Did Radio Free Europe say that the Allies would come to the rescue during the Hungarian Revolution?
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RFE Hungarian desk was obliged to not foment revolution, "Special Guidance No. 26 of March 27, addressing the emerging ferment in the Communist world, cautioned, “There is no likelihood of military action by the West to liberate [the East European] peoples.”'; instead their responsibility was to, as of 'September 26, 1956, policy advisor Griffith defined RFE’s task as “assist[ing] and prolonging and extending the thaw” and promoting liberalization even under conditions of continued Communist rule.' Johnson's conclusion is that, 'The assertion that RFE incited the Hungarian Revolution is on its face absurd; uprisings and revolutions have internal causes and dynamics and have never been sparked by external media. In any case, RFE Hungarian broadcasts in the months leading up to mid-October 1956 were generally dispassionate and espoused gradual reform – not “liberation” but what would later commonly be labeled “liberalization.”' (Johnson, 8-9, 2006)
Johnson further finds, 'no RFE Hungarian broadcast appealed to the Hungarian people to continue armed struggle against the Soviet Army.' No promise of Western aid came from RFE, the only promises being from ' Radio Madrid, staffed by right-wing exiles in the Franco era, urged Hungarians to keep fighting because Western volunteers were massing on the Hungarian border. The Russian-émigré NTS radio operating out of Germany claimed that the “Association of Former Hungarian Servicemen” in the West was preparing to aid the insurgent forces.' (Johnson, 10-11, 2006)
As the suggestions are untrue, no attempt needs to be made to rationalise a non-decision by RFE.
While RFE went rogue, playing a line further to the right of US Government policy and the perspective of Hungarians themselves, this line did not give support or the suggestion of Western support, except in the most tendential analysis possible by listeners whose judgement was clouded by passion. This was due to the political composition of RFE Hungarian desk, and due to a failure of bureaucratic control during crisis broadcasting. 'RFE Hungarian broadcasts departed from U.S. Government and RFE policy and standards in their emotional commentaries, their negative treatment of Imre Nagy, and their clear violation of policy in four programs on tactical military advice and suggestion of Western assistance.' (Johnson, 20-26, 2006)
Sources
- A Ross Johnson 2006 Setting the Record Straight: Role of Radio Free Europe in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 [working paper] http://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/happ.OP-3.pdf
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