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 - The powerhouse of industrial espionage
FABULOUS SPY GAMES of the new information it had acquired after all, just in case it could prevent Sebestyén from being appointed. The agency was about to inform Antal Apró, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Jenő Fock, secretary of the Central Committee for Economic Policy, and Béla Biszku, Minister of Interior, about the activities of Sebestyén it believed to be hostile.325 This information report has yet to be found, so we cannot know for certain whether it was prepared to begin with, but the Ministry of Interior was relieved to see that it was not Sebestyén who was eventually appointed to head the OMFB, but former minister Árpád Kiss, and Sebestyén was only’ given the position of his deputy.326 325 ÁBTL 3.1.5. 0-12344/2 p. 93 Report, 15 March 1961 326 ÁBTL 3.1.5. O-12344/7-a p. 50 Executive report, 4 March 1963 327 ÁBTL 3.1.5. 0-16586/1. 21 Report, 31 October 1973 After returning home, Sebestyén became head of the Technical Secretariat of the National Planning Office, from where he coordinated and organised the establishment of the OMFB. He laid the foundations for the network of relationships he used to build cooperation frameworks with the industrial companies responsible for the technological development of the country, with preferential treatment given to West German companies, of course. Through their relationships built during their stay in Frankfurt, Sebestyén and his acquaintances paved the way for various West German firms to enter the Hungarian market, and to further strengthen their position later on. From 1962 onwards, opportunities increasingly opened up once the OMFB had been given the appropriate funds. Sebestyén was trying to truly justify the need to build industrial cooperation with capitalist countries to the competent authorities. As the West German firms they had a relationship with since their stay in Frankfurt were continuously making inquiries, Sebestyént leadership saw attempts to ensure bids by these firms were given preferential treatment, particularly when the technical and economic conditions were identical,”327 state security reported on the Frankfurt team. Based on our current knowledge, we can safely say that they did not overstate the significance of this meddling. Although it was not Sebestyén who was appointed to head the Committee, the actual control was in Sebestyént hands. According to Hoffmann, Sebestyén told him about the plans to set up the committee when 122
