Tibor
Hajdu - György Litván
Count
Michael Károlyi in Wartime England
From His
Correspondence, 1941 - 1946
Arthur Koestler to Michael Károlyi
25th October, 1941, London
Dear Károlyi,
Thank you very much for your letter.
I was very moved by the review in Horizon and wanted to get in touch with
you when I was last time in London; a certain Mr Goldfinger proposed to arrange
a meeting, but the things he talked had such an irritating effect that on
second thoughts I preferred to postpone our meeting, fearing that it would
be spoiled; and the day after I had to rejoin my unit. But I shall be on leave
in London from Oct. 30 to Nov. 6 and will ring you up to ask you whether we
could meet.
I have a very vivid memory of our lunch with Willi. (A few days ago I had
a letter from Babette; she is in Mexico.) Friedrich Wolf was in Vernet with
me; he has acquired U.S.S.R.-citizenship while in internment and was allowed
to travel to Russia just before the Germans came in. Aranyossi is the man
referred to as "Barna" in the episode on p. 126 of "Scum of the Earth". He
was still in Vernet when
I left; I do not know what has happened to him since.
I am looking forward to meeting you. Please remember me to Mrs. Károlyi.
Very sincerely yours,
A. Koestler
PIL 704.f.77.ö.e.
Koestler served in the British Army during
the War, that is why he was not as active in Károlyi's movement as in the
months of its foundation.
Ernest (Ernoý) Goldfinger was a Hungarian-born London architect, Károlyi's
old friend, later a member of the Royal Academy of Arts. "Willi" is Willi
Münzenberg, a German Communist, in charge of a number of Comintern front
organisations, and as such Koestler's boss. He broke with Moscow in 1938,
at the same time as Koestler. He was killed trying to escape in 1940. Babette
was his wife. Friedrich Wolf was a well-known German writer, a Communist,
father of Markus Wolf, the GDR spy chief. Pál Aranyossi was a Hungarian
Communist journalist. He survived Vernet and returned to Hungary. In the
mentioned passage, Koestler describes how cruelly they dealt with him in
Vernet.
Arthur Koestler to Michael Károlyi
London, 15 November 1941
Dear Károlyi,
Enclosed a first (rough) memorandum on the subject which I mentioned when
I saw you. It should be treated, on Winant's request, at the moment relatively
confidentially (meaning no press-publicity).
What a pity that we could not have a longer talk; but all my leave and the
little free time I have here goes to this matter, (which means a correspondence
of 5 - 10 letters per day without a steno). I spoke to several BBC-people, mentioning
Ctss. Andrássy's name and yours as far as it seemed appropriate; but things
seem to be in a terrible muddle and rather hopeless for the time being - i.e.
as long as the whole problem of relations to Hungary is still in suspense.
I also mentioned the matter to Kingsley Martin, as agreed - he hasn't answered
or at least not yet.
I have a feeling that the best one can do for the moment is to wait and not
to appear too early on the stage - I mean not before things have ripened to
a point where a Free Hung. movement would be welcome in all quarters.
Both Daphne and I thoroughly enjoyed that all too short hour in your home.
I wish we could repeat it soon; and I wish
I could express in less hurried lines the feeling of admiration and friendship - if
you allow me to say so - I have for you.
Yours ever,
A. Koestler
And I wish I could convince you not to postpone the writing
of the second volume of your memoirs. I spoke about it to Cape who seemed
rather keen on it.
PIL 704. f. 77. ö.e.
John G. Winant - US Ambassador in the U.K.
during the War. Perhaps Koestler was writing about Károlyi's projected visit
to the States which fell through. After a few days, Kingsley Martin contacted
Countess Károlyi. Daphne Hardy, a sculptor, translated The Scum of the Earth
into English, the last book Koestler wrote in German. Jonathan Cape was
Koestler's publisher, who later did publish the second volume of Károlyi's
memoirs. Kingsley Martin edited the New Statesman and Nation for many years.
Arthur Koestler to Michael Károlyi
Oakley Farm, 6th December 1941.
Dear Károlyi,
I am dictating this in hospital where I am lying with a nervous breakdown.
That is the reason why I didn't answer your letter before. I am not yet in
a state to write letters, but since we are both in the danger of becoming
technically enemy aliens overnight, and since I am in a giddy state, my thoughts
are permanently turning around you and your past, and the future of all of
us. So this is just a friendly greeting to both of you.
Yours ever,
A. Koestler
P.S. I wrote once more to Kingsley Martin on the matter you
mentioned.
PIL. 704. f. 77. ö.e.
*
Béla Lugosi to Michael Károlyi
2 February 1944, Los Angeles
Your call to the Hungarian people is inspiring us in our
anti-fascist work stop Please send all cable message for our March fifteenth
memorial meetings which will be held by democratic council branches all over
United States, also Canada and Mexico - Sincerely
PIL. 704.f. 80 ö.e.
*
László Moholy Nagy to Michael Károlyi
9 August 1944, Chicago
Dear Mr President:
With great interest and devotion we studied your letter received the other
day. We feel that you are doing a magnificent job in London which deserves
all the help that we can give you for the benefit of suffering Hungary. The
chief impresson we gathered was that through your activities you have been
able to unify all the Hungarian factions in England which I hope will help
in the realization of your plans.
Here in America as you are undoubtedly informed, the movement towards unity
goes somewhat slower but we all have feeling that the greater part of the
reactionary elements are already immobilized and that they are losing grip
of the fraternities, clubs, associations and sick benefit societies.
The fourth term campaign for the election of President Roosevelt has apparently
so far been most successful in unifying the Hungarian language groups, at
least in Chicago. The largest Hungarian societies in the country, Verhovay,
Tarsalgo, Bridgeport Rákóczi, which have withheld themselves so far from our
Movement, came to the Hungarian Democratic Council the other day with the
request for cooperation in connection with the re-election of President Roosevelt.
This is a most favorable sign as the commmon platform will give us an opportunity
to destroy the suspicion which was artifically created and fostered by the
reactionary literature of the Magyar Szövetség, who are afraid to lose the
financial support given to them by the above societies.
You may have already heard that we plan to have a national conference in September
or early October which, if we are lucky enough, may develop into an all American
Conference with delegates also from Canada, Central and South America. It
would be wonderful if you yourself could be present at this Conference:
Knowing how urgently you need money for the upkeep of the movement we have
again transferred $50.00 to you. We are aware of the pitiful smallness of
these sums which we send you but believe me, Mr President, the only way to
get money for you from the Hungarians here would be if you yourself came to
this country. This would not only ensure financial support but also the unification
of all groups sincerely interested in a democratic Hungary.
I do not know whether you would now be able to get the money which was collected
for you during the First World War and which has been sequestered by the U.S.
Government. But I almost think you might try again to secure it as the situation
may be ripe for such a step.
We shall have meetings here in some few days with the representatives of the
various societies and we hope very much that what has already happened in
Los Angeles and Milwaukee, will happen all over the United States of America,
namely a unification of all the movements.
By the way I would like to tell you that one of my friends in England, Mr
John A. Thwaites, 75 Cromwell Road, S.W. 7, has been interested and informed
for a long time about the Hungarian situation in this country and about your
plans in England. He has shown himself most worthy of my confidence and I
believe you may also place confidence in him. In most cases I have found his
judgement of the situation very reliable.
With deep respect in the name of the Hungarian American Democratic Council,
Chicago Chapter,
Yours very sincerely,
P.S. About Vince I cannot say too much. We all feel that
for the time being he is unable to work with a heterogeneous group as he cannot
bear other opinions and never wishes to subordinate himself to the decision
of the group. Maybe that this will change in time but at present there is
no need or possibility to force the issue.
PIL. 704.f. 80 ö.e.
Thwaites was a British Consul, en poste
in many countries. During the war he was on the staff of the MoI. He helped
Károlyi a great deal in getting his movement accepted. Sándor Vince was
a Hungarian Social-Democrat exile. His more moderate views occasionally
got him into trouble with Moholy Nagy's group.
*
A.J.P. Taylor to Countess Károlyi
13th November, 1945
Magdalen College, Oxford
Dearest Catherine,
You are not neglected at all. I was waiting to hear from you. I can't come
to Farnham, my family concerns are too much at the moment. Margaret had a
daughter, Sophie, last Friday. But I'd always be glad to see Michael.
However I can advise him as well at a distance. I've always told him to hold
back and make the people in Hungary invite him: but if he is invited as President
he must return. The democratic cause in Hungary won't win from British backing:
it will only win in its own strength. There is no chance of British backing:
the most Michael can hope for is a repudiation of Bethlen & Co. by Bevin.
Even so this repudiation won't mean much as the Foreign Office takes little
notice of its official chief. Nor must Michael go as anti-Russian - the Russians
have behaved very well in Hungary and it is a godsend that they and not we
or the Americans liberated it. Michael must return not for the sake of Britain
or of Russia but for the sake of Hungarian democracy: it is the second chance,
even more difficult than in 1918 & even more likely to fail - but it must
be taken. I agree he should have some Labour MP who will ask questions about
him in the House. Why not John Haire MP who has just returned from Budapest?
I can do nothing about the Czechs, particularly as I have always advocated
the expulsion of all Hungarians & Germans from Czechoslovak territory.
Like Weimar Germany, new Hungary must realize she has lost the war & did
nothing to help the allies until Germany was defeated. This is a hard doctrine,
but there is no escaping it. I hope to go to Czechoslovakia at Christmas &
I'm quite prepared to take any message on programme Michael likes to send.
In this way I might be of some little help.
But the great thing is to be ready to stand on his own feet and not to rely
in help from here.
Best wishes - I wish I could come over, but it's impossible. I've written to
Ellen Wilkinson to see if she can arrange anything with Bevin. Of course Michael
must not go back unless offered the position of President - it is still true
that the longer he holds out the better, so long as it is not for anti-Russian
or for British reasons.
Get well soon. Love, Alan.
PIL. 704. f. 81. ö.e.
Tibor Hajdu's
books include A magyarországi Tanácsköztársaság (The Hungarian Soviet Republic,
1969) and a biography of Count Mihály Károlyi.
György Litván,
who headed the Institute for the History of the 1956 Revolution between 1991 - 1999,
has published widely on modern Hungarian history.
