HUNGARIAN LEAGUE OF FIGHTERS FOR LIBERATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R006200580001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 14, 2000
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: November 20, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

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COUNTRY
SUBJECT
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE OF
INFO.
25X1X
ROL - U. S. 0"IC IALS OILY
CE AGENCY REPORT NO.
RMATION REPORT CD NO.
Hungarian League of Fighters
for Liberation
25X1A
Mid- my to early August 1950
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BEtOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
20 November 1950
25X1A
IlistonR of the League of Fighters for Liberation
1. Two partisan associations, the "aMrar Partizanok Bajtarsi Szoevetseg (Vetoransa
Union of Hungarian Partisans) and the Partizanbaratok S.zoevetseg (Union of
Friends of Partisans), were established in Hungary after '. orld mar II. Of
these two, the Veterans'Union of Hungarian Partisans was the first to be
established. Its principal objective was to organize all persons who had
actually resisted the Germans. The Anti-German restistance in Hungary during
World War I1, such as it was, followed two general lines, namely, that stemming
from anti-German feeling stimulated by sympathy for the tostern Allies and
that generated by the Soviet government through Hungarian Com unistsa
2. Those motivated by ,;estern sympathies were, for the most part, people who
30
CLASSIFICATION
Hungary
veaause most or these partisans were soon arres.tef, f/)urrendered voluntarily,
r.
worked in industry; however, their ranks also included the Jewish population
and persons who held government positions prior to !arch 1944. The resistance
of this ;Troup consisted merely in fostering the attitude that the Hungarians
should cooperate with the Germans only to the extent that was absolutely neces-
sary for the preservation of the country?s independence. This movement had
practically no organization and was not subjected to persecution. It di.sintegrat-
ed on 19 March 1944 Wien the Germans occupied Hungary, because the Hungarian
bourgeois were afraid to offer actual resistance. Only one group under the
command of Endre ?Bajcsy-Zsilinsky and Lieutenant General Janos Kiss tried to
interfere with the defense of -ludapest; however, they were promptly exposed
and two of the leaders together with several members were executed,while
others were given heavy prison sentences.
The Soviets tried to organize a resistance movement which was to be supported
by the Hungarian Communists. As early as 1940 there were indications of a
Comnuni.st resistance organization; this, however, was quickly liquidated by
the Hungarian counter-intelligence service. The organization had but little
success with the Hungarian workers, After its elimination the Soviets attempt-
.~i7
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having volunteered in the first place merely to escape captivity. Only a
small group under Sandor Nogradi, now a lieutenant generals was active in
the western .Matra Mountains in the winter of 1944o Small resistance groups
which operated during the siege of Budapest were of no practical consequence.
4. In summation it can be stated that there was no resistance movement of any
importance in Hungary and that most of those who actual ly offered resistance
were middle class people and anti-Comrunist. Consequentlyj, the Veterara&
Union of Hungarian Partisans established after the end of the wa2a/$rimarily
made up of non-Communist persons and its leadership was by no means pro-
Communist, because most of the leaders were public servants, lawyers, physi-
cians and other professionals.
5. when some of the members of the Veterans# Union who }+eld public offices,
ventured to offer resistance to Communist pressure, the Communist Party,
sensing the danger, launched a campaign to eject anti-Communist key personnel
from the Veterans$ Union. Election was usmal.ly accomplished on the ground that
the persons concerned were at no time engaged in actual resistance. Consider-
ing the general nature of Hungarian resistance as described above, it was
difficult in many instances to disprove. this charges. Exclusion from the
VeteranaQUnion quite often resulted in the loss of public position on the part
of the individual concerned. The entire scheme finally resulted in Lt. General
Sandor Nogradi's appointment to the leadership of theVeterarsQUnion.
6. Once under. Communist control, the Veterans'Union of Hungarian Partisans
established the Union of Friends of Partisans in the winter of 1936, in an
effort to draw to the Communist Party those masses who possessed anti--German
sentiments and leftist tendencies but who were not definitely pro-Communist.
Extensive pressure was applied to persuade people join this organization. As
members they were required to attend meetings and performances where they were
exposed to systematic Ccmimunist propaganda including lectures on the heroic
achievements of both Soviet partisans and the Soviet Army. In the summer of
1948 the Communists believed that the time had come for the two separate
organizations to merge and be brought under the complete command of the Commu-
nist Party. The merger resulted in . the establishr,mnt of the LIagyar Szabadsagharcos
Szoevetseg (Hungarian League of Fighters for Liberatior.. #
Objectives,
7. The objectives of the League of Fighters for Liberation are as follows:
a. To rally those persons who persistently stood for the liberation of
the Hungarian peoples truly cooperated with the People's Democratic
regime and are prepared to defend the Hungarian Democracy by force of
arms and, if necessary, at the sacrifice of their lives.
b. To cultivate the veteran mentality.
c. To preserve the partisan tradition and commemorate those partisans who
laid. doom their lives for the freedom of humanity.
d. To train the Hungarian people s particularly the Hungarian youth, along
the lines of partisan ideology.
e. To support those persons and their dependents who actively participate
in the fight against Fascism and to look after the interests of all
partisans.
Membership.
8. There are two categories of memrbers, promoting members and regular members.
Promoting members are those who previously were members of the Veterans' Union
of Hungarian Partisans or Hungarian Union of Friends of Partisans. Eligible
for membership are persons who take an oath to defend the Hungarian Democracy
in all circumstances and by all means, and ivh ose life history and activity
in the rehabilitation of the Hungarian democracy indicates the probability that
they will live by this oath. Preference is given to those persons who
actually participated in .a liberation movement and can produce evidence of
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honor,, are members of the Democratic Youth or figured prominently in the
establishment of the Hungarian Democracy. Members are authorized to attend
the general assembly and have the right to debate and to vote. They are
obliged to uphold the veteran cause, defend the liberty of the people,
and obey the directives of the Union's leadership as true partisans. Per-
sons whose conduct is urn7orthy of.assoeiation with the liberation fight of
the Hungarian people, or of the ideal of the people's democracy, or who
fail to observe the directives pscribed by the leadership are subject
to trial and shall be ejected from the Union by an elected court of honor.
(All of these data concerning members'nip were taken directly from a member-
ship book).
Organization.
9.. .80 fir as is known, the League of Fighters for Liberation has the follow
ink; general organizational structure: Central Headquarters, National Head-
quarters, Organization Greater. Budapest, Komitate organizations, (regional),
county organizations, district organizations (in Budapest only) and city
and communal organizations. The rational headquarters is said to be made
up of motor., parachute, sniper, radio and air sections. The district organi-
zations in the area of Greater Budapest control the enterprise organizations
which include the majority of the League's membership. Depending on the
size of the enterprise concerned, these enterprise organizations consist of
several sections which in large enterprises parallel the sections of the
National Headquarters. The individual sections are subdivided into sub-
sections of a hundred persons each. Members of the organization pay member-
ship dues which, together with donations., constitute the funds of the organiza-
tion,
Personnel of the Central Headquarters,
10. The following personnel are known to be assigned to the Central Headquarters:
Lt General Sandor Nogradi, state secretary in the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
and Deputy Minister of National Defense; Major General Istvan Szabo; Major
General Kalman 5-evai, who is rumored to be under arrest; Lt Colonel Istvan
Kenez, secretary general of the League; Pal Vigh, member of the presidency
of the People' s Republic; and Rudolf Dosa, organization secretary of the
League.
Relationship with the Hun ?zrian Torkers Party (IMP)
110 Theoretically., the league is an independent organization which sustains itself
from membership dues. In actual fact, however, it is a sub-organization of
the MDP. Since the fall of 1949, the membership directives of the league have
been published by the MDP party paper $zabad Na They correspond completely
to those issued to other party organizations.
Activities of the Organization.
12. Aside from the official objectives of the league, as listed above., the organiza-
tion places emphasis on pre- and post military training, with special emphasis
on those branches of service whose training is particularly time-consuming.
Basic drill is conducted for all members and special training is given in
individual sections. Except for the fact that 6-mm small caliber rifles, former-
ly called Levente type rifles but now known as liberation fighter rifles,
are being used instead of Soviet infantry rifles. The training is conducted
in accordance with the regulations pscribed for the Hungarian Army.
130 Members who have motor vehicles of their own are assigned to the motor section.
They v actice convoy driving and cross country reconnaissance. They are also
given instruction in motor maintenance and repair. In this training they are.
furnished with gasoline for their vehicles. This section is still in the
rudimentary stage, because heretofore the League has had no motor vehicles of
its rATn
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14. The parachute section also suffers from lack of equipment. So far, training; has
been conducted only on the Farkas Hill near Budapest. In an effort to provide
the required number of parachute instructors, the QI?RF, the Hungarian associa-
tion of air personnel, was commissioned to train 90 parachutists for the League
in December 1949 and January 1950. kilot training is done entirely within the
CI x', which from outward appearances is an independent organization, but which
is actually controlled by the League of Fighters for Liberation. This training
includes glider training as well as training =n power aircraft; however,
emphasis is placed on the former type of training because of the goal of having;
a large number of students available for training in power aircraft. The time
allotted to glider training is very short, A and B certificates being issued
after one sumr~er's-training. The glider training also includes a thorough
introductory course in the theory of motor flight, with the low of providing
those glider pilots who appear to be fit for motor flying with the theoreti-
cal knowledge required before they begin actual training with aircraft. This
pilot training receives wide support, the various enterprises and employers
having been directed not to hinder participation. Admission to th4ilot train-
ing course in motor aircraft is contingent upon passing an extremely rigid
medical examination. For example, only forty of a total of 150 aspirants were
classed as being fit for this training in Diosgyoer in January 19500. The physi-
cal examination is followed by a political examination. The training in motor
aircraft flying has already completely -lost its sporting character and is being
conducted on purely military principles.
15. The 017HE has a large number of glider fields. Engine aircraft fields include
Ilajduszoboszlo, in eastern Hungary, SW of Debrecen; Szentes, in southeastern
Hungary, on the Theiss,River, north of Szeged; Tatabanya, west-northwest of
Budapest; Sajokapolna; I3ekescsaba, irj southeastern Hungary; Budaoers, southwest
of Budapest and Gyoer, in northwestern Hungary.
16. The majority of QI'RE training personnel consists of former regular air force
personnel. Generally, the trai nine quotas are filled by former air force per-
sonnel formally discharged from the air force, but at the same time reassigned in
mufti to MU where. they receive the same salary. The 02TE has a sufficient
number of gliders to conduct glider training on a large scale. Engine aircraft
available include types such as UT,-2, Arado, Buecker and Sokol. Training
activities conducted at 0?>TRi training airfields are of a purely military nature,
with students quartered in barracks and training groups consisting of 40 to 100
men. Instruction concentrates on the elements of air fighting. Information
concerning the duration of the courses is conflicting. According to the various
reports the courses last from 4 to 12 months. Graduates of the flight training
course in motor aircraft generally enter the Hungarian Air Force as officers.
Partisan and Other Training;.
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the League conducts certain
in c stjes or manor houses where the students are prohibited from
intermingling with the local population. Such courses are generally known as
partisan courses. As an illustration, one such course was given in November
1949', in the former agricultural school in Kapuvar in northwestern Hungary,
west of Sopron. The course lasted six weeks and was attended by about 70
students ranging from 1; to 50 years of arre, all of them reliable Communists.
The population observed that in the morning the trainees did gymnnastics and
trai-rted with rifles and submachine guns and in the afternoon engaged in field
trai4ng. ,tudents were not granted leave while attending the course. Their
clothing consisted of a yellowish green jacket, long yellowish green trousers,
tirh-ed below by means of a buckle, a blue shirt, a red necktie and a Soviet-
type cap. .hen the instruction course ended, another one began at once which
in turn was followed by a third. Since informant, a farmer from Kapuvar, fled
on subsequent courses.
shore of Lake T!al.aton s
which was conducted In
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ed members first receive training in evening courses which embrace a tota
of 90 instruction hours. Subjects of instruction include topography, ballistics
and gunnery. These making the best marks are transferred for further training
to the Bakonyjako training camp north of Lake Balaton which is situated south-
east of Papa. One such course conducted in mid-July 1950 was attended by
600 persons including 45 women and was scheduled to last six weeks. The course
included. motor, parachute and signal training. Motor training was conducted
with Cse'el 125 cm- and Java motorcycles of which 250 were available. Recon-
naissance riding in the field under simulated combat conditions was practiced.
The parachute section was composed of 60 persons who, after passing the course
at flakor ko, attended an additional course. All trainees repeatedly rent to
the Papa airfield. The uniform of the trainees consisted, in part, of gray
overalls with the rifle and hammer insignia on the left sleeve and flat gray
Soviet-type caps. The food at the camp was excellent, though the discipline
was extremely rigid. The bast among the students were scheduled to attend another
course of instruction in southern Hungary east of-the Danube River.
Mass EM!g!nda
19. The League of Fighters for Liberation conducts a large number of mass sports
contests which are open to non-members as well as to members. Being conducted
for propaganda purposes, these contests make it possible to attract persons
who dislike pre-military training. Motor sports contests and dio-4ting matches,
are continuously held] the laRterrbeing conducted on the basis of enterprise
contests,,constitute'a large-scale activity, with all major enterprises in Hungary
involved.
tzSz and the Hungar Lan Arrr
20. Soldiers of all ranks may join the MSzSz which has organizations in all branches
of the service. These organizations provide additional political training for
their members. Instructors are furnished by the Hungarian Army when the number
of instruction personnel available to the League does not meet the requirements.
Usually the instructors are officers and soldiers who themselves are members of
the League.
25X1 A T he referenced report contained information on the Hungarian
esoc a on of Liberation ~`ighters. According to subsequent information, the
official designation of the association is '.'.Magyar Szabadsagharcos Szoevetseg
(Hungarian League of righters for Liberation (MSzSz).
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