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 SPY GAMES the influential head of division of the Foreign Ministry, János Nyerges, who is known to have been a key figure in building a network of foreign trade relationships since 1945, and to have played a major role in scaling up reexporting, as well as in authorising the establishment of joint ventures. At this point, Nyerges had been working for the intelligence services for over a decade and had gained extraordinary skills both in diplomacy and peddling influence. Providing Hoffmann with appropriate’ information was therefore hardly an issue. The German journalist, however, was an even more seasoned secret agent. I do not suppose he would let Nyerges pull the wool over his eyes, but their interests were the same. Hoffman was trying to find sponsors for his new business: in the meantime, he was dismissed from the Industriekurier, so he wanted to start his own magazine, focusing on East-West trade, but needed funds to do so. He figured that if he did a favour for the new Hungarian government by publishing articles in a number of German magazines claiming that the Kádár administration had chosen to walk the path of consolidation, he could rightly expect Hungarian companies to put an ad in the paper he edited on a regular basis in return. According to his calculations, he needed around 20,000 West German marks a year to support the magazine and a continuous supply of fresh economic news, news his rivals would of course have no access to. The deal was concluded. Through Kurtán and Nyerges, the Hungarian party promised to support Hoffmanns business, and in return “he will use the following as fundamental tenets when compiling the information material for the parties: he will deny that Hungary was a vassal’ country, deny that no change had taken place compared to a few years previously, and will deny that ‘freedom fighters’ were executed. However, he will explain that the government is stable. People are disappointed by western countries. A lot of measures have been taken and a lot of changes introduced in the economy to increase living standards.”281 Hoffmann’s round trip in 1957 - during which he met the general secretary of the Hungarian Chamber for Commerce and the press officer of the Ministry for Agriculture too, and was also allowed to talk to ‘the man in 281 Ibid. 275/20 104
