HUNGARIAN LEGATION REPORTS CONCERNING LIBERATION AND FRANC-TIROUR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R002200740010-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 29, 1999
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: October 1, 1948
• Content Type: REPORT

CLASSIFICATION SF4RET/CO1TTROL -
Re I?@A1.919Jg8aW08Nt IAARDR"82-0045M 22O 7
INFORMATION REPORT CD NO.
SUBJECT Hungarian Legation Reports Concerning
L on and Fr nolaTirour
D0 ent No. /d
DATE DISTR. 18 i-``n 1-94925X1A2g
25X1A2g
PLACE NO CH fn class. NO. OF ENCLS.
ACQUIRED fl DECLA, - (LISTED BELOW)
Clasc_ f?Fsc,,. Tfl? TS f: f f! 1
DATE OF INFO. October 1948 DDA r pmo, ~ipr 77 SUPPLEMENT TO
4uth; I?DA. REG. 7Y REPORT NO.
25X1X6
The following are extract-translations of reports which
were prepared by Imre Gyomai, press attache at the Hungarian Legation 25X1X6
in France, for forwarding to Hungary:
Paris, 14 October 1948
Subject: Franc-Tireur Feud
The Franc-Tireur feud is coming to an end. The split which
I had previousIyreported: has come about, With Valois and Sauge at
their head, 25 workers on the Franc-Tireur have given notice that
they are breaking connection v t the paper. The present editorial
staff which is headed by Georges Altmann is trying hard to strike a
radical, extreme Left 6Ung tone in order to mislead the public. The
public, however, is not mislead-'and knows that the tone is false. As
a result of negotiations between. Georges Altmann and the leaders of
the departing groups, it was agreed that the Franc-Tireur itself
would publish a communique of the departing group informing the
public why they were forced to act as they did. The communique was
to have been published on 8 October. Instead an editorial informed
the public of the changes in the staff by way of an accusation
against the departing group.
I spoke, with Georges Valois and he informed me that since
his former associates were not gentlemen, about their agreement,
placards would be employed to advise the public of his group's stand-
point. These placards will be on the streets within a few days.
The change which took place in the Franc-Tireur did more
than explode the individual ambitions of the Do Gaul ist-Trotskyite
elements and of Georges Altmann. I direct attention to a very
important circumstando. Charles Ronsac, the foreign affairs editor
of Franc-Tireur is not only one of the personnel directors of that
paper, but he is also the managing editor of the Hearst interest
 ase-15 91bWWi JA- 002200740010-925X1A2g
GRITTR.AL IHTELLI GETJC1 :A GEITCY
Opera Mundi. 1t can logically be expected that within a short time the
Franc ireur will take the field for the Truman-1.1 rshall political,
social and economic concepts. There is also no doubt that there will
soon be a struggle between Georges Altmann and Charles Ronsac for. the
leadership of the paper.
I have known both Charles Ronsac and Georges Al nati.n for a
long tii and know both of them to be extremely ambitious. Altmann
began his career as a Communist journalist but from the very beginning
he did not follow the part9'line implicitly. Within a shorts me he
joined the ranks of the renegades and it was not until the German
occupation that his conduct gave him fQ,rgivenoss. Through the good-
ness of Georges Valois he got the edit;; .,ranc-Tireur. He
acted as an outright Left Ginger as long as he c not have to take
a definite stand on the foreign and domestic problems. Later when
he was forced to take a definite stand he helped Jean Paul Sartre
form a new political group whose real purpose was to splinter the
forces of democracy. His about face was hastened by Mme. Joan Hess
who has extreme influence over the weak Altmann. Charles Ronsac got
his schooling from the so-called "rotten press" along vri.th Pal Winkler.
Winkler is of Hungarian origin, Even before the war TTinkler was a
jlearst representative and it was with Hearst support that Opera Mundi
1W'- " ?blished. This was the press representation which prod the
press of France and Europe wr th the most impossibly colored articles
and it has by now created a widespread apparatus for its poisonous
work. Charles Ronsac is one of the heads of this huge apparatu*#
There is no doubt in my mind that Frano-Tireur will soon come under
Hearst control. This is made even more probable by the fact that
Altmann is not self-willzren the De Gaulli.sts do not believe
in him tiihereas Ronsac is ]gong and will give 100 satisfaction
to his backers.
The twenty-five journalists who left Franc-Tireur will
probably join the staff of Liberation on the 18th of this month.
The foreign affairs column will be ruun by our friend Louis Martin
Chauffier and by a reputable young diplomatic journalist named
Clement 1!7oerly. The latter began his career after the liberation
on the staff of Front National. After that paper closed dorm he got
a job with Franc-j Mgt He can really thank me for his job on
Franc-Tireur t~ecause I convinced Valois that ho needed a trusted
ofd .-Wing journalist to watch over the double-dealing Ronsac.
Raymond IvIanovy and Claude Martial are leaving their posts
with Liberation. Raymond LIanevy is leaving for personal reasons -
not bei:n. able to get along with the editor-in-chief ; mn=uel
d'Astde la VigerIe) - and Martial is leaving for political
reasons.
Imre Gyomai
Press Attache
146/pol. - 148
Reporter: Imro Gyoma-i Subject; 'Jew Developments in the
Press Attache Feud between Liberation
and Franc-Tireur; Appearance
Left-ring Soa aIist Periodical
The Do Gaullist-Trotskyite Franc-Ti ur wants to take its
feud with Liberation into the field of police provocation. The
political po ice are undou coming into the feud to back up
Georges Alt ,nn on orders from the Ministry of Interior and from
':a.shin ton%
SEC `'TIC 011No Not -" " Ma"PEMW
Approved For Release 199 109/09 : CIA-RDP82-00457ROO2200740010-9
C~A~
 Approved For Release 'ems 02200740010-9
CEITTPAL IIITI LLIGT TCE AGE ICY I
Albert Bayet was chosen for this task because of his reputa-
tion as a confirmed Left ling publicist. Ho evor, for some time now
the "bad language" newspapers have been whispering that Albertt Bayet's
espousal of the Left Wing was not genuine and that he did it as part
of an arrangement whereby he obtained the freedom of his son who had
openly collaborated with the Germans during their occupation of France.
In.the ,,split of the editorial staff of Franc-Tireur, Bayet took the
position that the material interests of he paper vrere tied to the
Trotskyite-Do Gaullist, Altmann, Ronsac group. Very few people knew
about this. change of position so Bayet was the most lc gic.al person
to get information about the new Liberation for the political police.
From certain sources I know that lhiyet will soon publish
these fabricated and baseless news items whch will refer to the
financial backers of Liberation. It will be his job to use secret
means in tracking. down the political, sodial and moral groups which
give financial support to Liberation. The baseless charge that
Liberation gets financial support from Soviet sources is no longer
given any serious consideration. To my knowledge, the political
police have instructed Albert Bayet to use the press and whispering
campaigns to convince the public that Liberation receives its funds
from Budapest, Bucharest, Prague and Warsaw.
Today I learned that part of the Liberation staff, numbering
eighteen, who were not willing to continue their financial support
of the paper under the V llois-d'Astier leadership, were paid
approximately eight million by way of settlement.
Raymond Manevy, the former editor-in-chief of Liberation
has become editor-in-chief of the Do'Gaullist evening paper Faris-
'resse. This change is welcome from our standpoint because ivy
has already promised that as an old friend he stands ready to serve
me and will always be willing to keep me informed on matters which
might arise in relation to Hungary.
The Left Wing Socialist periodical under the editorship of
Jean Morris Hermann still has not made its appearance. From workers
on the paper I have found out that certain publication difficulties-
have arison. The .type has been set for the first number.
In the meantime the directors W'have deei ded that Communists as well
as Left. IWding Socialists will occupy positions on the editorial
conunittee. The dispute over this point is still continuing and is
holding up blication of the paper.
SECTE
T/coNT}3C3 , ~:
Approved For Release 1999/09 P,$2,Ac 457ROO2200740010-9
25X1A2g