Report of the Hungarian Ministry of Home Affairs on the Maort Sabotage

“The State Defence Authorities of the Ministry of Home Affairs started an investigation at the beginning of August this year to find out the reasons behind the rapid decrease in production by MAORT since the Liberation. In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that there was industrial sabotage to hinder the economic development of democratic Hungary for political reasons.” – pg 3. Numerous officials in post-World War II Communist Hungary levied a bevy of industrial sabotage accusations against the corporate operators of MAORT, a joint venture heavily financed by Standard Oil. This report outlines the state’s evidence against various individuals, most notably geologist Dr. Simon Papp, who was condemned to death (though eventually released). Sections of text note German-American cooperation during the war, the method of suspected sabotage, and copies of handwritten confessions. A fold-out map of Hungary notes oilfields across the country, as well as the extent of the MAORT territorial concession. The book was published at the Athenaeum in Budapest in 1948, with Miklos Nagy responsible for publishing and Thomas Gorszky credited for printing. This example includes a contemporary card that reads, “With the Compliments of the Press Attache, American Legation, Berne.”