THE ROYAL HUNGARIAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNICAL SCIENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600040444-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 20, 2011
• Sequence Number: 444
• Publication Date: September 3, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CCMPIDENTIAL
SECURITY IMFC RVATICIN
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION REPORT
CD NO.
DATE DIS
SUBJECT The Royal Hungarian University of Technical NO. OF P
Science
TR. 54p fJ
AGES 3
PLACE
ACQUIRE
DATE
ACQUIRE
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
Enrollment
1. In 1949 the enrollseen: at the Royal Hungarian University of Technical Science was
about live thousand students. This figure includes both graduate and undergraduate
students. I would estimate the number ?f candidates for the doctorate to have been
not in excess 'f 100. The tuniversity conferred degrees in the multiple branches of
engineering discipline such as chemical, mechanical, civil, electrical, and archi-
tectural.
Quality of the School
2. It is most difficult for me to compare one department with another.
would feel that the was the best. But In sincerity
I feel that each department was exceptional in its i613. It was an accepted fact
in Hungary t1 the University was considered one of the better technical schools
in Europe prior to World War II. The Swiss engineering school, Eifnossische
Technische Hochachule, which to the best of my knowledge is considered the finest
in Europe, gave both undergraduates and graduates of our university equivalent and
total transfer credit. !though a science degree at the Royal Hungarian University
of Technical Science was predicated on four academic years, it was unlikely that
many students would complete the basic requirements in less than five years.
The University Staff in 1949
3. I would estimate that the staff in 1949 consisted of the following members and
numbers. There were about 50 professors, 50 to 60 associate professors, 100 assistant
professors, and about 400 instructors and teaching assistants he LAST- figure is
a rough estimate j
Tuition Scholarships and &ttreace Requirements
4. to 1949 the tuition was 150 forints Per semester with the semester system in opera-
tion on the same basis as in the US. The semesters were of four and a half months'
curation neginning in early Septenoer and terminating in mid-June. !he university
also held summer sessions each pent.
DISTRIBUTION
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 There were no free textbook, each student being required to purchase ,is own. As
I recall, the university conferred a number of scholarships in 1949? The monetary
consideration involved in these scholarships covered tuition only. These scholar-
ships were bestowed on students who had attained outstanding scholarship or in some
cases to outstanding students vho couldn't meet the tuition costs. After World War II
these scholarships were referred to as university scholarships and bore no other
names or titles.
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6, trance requirements by the university were based primarily on scholarship attain-
ment at the gymnasium. The entrance requirements were the same for all students,
whether they sough` discipline in science or in the humanities,
Physical Chemistry, which was actually a course in instru-
mentai on, The purpose of this course was to familiarize cher:tistry students with
laboratory procedure which included instruction in molecular wei;_-hti-, optical
neae'J,re'Tenth, electrical measurements c' C'. laboratory
equipment,
there was sufficient
equipment c i ies for eac =tn~ent.
Quality of Instruction
----
--------_ .~ -_
... i. 1 F1_ or ire was, much b2
ter than at the Urrive California BUJ'
at both scho?ls
ra ec.nica background and trainint c?i the liunr_-arion rrofoocors. 1)1O- ;,,ieir
travels ant study at other foreign uni'o-reiticc ri;r icrlt ;,cr,
pore
knowledgeable _n a broader field of subjects.
10. ,taco of the po:,t doctoral foreign research liun;arian sci.olors rrior to iorld 'Jar II
was taken in ".e UK, S-.ritzerland, and Ger.:LLe ;/. teen Jorld War II ended, foreign:
scbolarsh'n and fellowship proems for both teachers a:_d 1-,dent--, wove critically
curtailed, The very few recipients of such ar.: i r--?nt.s were very- carefully checked
by the Hungarian autt.horities. It was general.l' Lnler-toed tiual- anyone ,oho made
application for ;r)r' gn study immediately becape a suspect? I :cannot recall a
single Hungarian u:s ergraduate 3tucient who was rr:rrti tted to panic i?.ate in an-;
foreign scholarship aitr r :inr11 ,dar Il; nor can I recall tue f oreir-n.
??-l In-e student,
from the ilest iversity in the nest ',lc,rld. War II yearn.
11. hurl; twferunce to the capabilities of Hungarian st.n.ents as compared
T to Tr;; students,
would say that there was very little difference: it we:cr, in_ : cudent_ at fuse
Royal Hungarian University of MChnical. Science received a much broader education. 25X1
This university has higi standarda.corparable to the better technical universities
in the US, and therefore attracts only the better students.
Library Facilities and Source Materials
12. We had a central library for all departments of the university but it war not adequate
for research students after iforld *.lar II. In ads Lion, individual deparcnten`s i'ad
E:: 7 their own libraries, i.tui scientific publications were sadly lacking,. F
rdered about 20 journals and periodicals from
the and the UK. We relied quite heavily on these publications plus whatever
German works we could met. Many of the graduate end a number of 'rile undergraduate
students could read English and, as I recall. they earn ht.,t,t,. tntero.,+.,a +,,., rrc
r - -- -- -
aria UK publications.
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C IDENTIAL/SECCRITY IHF ORMAPI
students could read Russian. As I mentioned, there was very little original Hungarian
research published after World War II, but I do recall two Hungarian Journals.
a.? Kemikusoki Lepja (a chemical journal, published in Budapestr in 19481
b. Magyar Technika (an engimsarering journal published in Budapest in 1948).
Research
14. There were no specific governmental decrees which placed restrictions
upon independent research at the university, however, each department received
research requirements and projects from industr-,j. Since industry was nationalized,
it. is logical to presume that the. requirements submitted to the university by industry
were actually handed down by the Hungarian Government.
15. A number of the professors at the university were honorary members of the Academy of
'Science, the Hungarian name for this academy being Tudamanyosakademia. This academy
was'located near the parliament building in Budapest. So far as I know the academy
didn't inaugurate research projects but served as a meeting place where various
professors could read papers before the scholarly body.
16. The Ministry'of National Research is"now fAugust; 19531 referred to as the Ministry
of Industry. In 1947 when all industry was nationalized I understood that the
Ministry of Industry assumed the role of leadership in introducing research on a
national scale.
,dmini st -r. - ion
17. The ?- Ivursity, which covers almost 50 acres, was damaged slightly during World War II
but *o+;1'' .y repaired in 1949. The Chief Administrator is the Rector. The
rv t. .1:1949 was Dr Zoltan Csuros, a gentleman then in his late forties. He was
a e:ori stocky individual, duly elected by the body of professors and not politically
ap1:-dntc,-. Dr Csuros, prior to'becoming rector, was full professor of Chemical
En@_neerng at the university where he taught and di?.i research in organic chemicals
and textile plastics,
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