NAZIS IN HUNGARY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 6 August 1938, Page 5

NAZIS IN HUNGARY

BUILDING UP STRENGTH & UNITY EXTENSION OF GERMAN INFLUENCE. PROGRAMME OF MILITARISM & "REDISTRIBUTION.’’ By Telegraph—Press Association. Copyright. LONDON, August 4. The Budapest correspondent of “The Times” says signs are accumulating that the Hungarian Nazis, who hitherto have been divided, are building up their strength and unity. The most ■ important groups have been fused under the leadership of Major Szalasi, who is now imprisoned. Their programme includes antiSemitism and redistribution of property, the State taking one-third of the profits of production. The basis of the State will be the peasants. The policy will be militaristic, as “Hungary despises and hates degenerate pacifism.” The Berlin correspondent of “The Times” points out that Hungary is falling increasingly under German influence. The Regent, Admiral Horthy, and the Premier, Dr. Imredy, will visit Germany on August 21, and it is expected that their talks will strengthen Germany’s position. Since the end of March there has been much fear of a Nazi coup in Hungary, and as a result of this and of the luke-warm attitude of the former Premier, Dr. K. Daranyi, toward the Nazi question, a new Government was formed in May. .Mr Imredy became Prime Minister and took office with the intention of curbing subversive agitation by the Nazi groups. The disappearance of an independent Austria naturally has had an enormous effect in Hungary, which now has Nazi Germany on her frontier, and, moreover, the country is now an economic satellite of the Reich, as 75 per cent of its agricultural produce has gone to Germany and Austria in recent years. However, the extremist groups of the Right have previously been split into many factions. The most powerful Nazi movements have been the Arrow-Cross of Count A. Fcstetics, the National Will movement. of Major Francis Szalasi, and the National Front of Francis Rajniss. Major Szalasi has been much in prison. In April last year he was arrested and sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, subsequently reduced to thirty days. In August he was again arrested. Early this year he was before the courts again, and in February last he was arrested once more. He is a young general' staff officer who recently retired in order to organise the Nazi movement.