How Fears of Espionage Created Untenable US-Hungarian Relations

In ‘This Week in History,’ Hungarian communists arrest numerous Americans, conduct show trials, and push US diplomatic relations to the breaking point.

Lucille Vogeler, wife of Robert Vogeler, meeting with American Secretary of State Dean Acheson in the American Embassy, Grosveenor Square, London on May 12,1950. They discussed what steps might be taken to secure the release of her husband, who was serving a 15-year sentence for alleged espionage by a Hungarian Court. Smith Archive / Alamy Stock Photo

On the morning of Nov. 19, 1951, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain took off from Erding Air Base near Munich. Its destination was Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The plane never arrived.

The Cold War between Western democracies and the Soviet Union practically began the moment Germany surrendered on May 7, 1945. The former allies were now bitter enemies, and espionage became the primary means of conflict and conflict resolution. The mere suspicion of spying was often tantamount to the act itself, and these opposing governments often acted on suspicions alone.