Article Preview
Hungary-Rumania: Crime and Punishment
- Abstract
October, 1945—The Americans are busy delivering war criminals to the Hungarians on the installment plan. Every few days the Russians clear another plane and a new batch of thugs is flown in from Austria. They stumble out, a little green from their C-4 7 ride, tender from bouncing on the bucket seats. After a brief ceremonial as the American conducting officer hands each prisoner over to the Hungarian police, almost like a polite introduction at a diplomatic tea, the handcuffs go on. The reception committee bristles with Mausers and tommy-guns. It seems a bit overdone, or do they suspect a possible attempt at wild-West rescue by the Nazi underground? The first shipload landing at the Budapest airfield included some of Hungary’ star performers. Laszlo Endre, organizer of deportation for a half-million Jews; Peter Hain, chief of the Hungarian Gestapo; Bela Imredy, Laszlo Bardossy, Ferenc Szalasi—ex-premiers all, guilty of the alliance with Hitler and the iniquities which followed. Squat, black, windowless police vans pack them off to the city. At the tail-end of the sirening motorcade rides a jeep full of Russian officers with red NKVD bands on their hats. . . .
About the Author
This article is available for purchase to subscribers and for individual purchase
Subscriber Sign In
Not A Subscriber?
