WESTERN BROADCASTS TO HUNGARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000100460006-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 14, 2013
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: June 26, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

-r% C , /r
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Hungary
SUBJECT Western Broadcasts to Hungary
DATE DISTR. Jun 52
50X1
NO. OF PAGES 1
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED.
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
DAT;:=LP INFORMATICJN
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INiORYATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL OE FEN SE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE IS, SECTIONS 793
NO 794, OF THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANNMISS ION OR RAVE.
LATIOH ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY SSUTHONISED PENNON IS
PROHIBITED BY LAW. THE REPRODUCTION Ci THIS PON. 15 PROHIBITED.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION 50X1
1. Listening to foreign broadcasts was not expressly prohibited by
Hungarian authorities as late as February 1952. In 1951, however,
an order was published in the Official Gazette which stated that
the Minister of the Interior was empowered to stop either
individuals or groups from listening to foreign radio broadcasts.
Few people read the Official Gazette so that this order was not
generally known. As all radios had to be registered it would
not have been difficult for the Ministry of the Interior to block
listening to foreign programs; it would simply mean calling in the
radios and removing certain parts which would make it impossible
to bear foreign stations. The above order had not been implemented
Most people have listened to VOA since 19L1.5. 50X1
Naturally, the people who listened to VOA or RFE did not exactly
proclaim it "urbi et orbi"; they were not afraid to listen, but
they did not discuss the programs with acquaintances of whose
political learnings they were not certain. Most people thought
it wiser not to be known as listeners to foreign broadcasts; they
did not want to be accused of being sympathizers of the "Imperialist 50X1
West", so before tuning in they shut the shutters and closed the
windows. 90 per cent of the people who owned radios
capable of receiving such programs, listened to VOA and RFE, and that
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about 80 per cent of those who listened believed the broadcasts
and liked them. Even key figures in the Communist Party listened;
they gave themselves away by casually mentioning some topic that
they could have heard only from VOA or RFE. There was, however,
a small group of fanatics who did not believe what they heard
broadcast from the West.
In Budapest, Gyor_., and Szekesfehervar
about 30-10 per cent of the families owned 50X1
selection of the program is not under the control of the listener
but of the chief operator and the speakers cannot be turned off
at the listening point. Loud=.speakers were placed on important
thoroughfares in Budapest on occasions of national festivities
such as 4 April (Liberation Day) 1 May (Labor Day) and
20 August (Constitution Day). On such occasions speeches were
given by Rakosy and other political. leaders, music was played,
and people danced in the streets.
Villrad (Villamessagi es Radio Szakuezlet) government stores.
The Teachers' Union at the University bought a combination radio
and record player, secondhand, for five thousand forints; most of
the teachers thought it was cheap.
Ten or fifteen years ago there were "wired" radio installations.
Now factories and larger enterprises, including hospitals have
ordinary radios, centrally controlled, which transmit broadcasts
through loud-speakers. Such centralized installations in factories
broadcast propaganda, music, and local news. In such cases,
had their own sets. VOA, RFE, and BBC could be heard on
30-35 per cent of these sets. The number of radios has decreased
since pre-World War II years; in 1944 the Nazis collected the
radios, not only those owned by Jews but most of those owned
by other people. (Many people hid their radios in order to keep
them.) In 1945 the soviets collected all the radios. Both times
the owners were given receipts so that they could get the radios
..back, but not many were returned. All owners were required to
register their radios with the Post Office; the penalty for not
doing so was a fine of 200-300 forints. The tax on any type of
radio receiver was 10-13 forints per month. Most repair parts
were available and repairs were not expensive; the difficulty was
getting tubes for some sets, particularly for the older type
receivers. Most radios dated back to pre-World War II years or
1946-47; such receivers as Tungsram, Orion, and Telefunken could
receive lon , medium, and short waves. The price of these radios 50X1
(secondhand), ran ed upward from 1.500 forints.
In 1950, a set named Nepradio (People's Radio) was launched on the
market; it cost about 400 forints and was usable only for the medium
wave band. Produced in Buda est, (by the Standard Factory, which
also manufactured telephones it was intended to enable listeners
to hear only Budapest I and Budapest II; actually it was possible
to get Frankfurt/Main too. The Nepradio set had no dial, only a
knob for turning the radio on and off, and regulating volume. The
Moskva radio, made in the USSR,, was available at a lower price
than Hungarian made radios; it could be used to receive long,
medium, and short waves. New radios could be bought only at the
tunable radios. In addition there were many radio amateurs who
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4. There has always been jamming of all Western broadcasts to Hungary. 50X1
Jamming was increased toward the latter part of 1951, but it
was not too effective. 90 per cent of the broad-
easts were intelligible. The programs most jammed were news
broadcasts, both foreign and domestic; commentaries were not jammed
as badly. People had learned how to manipulate their radios, so
that even with strong jamming they were able to understand the
broadcasts most or the time; oy setting the beam a little of't' the
frequency, they could hear more distinctly.
It is obvious that not everyone can hear all the programs. The
important thing is for those to hear who can transmit the news by
word of mouth. Everyone discusses the news; anything that happens
in the country is transmitted by word of mouth and the importance
of news disseminated in this manner is much greater than is
ordinarily realized. The best-broadcasting time to assure the
maximum number of listeners, especially among the workers, is
from 2100 to 2230 hours. The majority of the workers go to the
factories at 0700, and even those who work in other enterprises
would not have time to listen in the morning. After work in the
evening, most people have to attend meetings so that the usual
time for listening to foreign broadcasts was after 2015 or 2030.
Those people who were at home all day probably listened whenever
they could get the broadcast.
Western broadcasts are the only source of reliable information
particularly about the West, for the people of Hungary. They are
sick of propaganda and news of the Communist Party; they want the
truth. When nothing unfavorable was reported about the West on
.RFE or VOA, people were inclined to dismiss all the news as
propaganda. They are hungry for accurate news of Hungary; ranking
second is their desire for unbiased world news; thirdly, they are
interested in hearing descriptive commentaries on everyday life
in the US. The broadcasts of VOA were considered not only more
Interesting, but also more reliable than the broadcasts of RFE.
BBC broadcasts were also considered good. The reputation of RFE
suffered when in the summer of 1951, it named some people as 50X1
having been deported or arrested, when actually nothing had
happened to them. In addition, the Hungarians thought the whole
tone of RFE was too propagandistic. On the whole
VOA broadcasts have been well organized and the speakers are goo.
The news programs have been most interesting, reliable, and well
presented. VOA many times predicted changes and measures that
were later undertaken by the Hungarian government. The people
appreciated this, and the popularity of VOA soared to new heights.
When Gizi Bayor, a famous Hungarian actress, and her husband,
Tibor German, an ear specialist, committed suicide in 1951, the
people learned about it from VOA only as it`was announced neither
on Hungarian radios nor in the Hungarian press. The same was.
true of VOA predictions of the mass exile from Budapest in May 1951..
50X1
suggestions in regard to pro-
grams beamed to Hungary by the VOA and other foreign stations:
more time should be devoted to news; news of Hungary,
world news, and news about everyday life in the US.
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Many Hungarians would defect to the West if they knew how
relatively easy it is to cross the border. The belief
prevails that the borders are strictly guarded, utilizing
dogs and electric wiring, but the professional smugglers
know, better; they learn about inspection times and patrol
schedules and act accordingly.
The fact that the Pope had excommunicated Roman Catholics
who practiced Communism: is apparently not widely known in
Budapest. Since this is a matter of grave concern to
Catholics, Dit should be emphasized.
Lessons in English, at one time given by the BBC, were very
popular with all the students.
Labor.eonditions in the US and other Western countries are
eery interesting to the Hungarian worker. For instance, he
would like to hear more about the outcome of strikes, a torpid
com ented.upon adversely by the Hungarian press and radio.
Comparisons of wages and relative purchasing power in the US.
and Hungary are of interest to the average person. (The
VOA occasionally carried such commentaries; they were very
popular.)
Nobel prize winners are not announced either by the Hungarian
radio nor the press; naturally, the Hungarians are interested
in descriptions of. such people and their work.
(g) Descriptions of the life of an officer in the US Army and
his relationships with his men would be interesting to army
personnel. Soldiers do not have an opportunity to listen
to foreign broadcasts; this doesn't mean that they hear
nothing of the broadcasts. Officers who live in private
flats can listen, and word of the broadcasts would get
around to the soldiers.
(h) Descriptions of university life in the US and other Western
countries would prove very popular with university students
and teachers.
(i) parallels from history presented in the form of commentaries.
would be interesting to the ordinary person; these should
not be too long however.
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