o he country. ZA ZBOp NYIRADA, SA VARY PAPA,
M ALI, NAOYKANIZSA, KAPOSVAR, NAGYATAD, DOMB0VKRp CSORNA, OYOR, Cs1Gtv1 R, and
REPCZLAX were specifically mentioned as bases of operation for the cable laying
activity. The military always had observers on the scene to note where the
cable was being laid as well as the locations of cross-over points and repeater
stations. The military reserved for themselves a certain number of circuits
in each cable.
o. Military Interconnections
Military circuits were always clearly marked in all cable huts,
repeater stations, and exchanges as identification to repairmen and military
signal personnel desiring to use them. I the method used 25X1
to identify military circuital (consisted of either painting
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the terminal connections or of hanging tags on the reserved circuits. These
special military circuits terminated in the military headquarters building in
BUDAPEST, A military unit on maneuvers carried field wire or field cable in
order to make connections with the military cable circuits. One type of wire
was a lightweight single conductor consisting of several strands of steel and
copper with either cloth or synthetic insulation. It was carried on drums of
about 1,000 m per drum] two wires were required for a circuit. Another was a
cable consisting of two pairs of conductors, each conductor of stranded copper,
individually insulated, and encased in a synthetic rubber covering. Heavy
duty connectors were placed on the ends of each length of cable, which was then
wound on a drum, of about 200 m capacity, and carried on a specially-equipped
cable truck, which was either a Csepel 300 or GAZ-1510 The cable, when being
laid, was placed on available trees, telephone poles, or on the ground.
d. Civilian and Military Microwave
(1) The interdependence of civilian and military microwave
circuits was difficult to describe accurately. In March 1957 the PTT'was
operating only one microwave link circuit, between BUDAPEST and MISKOLC, The
military had only a limited number of MH-10 and MH-6 microwave sets, and this
equipment was not compatible with the Brown-Boveri equipment being used by the
PTT,
(2) While the PTT opposed the installation of microwave equip-
ment for telephone circuits with the argument that present cable circuits were
sufficient for the needs of the civilian population, the military was enthusi-
astic over the use of microwave, but only from one field headquarters to 25X1
the idea was al-w-ay
to use microwave from a division to a corps, and then F= I cable to BUDAPElST,
This concept might change with the assignment of newer and better microwave
equipment to the military when it became available. Since the Hungarian Army
always planned its maneuvers on offense, such as armored troops driving a wedge
and immediately exploiting it, the concept was for large capacity communications
systems from the armored force to a field headquarters. It was not believed
that a large capacity system would be necessary from the field headquarters to
BUDAPEBT, therefore the use of PTT cable circuits.
(3) When the PM-28 and PM-8 microwave equipment becomes available
in Hungary, sometime. in 1959, the situation might change with respect to co-
ordination between military and civilian microwave circuits. The PM-28 and
the PM-8 were to be completely compatible, this fact would 25X1
perhaps change the degree of dependence of the mitary on the civilian systems
however, in the event of a national emergency, the military would take over all
or the majority of the PTT communications facilities.
(4) During 1955 and 1956, the military in Hungary, had tried to
get the PTT to install more microwave equipment, but the PTT's resistance to
it was so strong On the 25X1
other hand, the PTT wanted the military to install microwave equipment on a
permanent basis in the belief that it would release large numbers of long distance
circuits. Therefore, it was difficult to predict whether the military or the PTT
would install high capacity microwave links equipment in the future.
4. Special Networks in Hungary
a. The "K" Network
The "K" network was one of several operated in Hungary for special
communications purposes. Essentially, all of the networks operated in the same
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manners special cable pairs, secret numbers, secret telephones, and secret
operational procedures. The "K" network was installed either in 1950 or 1951
and was for the specific use of-top Party officials, top industrial managers,
and military personnel of high rank, In addition to the security it provided
th
b
y
e
it obviated the need of waiting for a connection. It was designed
Telephone Department of the BHQ plant from specifications submitted by the
Ministry of Interior. The only special thing about the "K" network was that
i
al room of the
it used a 7DU'type switchboard, which was placed in a spec
rtion of the "K" network was controlled from the "Rook Center" -
National Air Defense Command). 25X1
(1) Technical Information
The "K" network system had a capacity of 4,000 lines, numbered
from 1000 to 4999. It;.was provided with fully automatic equipment, not only in
the BUDAPEST area but in all cities and districts of Hungary where it was used.
Each line'of the 4000 was assigned to a person and not to an office or position.
Telephone instruments used in the "K" network were modified in such a way that
they could not be operated without'.the use of a specially designed plug or key.
This special plug or'key constituted the "look" for the telephone and was
controlled by an unidentified office of the Ministry of the Interior. The amount
of numbers required for a certain area was first determined; then circuits in
existing PTT cables were earmarked and set aside. PTT repairmen who might come
in contact with the earmarked circuits were given strict orders to ignore them.
(2) security Aspects of the "K" Network
The entire "K" network system came under the security procedures
of the AVH, which inspected the instruments, switchboards, and cable circuits and
also examined and approved repair personnel as well as the physical security of
switchboards and telephone sets. Telephone sets had to be kept in looked cabinets
or drawers of desks. A' technical inspector, a-tecimioian from the BHD plant, was
assigned to perform operational checks on the network. He was issued a special
pass, with his photograph on it, which had to be renewed each month and was required
for entering the switchboard-room, cable heads, and main distribution frames. The
technician was specially selected after a security check by the AVH. He had strict
instructions not to discuss the network with anyone; the slightest infraction
would result in his dismissal. The 7DU switchboard in the Jozsef exchange was in
a special room in the cellar of the building.
(3)' Assignment of "K" Telephones
All ministers, deputy ministers, heads of directorates, Party
secretaries at ministry level, OP Headquarters, the directors of important plants,
and Party organizers of the plants had "K" telephones. The director of the Tele-
communications Research Institute had a?"K" telephone, as did the Deputy Minister
of Defense and the. Party secretaries in the Defense Ministry. In short, a "K"
talenhone could usually be found at any level where there was a high Party official.
25X1
Application
for a "K" telephone was made to the Ministry of Interior, which issued a permit
for the installation if the application was approved.
(4) "K" Telephone Directory
The cover of the seoret telephone directory for the "K" net-
work was light green with a dark red border; it was about 15 x 10 cm. It con-
tained about 40 pages with about 15 names and phone numbers on each page. The
titles of subscribers were not used except for military persons. The names
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were listed from the front to the back of the book in order of importance.
su
it did not contain the names of a
For some unexplained reason,
}17f r " r.e.ul d nail the information operator, 05, and get the number.
b.. The "M" Network
ry
It was established for. the purpose of effecting rapid mobilization in aung
in the event of an emergency. Lines were available to the top CP officials
and: all top military- leaders. The system had a maximum of 1000 lines, and like
the "K" network, fully automatic equipment.
he switchboard in BUDAPB3T was probably in one of the
military pas erns in the city. The "M" network so used the cable facilities
of the PTT. the Chief of Staff,
had five telephones. a regular.city telephone, a phone
in the PBX system of the building, an "N" phone, a "KeO phone, and a Hungarian
Army field telephone. The phones were easy to identify, in the case of the
"M" and "K" phones, by letters placed on them.
o. The PTT Service Network
Every exchange in Hungary was connected to the. switchboard of the
PTT central office in BUDAPEST through, normal PTT cable circuits. These circuits.
were nothing more than'a service network for the use of PTT officials in all
cities and directorates. It probably consisted of about 1000 lines and had
automatic equipment.
d. The Special Network of the Communist Party in Hungary
Like all other special telephone networks in Hungary, the Communist
Party special net, which served only to provide instant communications between
members of the OP in certain areas, had fully automatic equipment. Such officials
as the First Party Secretary, ministers, and Party secretaries in the various 25X1
plantb'and districts were connected with the system. the
network was organized on a district basis because it had a two-digit system
which allowed a'maximum of 99 numbers to be used, an amount hardly sufficient for
the entire country, and, as an example, the Party secretary of the BHO plant
would not ordinarily have any business with the Party secretary of a plant in
another city. The network operated with a special calling 'signal which was
generated by a voltage lower than 48 VDC, which was used throughout the country
on automatio systems. 25X1
e. The Special AVH Network
the AVH did have numerous seore tele-
phone numbers, but for security purposes only. In 1952 or 1953 the development
laboratory of the Telephone Factory received an order from the AVH for the
development of special 50-line teletype switchboards. Laszlo NADAS, the engineer
in charge of the project, and his-staff finished the project, and it was sent
to the Radio Equipment Factory in BUDAPEST for production. Several production
people were transferred from the Telephone Factor to the Radio equipment Factory
to assist in the production of the exchanges. production was
J ECPE, T 25X1
bscribers
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used Siemens- s e t etype
machines, type unidentified$ the machines a the
exchanges were used in a pecial oomm ca ons ne work for theIAVH-I
5. The Overseas Receiving and Transmitting Service
a. General Information
The overseas receiving and transmitting service of the Hungarian
was one of the most neglected branches of the communications services.
At the beginning of Communist domination'of Hungary in 1948, little,
if any,attention was paid to the receiving,or transmitting station 25X1
There'were complaints that the service should be
improved, but the official viewpoint was that the Communist Party was not 25X1
interested in improving communications with the West and that existing cable
circuits sufficed for communications with the East. It would have coat con-
siderable money to buy the new equipment which was needed, especially since
such equipment would have had to be bought from the West. It was well known
?that the Mechanical Laboratory in BUDAPEST.'during 1955 and'1956 had been producing
excellent quality communications receivers, in four types differing only in
frequency range. They were for export to Red China, where they were to be used
for monitoring purposes. This fact alone proved that high quality equipment
was available to the PTT, but,the PTT showed complete indifference toward buying
any of,:.it.
b. The Receiving Station in TARNOK
station was under the Radio neer ng Directorate of the PTT, located at
BUDAPEST'S, Trefort ut.,'and hewed by, Laszlo SUSANSZKYO Operationally, it
was controlled by the Post Office Department, located it BUDAPET'1 , Varoshaza
ut, which was also identified as the Central Telegraph Office. The receiving
station was located in TARNOK, about 15 or 20 km south of BUDAPEST on Highway 8
It was in a two-story building about 65 m long and about 25 m wide. The
receiving equipment was installed on the second floor of the building. Offices,
and emergency power equipment were located on the first floor. In 1955 or 1 56
ithare?were about 25 receivers in racks situated around the room.o-
A technician,
PUMZRI ' fnu ,' and several 'other personnel oompp +d . the working staff.
o. The Transmitting Station near SZE FMMVAR
the transmitting station near SZE[SESFEI ERVAR
was about two,kilometers northeast of
SZEMFSE3ERVAR- on ' Highway 7. ' The steel antenna towers ' appeared to be about
Technically, the
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50 or 60 m tall. The transmitting station was under the technical super-
vision of the Radio Engineering Directorate. Lajos KISS was in charge of
the station until sometime in'1956, when he was transferred to the Directorate
and placed in.,over-all charge of the receiving and transmitting stations. 25X1
KISS was one of the few radio amateurs in Hu ar and had always been
interested in all kinds of radio activity.
mitters by hand keys.)
none of them appeared to be busy.
operators were keying the trans-.
there were about six operators on duty, but
6. Hungarian Radio
a. General and Organization Information
The Hungarian Radio consisted of studio facilities and a number
of radio transmitters located in various cities in Hungary. Like other similar
organizations in Hungary, it was splits technically, it was a part of the Radio 25X1
Section of the General Directorate of the PTT, while operationally, it came
under the Hungarian Council of Ministers, where a'special office handled all 25X1
of the ing.
The only function of the Hungarian Radio was to extol the virtues
of the Communist Party at'every opportunity.
(1) The studios of Hungarian Radio, in an unidentified building
in downtown BUDAPEST, were known as the Central Office.' Formerly the Central
Office controlled only the studios and the programs)but~by March 1957, it had
taken over both operationally and technically arri the responsibility of the General 25X1
Directorate of the PTT was only from the cable heads to the transmitters.
those who had been wor 25X1
General Directorate in the Radio Section were transferred. is
occurred in BUDAPEST and effective throughou a noun ry. 25X1
(2) The Communist Party headquarters always dictated the programs
to be transmitted as well as scheduling the times for transmission. Valeria
BE= was the program head of all Hungarian Radio. She was constantly in touch
with the First Secretary of the Party by special telephone lines..
was released from his position as chief engineer of
1957, he was made technical head of Hungarian Radio
When Laszlo }MANN
e G plant in January
b. Number of Transmitters
25X1
There were about 12 radio transmitters in Hungary used for broad-
casting. they were in BUDAPEST.. SZOMBATHELY, SZEGBD 25X1
NYIREGHAZA, DO AR, G Y R, MISKOLC, D E B P M N , P S, and NAGYKANIZSA.
BUDAPEST had more than one transmitter and perhaps one or wo 25X1
other cities may have had more than one.
mitters were probably the largest. Programs of Radio BUDAPEST were relayed
to all transmitters most of the time; however, at certain times of the day,
each transmitter was allowed to broadcast programs designed to furnish local
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information. In addition to program relay by radio, the wire broadcast
service used the programs of Radio BUDAPEST for retransmission to wire
broadcast subscribers. A new transmitter to operate'in the medium-wave
band-Was to be installed near SZOLNOK sometime during 1958 or 1959. This
transmitter was to have a ower''out ut of .140 kW and was to be constructed
by the BH4 plant. 25X1
7. PTT Expansion Plans
a`. " - Information Geheral
rumors and a'number of possibilities
discussed in semi-official circles about the, plans for expansion of the Hungarian 25X1
PTT.'facilities. as,long as the-present management 25X1
existed,' it would probably res s 'any e , to improve the 'service of the. 25X1
to-the'. point where:'' telephones were' available 'to 'anyone who asked for one.
the-top
25X1
management'did not 'consist of technically qualified personnel and ey relied
on the judgement of lower-level. personnel. Anything which would-reduce the
amount of revenue received-by the PTT would be resisted because of its affect
on the salaries. and bonuses of PTT management. (See pare 11). The revenue
would drop if cable circuits were sufficient to handle all calls placed with-
out waiting and without asking for high priorit . This situation was true .
? nant,t ly with reaneot to lone lines traffic; 25X1
area that the greatest advance would be made..
b. Expansion of Wire Communication Facilities
it was in this
(1) From about 1955 until about March 1957, the BH4 plant was
engaged in the development and production'of'several, new types of telephone
switchboards. These switchboards we're to be installed as they became available
to the PTT. the new equipment would be'produced from small
cities and towns in the rural areas of Hungary and not so much for the larger cities,
except ;the' so-called "Midget" switchboard, which had no place in a small city 25X1
system.' The installation of the near equipment would result in an improvement,
of service to subscribers even though it might not result in an increase in
the number of subscribers* '
(2) The telecommunications part of the current five-year plan
called for the development and partial installation of toil-dialing equipment
by the and o 1960 and for its use throughout Hungary'. by the end of 1965. At
a aonferenoe before the revolution', concerning 25X1
the,five-ye'ar plan, the question of toll aling'was.disous,eed. At that time
it was considered that it would take from 8 ,to'10 years ,for it to.be operational.
Cable'versus microwave links was also discussed at the oonferencs, and it was
decided that'the two would be considered equally and would perhaps be used
concurrently. It was also stated that'at least 90 percent of Hungary would be
oovered by the television network by 1965.
a. Carrier Equipment
The installation of new types of carrier equipment, would provide'
the greatest increase in wire communications circuits in,Hungary' for the next
few years. " F_ I the carrier equipment 25X1
would increase the number of circuits wit t u necessarily increasing the amount
of cable, and itLwould,oertainly meet with the approval of the PTT management.
The BHO- Transmission Development Departmenthad developed.new types of carrier
equipment. which were about ready to be placed, in production in March 1957.6
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Thi's new'equipment, the "BKM" series,,was to be developed in several models.
In'addtion, the VT-24 carrier telegraph equipment was in production and was
expected to be installed in Hungary. The Telephone Factory was scheduled to
start production of a 48-channel carrier equipment.,..
d. Summary of Possible Expansion
Generally speaking, no extensive expansion of oirouits could
be expected before 1958 or 1959, when the above-mentioned carrier equipment
would be available. It was possible that operator toll dialing would be
reinstated in 1958, but only on a limited basis. With respect to additional
cable oirouits, cable laying in the southwest part of
Hungary wo doubt constitute all of the cable activity in, Hungary for
some time.
the civilian gable network would probably ene y it.
in ais-ausmorw were held concerning the use of aluminum-clad cable in
Hungary because of the shortage of lead for this purpose. ThePTT was in
favor of aluminum-clad cables, but admitted that PTT specifications would
have to be changed with respect to cable huts and distribution frames, which
were designed for the curvature of lead-covered cable.
IL
'-There follows a translation of a newspaper article about the new studio
.
building of, Hungarian Radio. The date of the article was early February 1958.
Description of the New Building
After nearly eight years of confusion and delays, the construction of
Hungarian Radio' a new studio building is finally under way at 27 Saentkdralyi
utoa. ' The managers of Hungarian Radio said that the studio building had not
been completed before because the development and growth of Hungarian Radio
had received little attention until the first part of 1957, when adequate
credit was extended to begin construction work.
The managers went on to say that the most modern and up-to-date plans
were being used in the construction of the new building, and, to the best of
their knowledge, it would be ready for operation by the and of 1958.
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Laszlo HE MANN, the chief engineer of Hungarian Radio, said that the
new studios wouldbe.the best and. most modern possible. He added that,
beoause it was being constructed between two houses, the size of the building
would be restricted, but every square inch.of available space would be.used.
On the second floor of the building will be located a large drama studio
surrounded by several soundproof rooms equipped with an assortment of sound
effects, as well.as.an echo room. The various sound requirements are being
built into the studios.' A cellar, will be built complete with the sounds of
rushing water, steel and wood doors, stone and wood floors., and stone and
wood walls. In the center of each little studio will be a raised chair from
which the director can observe and direct the aotors and engineers.
The third and fourth floors will be occupied by a completely new concert
orchestra studio, as.well as a listening room to.aooommodate about ten people.
HEFtMANN said that the German Democratic Radio's large, public orchestra studio
had 12,000 cubic meters of space,.and, although Hungary did not need one as
largo, a studio at least,2,600 oubio'meters''larger than planned would be a
great improvement. HffiVMANN,added that this was especially true from the stand-
point of acoustics and larger audience oapaoi'ty. The engineers,were'taking
every step possible to" obtain the boat'aooustioal conditions.
In.closing, Comrade HERMANN stressed that the new studio building did not
solve the problems of Hungarian Radio,'but that at present the nation could
not'afford the, great expense.requiredi in about ten years, however, Hungary,
would have a new and modern radio-television center.
5. There follows a translation of an article which appeared in a Hungarian
language newspaper; early in January 1958.
Last year 10,000 new subscribers in BUDAPBST,,and 3,200 now subscribers
in rural areas entered the'telephone network.'' However great this growth,'the
demand'was not satisfied.' Because of a lack of'telephone sets, not even
requests for extension phones could be fulfilled. This year 5,000 telephones
in BUDAPEST and 2,000 or 3,000 telephones in rural areas will be connected:
A new telephone exchange to, handle 8,000 subscribers''willl probably be con-
struoted in PERENCVAROB and will be operational,in.1960 or 1961.
Beginning with the 62nd Post Office located next to the BUDAPEST Western
Railroad Station,;-,many 'post offices "will be modernized.' Rural post dffices'
will be modernized in turn. The post offices in the'BALATON area and at con-
valseoent',oenters ara,now being, modernized.'
article
consider
eAenla-
6omment+
ably exaggerated in the interest of making "good reading" for the
the figures are at least,50 percent greater than actual Inntallati-cm.
concerning the above.
gures quoted were
S`EC R CT
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1
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S.V'
o
I .;L It
I
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25X1
ECA T
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25X1
n
25X1
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Power
Panel
Operations Room,
18T
Philips 4 a i
Carer
Indicator Pos tions
Battery room
0
Storage
Emergency power room
Diesel semi-automatic''
15 m
-=- To. SZEI SFEHERTAa
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