Behind the Rape of Hungary

his book, which does not flatter the West in regard to its passive role toward the Hungarian revolution, was written by a former member of the Budapest intellectual circle. Since the liberal movements in Hungary have always been sparked by the intellectuals, the literary groups, Mr. Fejto is a more than adequate spokesman for the Hungarian cause. The remote and immediate reasons for the revolution are discussed along with the motivation behind the discontent which culminated in the October uprising. He treats Nagy favorably and ascribes his downfall more to the man's individual weakness than to insurmountable political events. The roles of the peasants, the workers, the Army, Cardinal Mindszenty, Kadar and Hungary's peculiar relationship to East and West receive searching treatment. If the West seeks to repair the Hungarian holocaust, and Mr. Fejto implies that a reparation is due, the price, as he sees it, will have to be the neutralization of Germany -- a step that the West has been reluctant thus far to take. An uncompromising, extremely competent book.