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chance. During one of the heated discussions with the above-
mentioned delegation in the elegant hotel in the countryside, I
also learned that if the West initiates a war after all, Hungary
will immediately occupy Italy. The candidate for prime minister
indicated that he knows about this defence strategy, but the
West is prepared for it.
Knowing the male-dominated Italian tourism flooding into our
country at the time, and seeing that they were still sleeping
soundly and without any anxiety because of this, I personally
did not have much outlook for the outlined strategy. Although it
also occurred to me that maybe that is why every Italian man
tried to find a partner in the uncertain Hungarian night. In the
heat of the debate, many things were said for and against, and
then we all got into cars and left the hotel in Visegrád for
Budapest.
-Listen, - said the other interpreter, - didn't something catch
your attention?
- I don't know why, I don't know the details. I'm a casual
interpreter, someone must have gone on vacation and they filled
me in for him in the tour guide department. But I mentioned
that it was as if something had been said that dozens of
Hungarian villages would disappear over there in Transylvania.
I somehow didn't like that, but no one reacted to it.
- This is it! I got stuck there too. They can only quarrel and
tease. Let's both write down what it was and compare it and
give it to the protocol chief. I also think that some danger
threatens the Hungarians living there. We did so and went home
to sleep. In the morning, at the time according to the program,
we met the English delegation at the Margaret Island hotel. To
my surprise, by that time the news bearer and his delegation had
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only met the "Great Chess Player" of the time in the early
hours of the morning and learned about the plan to destroy the

32 János Kádár liked to be called that by his protocol bosses.
In 1956 he was in charge for the Russian invasion and the restoration of communism in Hungary.

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