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 - Sympathetic journalism
'FABULOUS' IN HUNGARY follows: 9. “The future of Hungary has already started.”344 Considering the topic of the book, it is not surprising that Hoffmann was unable to find a West German publisher for his manuscript. I would even go as far as to say that the former intelligence officer well-versed in world politics cannot really have believed anyone would be willing to publish this title. In my view, the draft was only necessary to gain him access to Hungary. The book, therefore, was not published, but a few years later Hoffmann did write one that ruffled a few feathers in Hungarian party and government circles, more on that later. 344 ÁBTL 3.1.5. 0-12344/1 p. 68 Note, 8 November 1957 Confidence in Hoffman weakened slightly by 1959 due to his unfulfilled promise, and also military intelligence handed over intelligence documents on him to counterintelligence at about the same time, warning that the West German journalist and businessman may have been recruited by hostile intelligence services. Christened ‘Fabulous at that time, Hoffmanns movements were under surveillance from this point on and his contacts were investigated. In addition to Sebestyén and Nyerges, Hoffmann also met journalists on a regular basis: MÜOSZ, at whose invitation he arrived in Hungary in 1956, assigned a journalist, Ferenc Szolcsányi, to accompany him, and it was not long before state security found Szolcsányi. Every time he later visited the country, Hoffmann contacted Szolcsányi, who was assigned the task in September 1956 of accompanying and entertaining the German guest on any official and unofficial trips. When the Ministry of Interior launched its investigations, Szolcsányi was an obvious target as it was easy to put him under pressure for his activities in 1956. In November 1959, he was arrested for having belonged to the revisionist’ wing of the journalist federation during the revolution. He was interrogated and told he could only escape prison if he signed up for them, undertaking to report on Hoffmans activities. From this point on, Szolcsányi undertook to satisfy the hunger of state security for news under the cover name of ‘ Csepeli’. Hoffmann, however, was a shrewd man and Hungarian counterintelligence was not really able to get a handle on him. Following the arrest of her husband, Szolcsányi ’s wife told the German businessman not to expect his guide next time around as 129
