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Laszlo Rajk and His Accomplices Before the People’S Court

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Laszlo Rajk and His Accomplices Before the People’S Court LASZLO RAJK AND HIS ACCOMPLICES BEFORE THE PEOPLE’S COURT BUDAPEST, 1949 Note on transcription This edition was scanned from the original. Hungarian names use many accent marks (on vowels and consonants), which were not consistently picked up by the scanner. Therefore, to be consistent, in this edition all the accent marks on names have been removed. We give below the accent marks only on the names of the accused: Laszlo Rajk = László Rajk Gyorgy Pallfy = György Pállfy Lazar Brankov Tibor Szonyi = Tibor Szönyi Andras Szalai = András Szalai Milan Ognjenovich Bela Korondy = Béla Korondy Pal Justus = Pál Justus CONTENTS Page The indictment ........................................................ 4 The trial ................................................................. 22 Examination of Laszlo Rajk ................................. 23 Examination of Gyorgy Palffy .............................. 64 Examination of Lazar Brankov ............................. 82 Examination of Tibor Szonyi ............................... 110 Examination of Andras Szalai ........................... 122 Examination of Milan Ognjenovich ................... 130 Examination of Bela Korondy ............................ 133 Examination of Pal Justus .................................. 138 Hearing of the witnesses ..................................... 148 The Prosecutor’s speech ...................................... 183 Speeches for the Defence .................................... 198 The Last Plea ....................................................... 209 The Verdict .......................................................... 216 Appendices .......................................................... 219 THE INDICTMENT From the State Prosecutor’s Office, Budapest 1949, á. ú. 85.166/2 TO THE PEOPLE'S COURT, BUDAPEST In the case of Laszlo Rajk and others for attempts to overthrow the democratic order of Hungary and other crimes the relevant documents are herewith presented to the Court together with the following INDICTMENT I accuse: I. Laszlo Rajk born on March 8, 1909, in Szekelyudvarhely, married to Julia Foldi, a schoolmaster, a University graduate and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, of Budapest, of a) war crimes and crimes directed against the people, in infringement of section 4 of Article 13 of Order 81/1945 M. E, given legal force by Act VII. 1945 and of section 5 of Article 10 of Order 1440/1945 M. E.; b) the crime of sedition once and continuously committed as defined in section 2 of Article 60 of Act III. 1930; and within the meaning of section 3 of Article 61 of the same Act; and c) the crime of having once and continuously been the leader of an organisation aiming at the overthrow of the democratic state order, as defined in section I of Article I of Act VII. 1946. II. Gyorgy Palffy horn on September 16, 1909, in Teinesvar, married to Katalin Sarmany, a graduate of the Ludovica military academy, a former Lieutenant General, of Budapest, of a) the crime of having once and continuously been the leader of an organisation aiming at the overthrow of the democratic state order, as defined in section I of Article I of Act VII. 1946: and b) the crime of sedition once and continuously committed as defined in section 2 of Article 60 of Act III. 1930; and within the meaning of section 3 of Article 61 of the same Act. III. Lazar Brankov born on July 17, 1912, in Stari Becej, single, a law graduate, formerly a counsellor at the Yugoslav Legation, of Budapest, of a) the crime of having once and continuously been the leader of an organisation aiming at the overthrow of the democratic state order, as defined in section I of Article I of Act VII. 1946; b) the crime of espionage once and continuously committed as defined in section 3 of Article 60 of Act III. 1930; and within the meaning of section 3 of Article 61; and c) the crime of murder in contravention of Article 278 of the Criminal Code, committed as an accessory to incitement to murder as defined by section I of Article 69 of the Criminal Code; 5 IV. Dr. Tibor Szonyi born on December 31, 1903, in Budapest, married to Anna Bernstein, a qualified medical practitioner, a former member of the National Assembly, of Budapest, of a) the crime of sedition, once and continuously committed, as defined in section 2 of Article 60 of Act III. 1930; and within the meaning of section 3 of Article 61; and b) the crime once and continuously committed of having been a leader of an organisation aiming at the overthrow7 of the democratic state order as defined in section I of Article l of Act VII. 1946; V. Andras Szalai born on February 6,1917, in Pecs, married to Zora Glied, a graduate of the technical university, an official, of Budapest, of a) a war crime defined in section 5 of Article 11 of Order 81/1945 M. E., given legal force by Act VII. 1945; b) the crime of sedition, once and continuously committed, as defined in section 3 of Article 60 of Act III. 1930; and within the meaning of section 3 of Article 61; and c) the crime once and continuously committed, of having been a leader of an organisation aiming at the overthrow of the democratic state order as defined in section l of Article I of Act VII. 1946; VI. Milan Ognjenovich born on June 9, 19.16, in Sarok, married to Veronika Kovacs, of secondary school education, an official, of Budapest, of the crime, once and continuously committed, of sedition as defined in section 3 Article 60 of Act III. 1930; and within the meaning of section 3 of Article 61; VII. Bela Korondy born on August 16, 1914, in Erzsebetvaros, married to Edit Poltary, a graduate of the Ludovica military academy, a former colonel of police, of Budapest, of the crime, committed once and continuously, of having been a leader of an organisation aiming at the overthrow of the democratic state order, as defined in section I Article I of Act VII. 1946; VIII. Pal Justus born on April 7, 1905, in Pecs, married to Edit Wagner, a University graduate, a former member of the National Assembly, former vice-chairman of the Hungarian Radio, of Budapest, of a) a crime against the people, continuously committed, as defined in section 5 of Article 10 of Order 1440/1945 M. E., given legal force by Act VII. 1945; b) the crime, committed once and continuously, of sedition, as defined by section 2 of Article 60 of Act III. 1930; and within the meaning of Article 3 of Article 61; and c) the crime, committed once and continuously, of having been a leader of an organisation aiming at the overthrow of the democratic state order, as defined in paragraph I of Article I of Act VII. 1946, because Laszlo Rajk and his accomplices initiated and led an organisation the object of which was the overthrow by violence of the democratic state order established by Act I. 1946. 6 I. a) Laszlo Rajk was arrested by the police in 1931, in Budapest, in connection with communist leaflets. Having promised in writing to become an informer, he was released on the intervention of his brother-in-law, Lajos Bokor, a captain of police. From this time onwards he was a police informer and agent provocateur operating in the University. In 1932 he caused the arrest of Gyula Schopflin, Karoly Olt and others; in 1933 of Agnes Birki, Jeno Szell and their group. In 1934 the police sent him among the building workers. At this time the communist organisation among the building workers was strong. In 1935, as a result of provocation by Rajk, 200 arrests were made in connection with a strike of building workers. After this Rajk disappeared for a time; the police sent him to Czechoslovakia in order to spy upon the foreign connections of the Hungarian Communists. After the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Rajk was commissioned by the Hungarian secret police to go to Spain and report on which Hungarian Communists were taking part in the war of liberation; at the same time he was to do his best to carry on disruptive activities in the Hungarian Rakosi Battalion. This provocative and Trotskyist activity on the part of Rajk made him suspect in Spain. There was an investigation, he was barred from holding any office, and later expelled from the Party. Before the defeat of the Spanish war of liberation he escaped to France, where, in the internment camps of St. Cyprien, Gurs and Vernet, he made the acquaintance of the Yugoslav agents of foreign espionage services. These, such as Bebler, Kosta-Nadj, Gosnjak, Maslarich, Mrazovich, etc. had either been in Spain, like Rajk, or carried on their provocative activities later in the internment camps. The French and American espionage services and the Gestapo all established themselves in these camps. One day Rajk was visited by Noel H. Field, one of the chiefs in Switzerland of the American espionage organisation known as the “Office of Strategic Services” (OSS) who told him that on the special instructions of his superiors he wanted to help Rajk to get back home. A German delegation also came to Vernet; its chief, a Gestapo major, summoned Rajk to him and told him that he would be sent to Hungary for “work.” After his return home, Rajk immediately reported to his old chief, Peter Hain, of the political police, later to be Szalasi’s police chief. Rajk said of this: “I told him everything I had learned in Spain and France. Hain told me that the Gestapo officer had helped me at his, Hain’s request.” On the instructions of Hain, Rajk, whose machinations abroad were not known in Hungary, introduced the agent provocateur Imre Gayer into the underground communist movement. As a result of Gayer’s informing, Zoltan Schonherz, Secretary of the Communist Party, was arrested and executed and Ferenc Rozsa murdered. In order that Rajk might not be unmasked, he, too, was arrested, but was sentenced to only six months’ imprisonment. In December, 1944, arrow-cross military detectives arrested Rajk together with several others.
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