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Democracy's Return. Small newspapers representing political parties long believed defunct suddenly appeared. The old National Peasant Party, the Smallholders Party, and the Social Democratic Party each found its voice. Out of the disorganized Communist Party a new Hungarian Socialist Workers Party with national Communism as its aim was formed by Party Leader Janos Kadar. A Christian "front" was in formation. As if by a miracle, old party leaders appeared. Bela Kovacs, sturdy Smallholders secretary, recently released after nine years in Soviet prison camps, joined the government because "we must establish national unity." The Smallholders' exiled leader Ferenc Nagy had come as far as the border, but had been turned back to Switzerland by the Austrians. Tough old Ferenc Farkas, onetime National Peasant Party leader, bobbed up. Social Democrat Anna Kethly, ailing as a result of long imprisonment in Russia, was on her way back (with a supply of newsprint) when her way was barred by Soviet tanks.
At first the rebels, flames of a spontaneous combustion, had shown no sign of political organization, but now they began throwing up scores, perhaps hundreds, of local and district organizations. There was the Patriotic Peoples Front, the Hungarian National Committee, the Revolutionary Committee of Hungarian Intellectuals, the Hungarian Revolutionary
Youth Party, the Revolutionary Defense Committee. Already there was a "revolutionary personality" in the shape of tall, blond Major General Pal Maleter, an ex-Horthy-regime soldier who had deserted to the Russians and been parachuted back to Hungary during World War II. Like tens of thousands of other Hungarian soldiers (some said just about the entire Hungarian army of 150,000), he had thrown his lot with the rebels. He made a hero of himself by leading the stubborn defense of the Maria Theresia barracks.
All over Hungary, little radio stations were roaring their revolutionary announcements, getting into the wrong frequencies and conducting debates from channel to channel.
What had come over Hungary, without anyone quite realizing it, was democracy.
To continue holding down the premiership, new Premier Nagy was forced to yield to the pressures of the new parties, to promise free elections, to acclaim neutrality, and, above all, to insist that the Russian troops be withdrawn, not only from Budapest, but from Hungary. Thus he called in Soviet Ambassador Yuri Andropov, renounced Hungary's membership in the Warsaw Pact, and put his case to the United Nations. His first Cabinet was made up of Communists, with four exceptions. At week's end there were only three Communists, including himself, in the government; the Cabinet portfolios were distributed among three non-Communist parties, with General Pal Maleter in the key post of Defense Minister.
Negotiation. The Russians called for a meeting to discuss "technical details of the withdrawal of Russian troops." While seven Russian generals sat down with Defense Minister Maleter and Hungarian Army Chief of Staff Kovacs, rumors that had been flying around Budapest gained strength. Soviet forces were pouring into