Borvendég Zsuzsanna: Fabulous Spy Games. How international trade networks with the West developed after 1945 - A Magyarságkutató Intézet Kiadványai 24. (Budapest, 2021)
‘THE HUNGARIAN MAFIA’ - The key to success
FABULOUS SPY GAMES and Junger had experience in building trade networks. All evidence suggests he did an excellent job: Hungary made huge profits selling Brazilian cocoa and coffee on Western European markets, but we will return to this in detail later. In October 1956, Junger was on another business trip in Argentina. He was on his way home in early November when he received the instruction from the new government to stop in Vienna and negotiate with the local branch of the Red Cross. He was staying at the Hungarian Embassy in Vienna when his family joined him at his own request. Junger then announced that he did not intend to return to Hungary, deciding instead to emigrate with his family.206 Before long, he was employed by the West German Thyssen concern as commercial director of the smelter in Essen. His first business trip took him to Argentina, where he had previously made connections representing Hungarian companies.207 Junger was well-known in western business circles, and to western secret services, so he probably knew that he could rely on his associates if he emigrated; there was obviously good reason for him to be appointed to a high position at one of West Germany’s most important companies. His former acquaintances, who had a business relationship with him during his posting in Frankfurt, eyed his fasttracked western career with suspicion; Todenhöfer, for example, reproached János Nyerges in the spring of 1957 for helping Junger escape in order to have him promote Hungarian interests at the company employing him.208 We found no evidence in the materials to support this, and the Ministry of Interior could hardly have foreseen Junger s flight. 206 ÁBTL 3.2.1 Bt-489, p. 51 Report, 16 February 1957 207 ÁBTL 3.2.1 Bt-489, p. 46 Report, 16 April 1957 208 ÁBTL 3.1.2. M-25447/1 p. 6 Report, 19 April 1957 The key to success Hungarian foreign trade needed constant price balancing, which meant that the production costs of certain goods exceeded the world market prices of 74
