Borvendég Zsuzsanna: Fabulous Spy Games. How international trade networks with the West developed after 1945 - A Magyarságkutató Intézet Kiadványai 24. (Budapest, 2021)
‘FABULOUS’ IN HUNGARY - Economic diplomacy
'FABULOUS' IN HUNGARY Hungarian economy and those who controlled foreign trade, Rademachers person meant direct contact with the West German political elite: in the second half of the 1950s, the officials of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs would frequently meet Rademacher to further deepen economic relationships between the two countries. After the revolution was crushed, the Germans were somewhat hesitant, but economic interests overrode any legal and humanitarian issues. On 26 January 1957, Sándor Kurtán met Wolfgang Döring, manager of the FDP’s election campaign, who said “as far as emotions go, I was with the freedom fighters, but, as a politician, I cannot agree to allowing the question to move in this direction, given the current international situation.”278 A few months after Imre Nagy’s execution, Rademacher, representing the free democrats, visited Hungary again, as he had visited the country several times since 1956, and declared that they still relentlessly supported both enhancing trade relations between the two countries and also mutual diplomatic recognition.279 Indeed, the capitalist interests behind the FDP did not want to abandon the eastern markets they could reach through Hungary, and Hoffmann was one of the journalists who actively contributed to the vindication of the Kádár administration. In August 1957, Sándor Kurtán reported that ‘Fabulous’ offered “to put together a 15-20-page information sheet for the FDP so that the speakers can use an objective’ report in the campaign to counter the arguments of CDU speakers. CDU election campaign speakers are utilising Hungarian events to the full to verify their power politics. The FDP and the SDP [Social Democratic Party of Germany] are unable to fight this for the sake of their own foreign policy interests, because they have no insight into the actual situation here.”280 278 Ruff 2007, p. 315 279 Ruff 1998, p. 1131 280 ÁBTL 3.1.5. 0-12344/1-a 275/17-18 Note about Dr Emil Hoffmann, the West German journalist’s visit to Hungary, 10 August 1957 The Hungarian top foreign affairs officials were pleased to welcome Hoffmann’s idea, and arranged a wide-ranging programme for him to gain first-hand experience of the Hungarian reality. They arranged a meeting with 103
