Borvendég Zsuzsanna: Fabulous Spy Games. How international trade networks with the West developed after 1945 - A Magyarságkutató Intézet Kiadványai 24. (Budapest, 2021)
FINAL THOUGHTS – TRAPPED IN THE NETWORKS
FINAL THOUGHTS - TRAPPED IN THE NETWORKS accumulate hard currency and to access embargoed goods. However, the economic damage caused by re-exporting, to our current knowledge, exceeded the levels that could be explained by a mandatory contribution imposed on the Hungarian satellite. What really happened then? At present, I cannot give a satisfactory answer to this question, and one can only hope that the tiny puzzle pieces will sooner or later come together to show a picture showing a greater semblance of reality. We can already state, however, that international financial circles were trying gain a foothold in the eastern markets, and found keen supporters in this endeavour among the members of the ‘foreign trade lobby’. It is enough to think of the capitalist circles behind the FDP that were forging plans as early as the 1950s to find ways to cut themselves a slice of Hungarian national assets at a favourable price the moment liberalisation was initiated in the economy, namely when privatisation was given the green light. The efforts by Siemens to gain a share in the market also falls under this category. The most illustrative example of this global network is the series of crimes behind Iranian oil transiting in the 1980s, where Phibro, one of the largest oil companies in the USA, pocketed profits from re-exporting. On the Hungarian side, the business deal can be linked to János Feketes circles and the ‘foreign trade lobby’.515 To the best of our knowledge, they inflicted the greatest damage on Hungary through this business, but the group as a whole can also be held responsible for the continuous deficit of the foreign trade balance. János Fekete ’s questionable lending and exchange rate policy516 contributed to the country’s indebtedness too. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the ‘foreign trade lobby’ was aiding and abetting the pillage of the country, forcing Hungary onto an inescapable economic path. But why? Who were these people serving, and what network did they belong to when they did what they did? Posing and answering this question is unavoidable if one tries to understand not only the past but also the present, because the change in political system did bring about a political caesura. Instead, the survival of the networks was relevant not only in terms of state security. This is exactly why so many people felt they were left 515 Borvendég 2017, p. 111-160. 516 Szabó 2016. 191
