UNIFORMED SECURITY FORCES IN HUNGARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A059100120001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 1, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: June 2, 1961
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information sIIecting the National Defense of the IInited States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 sad 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to sn unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
S-E-C R-E-T
NOFCf~N
COUNTRY Hungary
SUB.IECT Uniformed Security Forces
in Hungary
Or~anizatian of the Karhatalom
1. The Ka,rhatalom (literallym Force of Arms, the former blue' AVfi) units form
the internal tactical branch of the Hungarian Security Services. In 197
there was a reorganization whereby these units were removed from the control
of the local county police headquarters and placed directly subordinate to
anew National Karhatalom Command located in the Ministry of Defense build-
ing on Marko utca, Budapest, These units are uniformed, housed in barracks
and organized on a military basis and are distinct from the Investigations
Section (N~romozooszta ) of the Police, which handle other functions of the
security serv3.ceso See Sketch One)
2, The functions of the Karhatalom units are as follows:
s. Searching for and arresting enemy agents and saboteurs;
b. Searching for and seizure of illegal weapons, stores of ammunition, and
enemy propaganda material;
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DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ
c, Guarding property important to the economic welfare of the nation;
de Preventing or dispersing of demonstrations insmical to the party or
government; searching for and arresting ring leaders and instigators;
?e Safeguarding the implementation of governmental decrees.
F~amples of the type of assignments a Karhatalom unit might be assigned were 3
given a:s follows a
g ARMY
REPORT
DATE DISTR. ~ JUN 1961
x OCR
S -T
AIR I
(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; field distribution by "#",)
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2_
enforcing a civilian curfew, assisting ir. the nationalization of a
farm area, guarding the railroad or street during trips by ~;over~i-
ment offici
l
.
a
s, guarc?irzg the provincial radio stations on
rational holidays, supporting s~ police raid or round-up. In
actuFal pr~-ctice Karhatalom units do not se~h out and arrest
ere tents, ~~?, but support the political criminal section
(sib of the local police in such instarues.
3. Since March 195$ the ~:ommander of the Kaxhatalom hr~s been Colonel
Nlikloa ARRAN
He attended a Soviet military
aca envy a some time. In lg5 he was s border guard officer and`
Prom 1~ to 1950 was commander of the governmental b
o
The hesd of the dY guards .
personnel section is Lt. Col. Jozsef PRIESZOR. The
following sections of the National Karhatalam Command. have been identified;
a. Training Section (Kike zesi Os_ ztt~~)
b. Supply Section (Hadta~ pa,rc3nc~noks~~)
c. Perso~-lnel Section (Szemel zeta Osztal~y)
d. Political Training Section (Political Nevelo Osztal~)
e. Operations Section (Hndrauveleti Osztal~)
f. Counter-intelligence Officer (Elharito Tiszt)
~. I lg5g t;rere were Karh3talom units in the followin? places;
5.
a. Budapest TII, in the vicinity of the Arpsd bridge, a guard regiment.
b. Buda~et IX, in the Baa~csy Zsilinszcy Barracks, a revolutionary
regiment.
c. Debrecen, a regiment
d. Gy~3r, axt independent battalion
e . Niscolc, a re~;ir~ent
P. Pecs, a regiment
~. Szeged, a re~;ir~ent
h. Szombo.tcely, a, re ;invent
In the Fall of 1~0 t;~.ere was allegedly a Ksxhat?a,lom unit housed in the
police bar2-aez~ in Budapest VIII, in the block between I+~sonyi, Festetics
Gyorgy, Kerepesi o.nd Lovasar streets (i.e. near the Fast Railroad Station).
Kar'P2r~talora Re~inent in ,Pecs
The Karhatalo~a regiment in Pecs was designated as ar, independent battalion
until the Pa11 of 1;+57 when it was elevated to regimental status. The
regir,~ent consists of a. headquarters battalion, six infantry comp~uifes,
one anti-tank Platoon, one engineer platoon
one comm
i
,
un
cations platoon
and one transportation (or support) plat?~on. In 1g5~ the units were
housed as follows;
r~). Tl:e F?cadquurters battalion, the anti-tank platoon, the engineer platoon,
t~:e cumaminica.tiQrr~ platoon and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Companies were
in the regimental barracks in the ~? xc between Lsinco Istvs~n,
Legszesz,g~,r, Liszt F. Rozs~, F. streets in Pecs (See Sketch Two),
s~cR~r/rvoFOR~'v
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b). The trm,nsportztion compagy and the kth company were in the old
Batthyany barrzanlss an the block between Somogyi G., Legszesz~ar,
Batthyany mnd Rozsa F. streets in Peas (see Sketch Three).
c). The 5th i~mpany was stationed in Kovagoszallos, district BQ.ranya.
d). TIYe 6th Company was stationed in Lovaszi, district Zala.
6. Red iu~z~tal heudqu~arters. The re~tmenta]. headquarters cf tiae unit in
??
Pecs consisted of the following sections;
a). Com?ands commanding officer (in 1959 ~a3or KOVARI, Jozsef),
executive officer (in 1959 Captain PESO Lajas)
b). Political. and educational section; poli;rcal officer, party secretary,
KISZ secretary, instruction officers, cultural officer
c). Counter-intelligence section; two officers who wore civilian clothes
d). Operations section; three officer (plans and tactical training)
e). Tr~eining sections Pour officers (udlitary training, target practice
and sports)
f). ~eraonnel section; two officers
g). Investl~tions sections a liaisan officer to the local investigations
section of the Pees district golice head..quarters
h). Code groups two non-cor~aissioned officers
i). Support sections a commander, three supply officers, a paymaster,
a doctor, a medical technician, a building administrative officer
Six 2nfantr~Companies; There are six companies, each consiatiag of about
lO0 men~in the Pecs Kax?hatalom regiment. Each compe~ny has several platoons;
the fourth g7.a,toon beinE, the machine gun platoon, armed with two Soviet
7.62 ca.iiber heavy ~rachine suns. The 5th Company stationed in Kovagoszal.los
was used for ~,vardinE; the urani~ mines in the ~+kcsek mountains and for
guarding rail transports of uranium to the Soviet border at Zahony, There
wire usuu.lly two or three shipments ~, weeL which were ~,uarded by a unit
of one non-commissioned officer and ten men. The 6th Company was in
Lovaszi gala, to gursrd the oil fields.
8. Social Platoons . In ~-addition to the sic companies there were several
independent platoons assigned to the Pecs Karhatalom Rtgiment;
a. Communication platoon with two sub-sectional one for radio
comsnanication and one for field telephone conication.
There were several portable radio units of Soviet origia with the
designation R - 2O which had a transmission range oY betureen
50 and 60 kilo.aeters. In additioa there wes ~. stationary unit
?xt the regimental. headquarters for direct comr.~unication with
the Karinatalom Commr~aad in Budapest. There was a special vehicle
on which this unit could be mounted. Strength 25 - 30 men.
b. Enbineer platoonQ this platoon is especi:~lly trained in laying
mines, constructing road barriers and in tY~e building of small
bridges; in the suamx-er of 1;59 it was issued a Geiger counter.
Strer~th 25 - 3Q men?
SF7CRET/~d~FORN
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SRCRET~P~'ORA
c. Anti-tank plataoa: this platoon had eight Soviet k5 mn. anti-tank
guns; each gun had six men assigned to it.
d. Transportation platoon: the platoon had the following vehicles:
one sedan (Pobieda} for the regimental co?ander,two deep-like
vehicles, 35 Csepel trucks, and 8 motorcycles with sidecars.
9. Arms. All of the Karhatalom soldiers are issued M 48 pistols; line
officers and non-commissioned officers also have 2T pistols. M 48
machine guns are stocked Por the Karhatalom units.
10. Trainin~.Prom. There has been no regular officer training since
l~j7: although there is periodic target practice. In March 1958 the
First enlisted recruits arrived in the Karhatalom units after a three
month's training prcagram in Pertod or Fntervast3ra-. Some of the
personnel at Pecs have been assi~d on occasion to Petervaaara to
assist in the training program there. The recruits are regular two-
year draftees who have been assigned to Karhatalom units by the
mobilization centers on the recommeridatioa of party organizations.
The training consists of individual and unit instruction and ].rater in
platoon, cony and regimental strength.
11. Soviet_Advisers. There are no Soviet advisers assigned to I~arhatalom
reeiments . -
12. Political AYfiliation. Between 90 and 95 percent of the officers of the
Karh~talom units are members of the Hun~erian Socialist Workers'
(Communist) party and about 60 - 65 percent are former A9S members. All
oP the enlisted men are mergers of the KISZ and come from Commamist-
orieated families.
13. ~a~~Allowances. Recruits received 180 Yorints sa]~rry a month as well
pas 60 forinta a month extra bonus for hazardous duty. Tl~e salary fcr a
first lieutenant with a family was 2,$60 forints a month. Company
commanders received between 600 and 700 forints a month over and above
their grade pay.
lk. Identification. Officers of the Kmrhatalom carried the same type oP
identification as the police.
SDCRBT~PJC~'ORN
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OR"AP1I7,A'1'ION OF '171E; ]itfik''ARIATd SF7CURITY SERiRCEyS
Minister of tEx Interior
s
First Ikputy E~9inister
Nati.or~-] Kark~ta] ate Cortr~r.~3
I `.
-18attional Police HeadquarterR
Indepe~der?t Kar]~tal am Re~,i.ments - - - : Nineteen Pcovincial
Indepenx]ent Iiar1?at~? rm B~t~l ions --
Police Hea3quarters
~~
~
~~
Municipal. and Rural
Police Of~"iceg
Budapest Police
District OPPices
Sections of t)1e
Provincial. and Budapest
Police headquarters
Inveoti-_~tions
(~~~ )
30 - 35 officer
Budapest Police
Eeadquarters
Misc. Section,
Crlmirntl ~tit~ES~ri. )
Traffic (I{8zlekedesi)
Administration (K~'i~~z4-~ta-ei
Foss Issuin~~ (Utlevel)
Licensinr~ (EnEMede]ye2asi)
Persantnl (Sremel.yxeti )
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-bW
K~^ rhat~~ lore fi~,rx~.cks in ~~ecs
(ic~ia~~ental llc~?.clrsuart?rs )
l~? nlco 17tvan u.
Kerr
_ __.
4 ~ I 5
- ~_ __.
1 - s.bout 13a x ~'ra, tiro Stories, Ord builriing, stockade
2 -about 1~5;n x la"m, tc-ao stories, barr~c;~~s i'or the lst, 2nd and
3rd Cor7i~anies and the anti-tank r~latoon
3
-about 30m x lOri, one story,
stora_Te room ~.nd ~~rrrkshop
4
- a.tx~ut l~n x s3r~, tc~o stories,
aranunition
stera~;c~ of clothes, ~ r?~s and
5
- ~,lx~ut 35m x 1Um, t.,ro stori.e:s, barracks fbr the err,~~inrt:er
platoon, officer's club, cultura.1 center and lecture rooms
6 -about 4t7rn x 15m, tr~-o :stories, re~;iT~:ental headquarters
7 -about 25m x l.~n, two stories, mobilization hec~dcuarters
for .Pecs O:i.strict
8 - L-shaped building, t~ao stories, co*~mur?ic~:tions platoon,
kitcl2en a,nd z,orkshops
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Karh4ts,loffi Barracks (Battjr ~,rrfscks )
is ~~~
1 -about ~~ x 15m, two stories, barraatca ~c-r the
nth Company and the support coe~par~y
2 -about 35m x 15m, two stories, kitchen, cultural seater
3 -about l5a.x 10?, oae story, of~iaer billets
~e -about 2f~ x 10ar, ~arabe
5 - ;uard house
6 -about 25m x 12m, oae story, vehicle repair shop
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