Hungary: Free-for-All to Freedom

At least six of the 15 passengers boarding the Hungarian airliner at Budapest one day last week carried with them equipment not generally considered essential to air travel. But for the six concerned, the cheap iron wrench that each kept concealed and near at hand was as good as a ticket to freedom. As the plane took off on its regular run to the border town of Szombathely, the six sat silent, warily scrutinizing their fellow passengers and keeping a watchful eye on one of their number, a former air-force lieutenant named Gyorgy Polyak, who carried not only a...

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