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’ - A chink on the peace front: Frankfurt am Main
'THE HUNGARIAN MAFIA' to return and seek asylum rather than risk being held to account.200 The CIA was apparently preparing Jungers defection as early as 1953, but had to wait several years longer: Junger was indeed ordered to return home at this time, not to be arrested, but to save him from the grip of the American secret service. State protection was clearly aware that Junger was the target of hostile secret services, they even considered the possibility that he might be collaborating with the Americans, but this was eventually ruled out. Junger also made purchases of embargoed items. In 1952, one of the illegal shipments, machinery from a German industrial company, was intercepted at the German-Swiss border. Unfortunately, neither the American nor the Hungarian sources specify exactly what machinery was transported. Junger bribed the officials carrying out the check with 10,000 West German marks and they let the consignment pass.201 The machinery arrived in the Bloc, but the American authority in charge of ensuring compliance with the COCOM list 202 launched an investigation, which led to Junger. The secret service of the United States put pressure on the West German police to arrest the Hungarian foreign trade attaché, so the State Protection Authority decided to order Junger to return home immediately.203 He was temporarily given tasks in Hungary, first as head of the export-import division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs204 and later as an employee of Technoimpex.205 During the winter of 1955-56, he was sent to South America for six months, where he was tasked with finding partner companies. Economic cooperation between Hungary and developing capitalist countries was hugely promising 200 Ibid. 201 CIA, FOIA, Special collection of Helmut Triska, 31 July 1953 https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/TRISKA%2C%20HELMUT_0012.pdf (Downloaded on: 21 August 2019) 202 The COCOM list was the list of technologies subject to the trade embargo imposed on the countries of the Eastern Bloc, as compiled by the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls established by international treaty in 1947. For more on the topic cf. Forland 2009; Libbey 2010 203 ÁBTL 3.2.1 Bt-489, p. 54 Report, 16 April 1957 204 On 7 November 1952, Károly Junger was awarded Category V of the Order of the Hungarian Peoples Republic for his work as the head of office. Magyar Közlöny 1952/78, 7 November 1952, p. 668 205 Technoimpex was engaged in the sale of machinery. 73
