Hungary and the Soviet Bloc [antikvár]

Introduction For foreigners, certainly, but even for Hungarians, the intricacies of political life in that country often defy attempts at simple explanation. Take the case of poor Franklin D. Roosevelt, who during the early months of World War II supposedly asked an aide if Hungary was a kingdom or a republic. "A kingdom, Mr. President," the aide replied, whereupon the following dialogue is said to have ensued: FDR: What's the king's name? Aide: Hungary doesn't have a king. FDR: Then who runs the kingdom? Aide: A regent by the name of Admiral Horthy. FDR: Admiral? Then Hungary must have a powerful navy. Aide: Hungary has no navy; it doesn't even have access to the sea. FDR: Let me see if I understand you right. Hungary is a kingdom run by a regent who's an admiral without a navy. Aide: That's right, Mr. President. One can easily imagine similar dialogues about Hungary's postwar Communist leaders as well. It might have happened this way during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower in mid-1956: Ike: I hear the Russians have replaced Hungary's leader. Who's he? Aide: Mátyás Rákosi, a Muscovite—one of those clever Communists trained in Moscow. Ike: Then why did he have to go? Aide: Many reasons, Mr President. For one thing, the Kremlin didn't want so many Jewish-born Muscovites to be in charge of this very Christian and anti-Communist country.