THE REORGANIZATION OF THE HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT AND PARTY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP91T01172R000200320002-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 9, 2003
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: July 6, 1953
• Content Type: SUMMARY

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OCI No.' U 7 CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Copy No. 9 OFFICE OF CURRENT INTELLIGENCE
6 July 1953
THE REORGANIZATION OF THE HUNGARIAN GOVERNMENT
ANU-PARTY
The sweeping reorganization of the Hungarian government
and top party leadership, accompanied by the announced intent
of the new regime to slowdown the tempo of socialization and
relax its harsh coercive policies, is unparalleled in postwar
Soviet-dominated Eastern Europe and may be indicative of a sharp
change in Soviet tactics throughout the Orbit. While the shakeup
can be partially explained. by Hungary's critical economic situ-
4tion and growing popular discontent, the nature and extent of
the changes appear to reflect the Kremlin's decision to adapt
its more moderate policies to its Eastern European Satellites
and to install a leadership which it considers more capable of
instituting these policies.
The reduction of Hungarian ministries from 26 to 19.is a
complete reversal of previous Satellite trends and is comparable
to the reorganization of the Soviet government following Stalin's
death. The changes in policy which the new premier, Imre Nagy,
has announced amount to a major reversal of previous tactics and
in some respects appear to be even more drastic than those
recently adopted in the Soviet Union. The premier has pledged
a.slowdown in collectivization and industrialization, a partial.
return to private trade, the abolition of internment camps and
an amnesty to "wrongdoers." He also has emphasized that living
standards must be raised and more food provided.
Personnel changes in the party and government have prac-
tically eliminated from top leadership the communist clique which
has ruled Hungary since 1945, and the number of Jews has been
markedly reduced. Of the old leadership only Erno Gero, who
has long been a rival of former Premier Rakosi, has retained a
top position in both the new Politburo and the government.
While Rakosi retains his Number One position in both the Polit-
buro and the new secretariat, his replacement as premier, com-
bined with the elimination of all his top party friends and
associates has seriously weakened his position. Among those
who have been ousted from all responsible positions are Party
theoretician Jozsef Revai and Minister of National Defense
Mihaly Farkas. The latter has been roplaced by a professional
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soldier, General Istvan Data.
The new premier, Imre Nagy, has been a member of the
Political Committee since 1948 and has held several minis-
terial posts since the war, particularly in agriculture, but
he has never been a member of the top ruling clique. A repre-
sentative of the Social Democratic Party in the Bela Kun
government of 1919, he joined the Communist Party during the
1920's and spent many years in the USSR before returning to
Hungary in 1944 with the Soviet Army,
Although all non-Communists have been eliminated from the
Political Committee, the semblance of a coalition government
has been maintained by the retention of several non-Party
members, including the important ministerial posts of Justice,
People's Culture, and Foreign and Domestic Trade. Like the
promises of concessions, the failure of the regime to eliminate
these non-party members is indicative of the government's intent
to slowdown the transition to socialism.
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NEW POLITICAL COMMITTEE, HUNGARIAN OLD POLITICAL COMMITTEE, HWP
RUKAV~RO PARTY
(e ec e a meeting of Central
mittee 27-28 June 1953)
Matyas RAKOSI
Imre NAGY
Erno GERO
Andras HEGEDUS
Istvan HIDAS
Istvan KRISTOF
Rudolf FOLDVARI
:Lajos ACS
Mihaly ZSOFINYECZ
Alternates
Bela SZALAI
Istvan BATA
Com- (in order of precedence as
announced at Party Congress
March 1951)
Matyas RAKOSI
Erno GERO *
Mihaly FARKAS
Jozsef REVAI
Istvan KOVACS
Marton HORVATH
Antal APRO
Sandor RONAI
Jozsef HARUSTYAK
Istvan SZABO
Andras HEGEDUS
Zoltan VAS
Imre NAGY *
Mihaly ZSOFTNYECZ
Karoly KISS
Alternates
Orgburo
-abolished
Matyas RAKOSI
Laszlo PIROS
Istvan DENES
Istvan KRISTOF *(believed
promoted to full membership,
1952)
Istvan HIDAS * (believed
promoted to full membership,
1952)
Orgburo
RAKOSI
KOVACS
HORVATH
HEGEDUS
HIDAS
RONAI
APRO
KISS
DENES
Sandor NOGRADI
rC~1~T 3
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Secretariat (contd)
La j os ACS GERO
Bela VEG FARKAS
REVAI
HEGEDUS
NAGY
KRISTOF
KOVACS
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NEW HUNGARIAN COUNCIL OF MINISTERS
The ministries listed below the new ministries are
tentatively identified as having been combined in the
ministerial streamlining process.
Matyas RAKOSI
Deputy Prime Ministers Former Deputy Prime Ministers
(all without portfolios)
Erno GERO,* First deputy and
Minister of Interior Erno GERO
Imre NAGY
Andras HEGEDUS,* Minister of Arpad HAZI
Agriculture Istvan'HIDAS
Karoly KISS
Ministry of`Interior Erno GERO *
Ministry of Agriculture Andras HEGEDUS
Ministry of Agriculture
Ministry of State Farms and Forests
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Janos BOLDOCZKI
Ministry of National Defense Istvan BATA *
Ministry of Finance Karoly OLT
Ministry of Justice
Ferenc ERDEI (Natl. Peasants Party)
Ministry of Metallurgy & Machine Industry Mihaly ZSOFINYECZ
Ministry of Metallurgy & Medium Machine Industry
Ministry of Heavy Industry Istvan HIDAS
Ministry of General Engineering
Ministry of Mining and Power
Ministry of Chemical Industry
* Member of new Political Committee
X-T
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Ministry of Light Industry Arpad KISS
Ministry of Light Industry
Ministry of Local Industry
Ministry of Foreign & Internal Trade Jozsef BOGNAR
(Smallholders Party)
Ministry of Foreign Trade
Ministry of Internal Trade
Ministry of Food Industry Ivan ALTOMARE
Ministry of Construction Lajos SZIJARTO
Ministry of Postal Affairs &
Communications
Lajos BEBRITS
Ministry of Postal Affairs
Ministry of Communications
Ministry of Peoples Culture Jozsef DARVAS
Ministry of Education Tibor ERDEY GRUZ
Ministry of Public Health Sandor ZSOLDOS
Ministry of Crop Collection Jozsef Tisza
National Planning Office Bela SZALAI
(Nat 1,
Peasants Party)
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