COMMUNIST PARTY ORGANIZATON AND ACTIVITIES AT THE EOETVOES LORAND UNIVERSITY IN BUDAPEST

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00047R000100420007-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 6, 2013
• Sequence Number: 7
• Publication Date: May 26, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

.1.1
10 M Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/07 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000100420007-6
CLASSIFICATION SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION rV If ` --I
PLACE
ACQUIRED
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY Hungary
SUBJECT Communist Party Organization and
Activities at the Eoetvoes Lorand
University in Budapest
DATE
ACQUIRE
DATE DISTR.2,4
ay 52
NO. OF PAGE 4
NO. OF ENCLS. 50X1
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SUPPLEMENT TO 50X1
REPORT NO.
III, DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION ,,FELTING THE NATIONAL DEfENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES, RIT_IN THE MESHINDOF TITLF IB, BECTIDM9 793
AND 794, Of THE U.N. CODE, A9 AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION 0 AE_E.
CATION D ITS CONTENT' TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UMAUTNORIEEE PERSON IB
PROHIBITED BY LAW. THE REPRODUCTION OF TNIB FORM IB PROHIBITED.
50X1
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
lAY University life in Hungary was dominated by Communist Party
organizations and their ideological agitation.. The influence
of the Communist Party was so great at the Eoetvoes Lorand
University that selections of members of the faculty for
advancement were made on the basis of Party membership rather
than competence; non-Party members, although competent in
their fields, were not promoted. Most heads of departments
at the University were members of the Communist Party; only
a few professors had managed to remain in their positions
without joining the Party. The CP was anxious to recruit
prominent scientists to serve as examples. Membership in the
Communist Party imposed so many extracurricular duties that
the member became a veritable slave. He had no free time, but
he dared not slacken his Party work lest he be removed from the
membership list entirely or demoted to candidate. Under such
conditions, in which ideology and-dialectical materialism had
to be combined with purer scientific work, the latter naturally
suffered. professors =asked colleagues to
insert the required quotations into lectures because
they themselves were not sufficiently versed in the intricacies
of sandwiching irrelevant, ideological quotations into
scientific lectures.
CLASSIFICATION SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
P13 t.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/07 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000100420007-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/07 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000100420007-6
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
As late as the Summer of 1947 any person could join the Communist
Party upon the recommendation of, two members; at that time the Party
forced the Social DerQoratie Party to unite into a common party under
the name of the Hungarian Workers' Party (Magyar Dolgozo Partja - MDP);
the entire membership came under the new party. Within one year the
Communists had acquired control of the Party. In 1948.-- L9, there was
a re-evaluation of the membersh s~f.the MDP; the purpose of this
re-evaluation was to eliminate t4.: reliable elements in the former,
Social, Democratic Party. During'~thd''re-evaluation no new members
were accepted into the ADP. Each member had to submit a curriculum
vitae which was used as the basis for an oral examination before
the Partyt Committee. If a member could,. not satisfy the reauirementa,'on
The EoetvoetLorand University in February 1952 had a student body of
approximately 5,000; the staff, including teachers, laboratory
workers, mechanics and other manual workers, numbered about 500.
The organization of the Communist Party at the University was parallel
to the organization of the University itself. The set-up of the
Party in the Department of Natural Sciences will serve as a concrete
example of the manner in which the Party was organized throughout the
University. In this Department there were some 2,000 students and
a staff of about 300 persons. Sixty per cent of the student body
belonged to the Communist Party as well as 75 per cent of the staff.
Until''1951 all Party members and candidates, students and staff of
the University met together. It was soon apparent that for reasons
of discipline it would be better to have separate groups for students
and staff; it often happened that a student was a better Communist
than his professor. Consequently, the student body was organized
on the basis of years of study; ie, first year students in the
Institute were members of first year student Party Groups, etc.
The smallest unit of the CP at the Eoetvoes Lorand University was
.the Party Group (Partesoport); in all there were about 20 Party
Groups at the, University. 'There was one Party Group in every
Institute of the Department of Natural Sciences. Party Groups
included both members of the Communist Party and candidates for
membership. The Physical Chemical Institute had a teaching staff
of 16; of this number, eight were in the Party Group, six CP members
and two candidates for membership. Members of the Party Group
elected one of their group as trustee. It was his responsibility
to handle-the administrative work, ie, collection of membership dues,
information on Party Group members and administrative announcements.
It was his duty to watch the professional work of not only the
members of the Party Group but also other students. He observed
their interrelationships, and at his own discretion reported irreg-
ularities either to the Party leadership or to the authorities'
of the Institute. If the members were lax in their work for the
Party, attending meetings, etc,. they were called to task by the
trustee. It was necessary. that he be informed of any proposed
changes in the Institute so as to coordinate the Party work with
the new conditions. Party dues were only two or three forints per
month but every month members were expected to contribute an addi-
tlcxial-, sum amounting to one and a half per cent of their salary.
The Party Group held meetings once a week. Until December 1951 Party
Groups held separate meetings; since that time several Party Groups
have combined for meetings.. Attendance at these meetings was oblige--
6:7 for all.. members and candidates. Discussions dealt with evalu
ation of the professional work performed at the Institute not only
by members of the CP but by non-members as well; ideological atti-
tudes, and the appraisal of possible ccndidates for membership in the
CP. Current political events were also discussed.-
SECRET/SECURITY INFORMATION
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/07 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000100420007-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release @ 50-Yr2013/05/07 : CIA-RDP82-00047R000100420007-6
SEC T/SECUR?+,y INFPRMAAIOj
,The next oreafization-ai. unit of the CP In size was the -asic Organ
A11,ap2ze'rv which was composed of several Party Qr-s'Phep
e
-Va r
,. were two Basic Organs In the .Department.Qt' NaturalSci
c
t
en
o
es tine
., -hieh the teaching staff pelonged and one corposed of laboratory
workers, technicians, and admi,nistrat. ve personnel: The Basic Organs
44$o , ino]uded both C? members and candidates. Each Basic Orgon had
oh irpnan,. a secret ,ry. a treasurer And a public Felati?ns of 'icer
. Kaderes) . It wads the dx}ty of the pUblto relatibnt officer to kee . ?
we ,1 informed about alb. mtembera and candidates, ?. their work and ideo.
1ogigel 4tt1 idea..
and '~ the ~as~.a ox~g~ held Its meetings a~n+ae~la aa~ht~t:,
ttendance was ooli tor3r for a . members and candidates. 71 ese.
iseR n s lasted
t l
as
h
a
e
t
reewr four hours3ubjecte d c
. .utF
jQc ud.ed contemporary Political' and profesa1ona7 Prnbl rams _` Wove*"
-sow .acceptarnce or paw Part
Ev-e enter p'ise or? insti. utlon ouch as the Un#.v0ra1ty' had 4 F ctty^
TUa m -6 -A -- --.& -L., -.0 i.-
Rf4t%.nrs+& VM wh
o
c
ona
b
, . e maq ~ r ,emu; ~~ party aOtivitest the Ui
. anver ..
alty MA seam to 'A 4-
art liasr
id
t
r
ou
q tv@ ' ty ,yc- ww cae in he
eI y, LaJoe M.eezarae, ,a f o r Cto t
I
I- -
l{e PaVW
ge4retary at the ,University , 44441W Was mnra itl~nr~ -1%a4- o.4% ...... .. __~
:Appiloahts for membership in the Commmuniat party were cone dereo on the basiA of
'Rb v ul 4 i?4 Y. , W1
ily aokk, cr - and protiaieno r~in~profeseione].work... PF _ 4
o two
ear
- - 7TH..-7 --r7r--twos
y
MM{1 ~ry.L}i/.4iarl.~,.4Ti7
o dacy did not. guarantee acceptance a8 a m
nft'h
f
h
e
er o
t
e CQ #
Arr . The candidate had : to prove himself worth
Qf thd
y
.e istlnati -n
or becoming a member of the party. If in the Bourse of his ca i,4aey'
4e was lax in his wQrkk for the Party, . he was expluded from :'the. aUt4s.
:Of candidate or his candidate status was extended 'until he proved
himself worth r. A candidt