Ronay, Gabriel (Oral history)

493266895
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143965036
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
217534994
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
836886208
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.
101838608
Order this sound recording under fair dealing

All Rights Reserved except for Fair Dealing exceptions otherwise permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.

Accepted Non-commercial Use

Permitted use for these purposes:
Personal use for non-commercial research and private study and other uses under the UK’s exceptions to copyright and those exceptions to copyright in place where the user is located.
Use on websites that are primarily information-led, research-oriented and not behind a paywall.
Use on personal social media accounts, provided the individuals are not promoting themselves commercially.
Non-Commercial educational use for the purpose of teaching and instruction, including internal training.
Downloading audio-visual for non-commercial offline listening or viewing.
Free exhibitions held in venues, which do not charge an entry fee.

If you would like to use IWM collections materials in a way that is not covered above, require a commercial licence, high-resolution copies, or have manipulation requests, please contact the Image and Film Licensing Team. Digital files of films and sound recordings are available at cost depending on intended use.

Description

Object description

Hungarian civilian imprisoned as political prisoner in Hungarian People's Republic, 1949-1950; student and interpreter in Budapest, Hungarian People's Republic, 1950-1956 including Hungarian Uprising, 10/1956-11/1956; escaped from Hungarian People's Republic to GB via Austria, 1956

Content description

REEL 1 Background in Nagyvarad, Transylvania, Romania, 1930-1940: family; education; mixture of peoples in Transylvania; attitude of Hungarians in Transylvania to being part of Romania during, 1920-1940. Aspects of period as schoolchild in Nagyvarad, Transylvania, Hungary, 1940-1945: attitude of Transylvanian Saxons to Nazis regime; behaviour of Soviet Army troops in Transylvania, 1944; political attitudes of his parents; problems of relationship between Hungarian Government and German Nazis regime; how his uncle resigned his army commission over shooting of Serbian Partisans at Novi Sad in Hungarian occupied Yugoslavia, 1941. Recollections of period of imprisonment in Hungarian People's Republic, 1949-1950: father's membership of Social Democratic Party of Hungary in 1948; populace's adulation of Soviet premier Joseph Stalin; attempt to escape to the west via Czechoslovak Socialist Republic; recapture and handing over to State Protection Authority (AVH) REEL 2 Continues: trial and sentencing to hard labour; hanging of political prisoners in jail; work in prison button factory; circumstances of his release from prison, Recollections of period as student and interpreter in Hungarian People's Republic, 1950-1956: reasons why his call-up to Hungarian People's Army was deferred; how he became student at Soviet University; his black-listing as ex-political prisoner; obtaining employment as interpreter with Institute of Cultural Relations in Budapest, Hungarian People's Republic; his refusal to act as informer; amusing story of translating Mongolian Minister's speech; his attending meetings of Petofi Circle; Tibor Déry's speech to Petofi Circle; difficulties of living in closed society. REEL 3 Continues: start of 'unfreezing' process in Hungary 1956; reburial of Laszlo Rajk; unguarded comment which nearly finished his career; reaction to attending reburial of Laszlo Rajk; participation in demonstrations, 23/10/1956; first casualties amongst protesters, 23/10/1956; his distribution of leaflets at Csepel arms factory; reaction to destruction of statue of Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin; invitation to join Party of Hungarian Youth under Pal Maletar; how he was sent to collect blood plasma from Austria; his arrest by secret police of State Protection Authority (AVH) at Esztergom; his release and return to Budapest, 1/11/1956; appointment to editorial team of newspaper 'October 23rd', 3/11/1956; political programme of Party of Hungarian Youth, 3/11/1956; start of Soviet Army attack, 4/11/1956. REEL 4 Continues: importance of letting world know what Soviets were doing in Hungarian People's Republic, 11/1956; how he saved Soviet Army soldier from mob at doors of Grand Hotel; his attempt to enlist Indian Ambassador to witness Soviet actions; escorting Indian Ambassador around Budapest to compile dossier of Soviet atrocities; belief of Central Asian troops serving with Soviet Army that they had been sent to Berlin or Egypt; how Indian Ambassador got into Austria with dossier and encounter with Soviet Committee for State Security (KGB) officer; reasons for end of his research work. Recollections of period as civilian in GB, 1956-1991: escape from Hungarian People's Republic to Austria and emigration to GB; resuming academic career. REEL 5 Continues: attempt of Hungarian regime to lure him back during 1970s; story of blocking of his academic research trip to Hungarian People's Republic, 1980; his attitude towards free society in GB; reunion with ex-Indian Ambassador in Budapest during 35th anniversary celebrations of 1956 Uprising in Budapest, 1991; question of Indian Defence Minister's dismissing of dossier compiled in 1956; reasons for turning down chance of high office in Hungary during 1990s.

Object Details

Category: Sound
Related period: 1990 to the present day (production), 1945-1989 (content), Second World War (association), 1945-1989 (association)
Creator: IWM (Production Company)
Wood, Conrad (Recorder)
Ronay, Gabriel (Interviewee/Speaker)
Production date: 1997
Dimensions: whole: Duration 145, Number Of Items 5
Catalogue number: 17307

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Ronay, Gabriel (Oral history)

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