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 over something that could have led to his immediate dismissal from his job.218 In January 1953, the CIA used this incident to explain that Süssmilch left the ministry to be employed by Bickenbachs company, allowing him to work with Hungarian intelligence and pass on information. State security documents, however, do not suggest that Süssmilch was truly concerned about supporting Hungarian foreign traders. In addition, we know that Bickenbach practically made his entire living from his Hungarian relations. According to a CIA report, Süssmilch also travelled to Pakistan and Brazil several times to represent the company.219 He later worked as a representative of an Argentinian-West German company and came into contact with Junger again in Argentina.220 Far from severing ties with the Hungarian network, Süssmilch was regarded by János Nyerges as a potential supplier of economic intelligence when he moved to Brussels in the early 1960s to work at the organisation responsible for the agricultural matters of the Common Market.221 218 CIA, FOIA, Special collection of Helmut Triska, 14 October 1953 https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/TRISKA%2C%20HELMUT_0055.pdf (Downloaded on: 21 August 2019) 219 Ibid. 220 ÁBTL 3.1.2. M-25447, p. 321 Report, 8 June 1962 221 Ibid. p. 323 222 Gábor 2013, p. 240 Another key contributor to the establishment of Hungarian-West German trade relations at the Ministry was Herbert Schellpeper, whom István Bródy had already conducted negotiations with in 1947. Schellpeper participated in the business negotiations as the official of the division in charge of foreign trade responsible for Hungarian relations at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft).222 In addition to Hungary, southeastern Europe was also assigned to him, and Schellpeper also had a say in determining trade and purchase quotas. Junger was eager to report on the ramifications of intermediation by Schellpeper, or ‘Salty’, as state security chose to call him. Thanks to his highly effective manoeuvring, he was able to arrange for West Germany to open up an additional quota of 800,000 US dollars for rolled goods in 1951, in spite of the ban imposed by the American 78
