New York Chronicle
September 3, 1948
City Braces for Hungarian Influx as
Red Boss Tightens Grip
By Arnie Feld
Fleeing the increasingly repressive communist regime of Matyas Rakosi, Hungarians are expected to flock to New York in the thousands during the next few months.
Rakosi, a favorite puppet of USSR tyrant Joseph Stalin, has begun a reign of terror in Hungary which has already resulted in mass killings and jailings of those suspected of being at odds with the communist party line.
Mayor William O'Dwyer announced yesterday that he's been in direct contact with President Harry S. Truman and has been assured by the White House that the city will get priority federal funding to offset local costs to resettle Hungarian immigrants.
New York has the second highest number of Hungarians of any city in the world, ranking second only to Budapest. Most of the city's Hungarian polpulation is concentrated in Manhatten's lower Eastside.
Karoly Koussuth, head of the Hungarian-American Friendship Alliance, said that he will work closely with O'Dwyer's office to ensure that any possible disruption in the wake of the wave of immigrants is minimalize.
Koussuth said that Rakosi has targeted national celebrities and members of the business class for his pogrom.
"Rakosi is a manaical mass murderer who wants to make Hungary over in his own image. Artists, athletes, and actors have already paid a high price. His approach is if they can't be used for communist propaganda purposes, they must be destroyed."
According to Kousseth, over the next six months its estimated that ten thousand Hungarians will turn to the United States for political asylum with many more seeking protection in other parts of the free world.
Below: Hungarian Communist leader Matyas Rakosi's reign of terror will cause thousands to seek political refuge in New York.