i i1'iri s CIA - 13 Oct 71 NYTimes 001. is71 Odyssey Among Spooks By C. L. SULZBERGER MONTE CARLO, Monaco — The FOREIGN AFFAIRS „Spindrift of the cold war is the human spray blown hither and thither by odyssey, they attended a prearranged ideological gusts. This is typified by meeting in St. Peter's, Vatican City, dissidents who flee Communist lands and were almost kidnapped by the in search of freedom, by draft dodgers Hungarian "diplomatic representa- seeking to escape the U.S. armed tives" whom they met. Alert Italian ,forces abroad, by American black rev- security agents apparently prevented . olutionists in foreign havens and by their forcible removal. Itefectons from rival diplomatic or espionage establishments who for dif- Even before they tranferred from ,,ferent reasons abandon their native an Italian safe house to an American lands. safe house, Mrs. Szall's elderly parents One of the most puzzling of these in Budapest had been dispossessed of instances is that of Jozef Szall, Hun- almost all their belongings and contact gary's senior career ambassador and between the ambassador and his most recently special adviser to his friends had ceased. Foreign Minister. Szall fled Budapest It was difficult to imagine that a last year, spent a considerable time term as guest of the C.I.A. would 'under interrogation by Italian secu- improve Szall's chances of. advance- tity representatives in Rome, where he ment. Nevertheless, at first he was had long been envoy, and early this received by the Hungarian ambassador year was flown to the United States in Vienna and talked with offiicals by by the Central ,Intelligence Agency long distance telephone to Budapest. whose voluntary guest he remained Soon the freeze began, however, and for weeks. Szall's curious dream of redefecting Szall, his wife and 12-year-old boy began to vanish. He demanded a safe benefited from the hospitality of a conduct and a written amnesty. "What -C.I.A. safe house near Washington do you expect?" he was asked. "The during which time the family acknowl- red carpet treatment?" All doors edges it was amiably treated. They closed. tisited Washington theaters and mu- At this point Szall 'decided to return seums but were isolated from direct westward. He had no wish to go back contact with friends or non-C.I.A. of- to Italy where the security apparatus ficials: didn't feel especially chummy follow- However, although the C.I.A. offered ing his departure from the hospitality to facilitate the Szalls' permanent ad- of Rome spooks for that of Wash- mission, the ambassador remained un- ington's. certain that he wanted to make the Nor did he aspire to try so soon final leap. He still felt Hungarian and again to revisit the United States, a "Socialist" if of a heretically liberal which wouldn't have been easy any- sort. way. He wanted a neutral corner; Switzerland was inhospitable; so he Therefore, with the intelligence came to this little principality. Although agency's help, they flew back to Eu- Monaco is virtually a piece of France, rope, stopping first in Switzerland. it has its own flag and sovereign and The Swiss security police immediately no relations with any Communist Wanted a report on everything he had states. , , told Italian and American intelligence. Szall, who now lives in a modest When he refused they eased him out. apartment here, is in no sense a major The Szalls then went to Vienna figure in the criss - crossing tide of Where' they established telephone con- humanity set in motion by Europe's tact with various Hungarian officials East-West ideological cleavage. as well as Budapest's Embassy in Nevertheless, he is the highest- Austria. Somehow, by wishful think- ranking Hungarian defector since the ing, they hoped they might still be revolution that shook his country ex- forgiven and allowed to return home actly fifteen years ago and perhaps Ito an esteemed position. the most distinguished political refugee Just why they should have cherished to seek sanctuary here. More singu- such a delusion is hard to fathom. larly, he is one of the few cases of a re- While the Szalls were still refugees in redefector, by intent if not by achieve- Rome on the initial lap of their strange ment, so far produced by the cold war. .