Bakách-Bessenyey György iratai

The papers were acquired in 1993 and they were supplemented in 1994 and 1995. They were donated by Ferenc Bakách-Bessenyey, the son of György Bakách-Bessenyey. 

Baron György Bakách-Bessenyey (1892 - 1959) was the Ambassador of Hungary in Bern, Switzerland between the summer of 1943 and March 19, 1944 and as such one of the organizers of the peace initiatives of Hungary. Upon the German occupation, he aimed to inform and advise the Allies on Hungarian questions. He would later play a prominent role in the political life of Hungarian emigrants.  

Bakách-Bessenyey György iratai 

Description was prepared by László Csősz.  

31 boxes; 3,76 linear metres 

The most significant part of the collection consists of his extensive semi-official correspondence with prominent personalities, including Prime Minister Miklós Kállay, Otto von Habsburg and John Foster Dulles. The collection also includes the registry of the Hungarian Embassy of Bern. Bakách-Bessenyey took these materials with him in April 1944, so that details of his negotiations would not be acquired by his successor. The collection also contains information on the operation of the Ambassadorial Committee. The Committee had no regular registry and the materials in the files of Bakách-Bessenyey are partial and incomplete. Last but not least, newspaper and journal articles of Bakách-Bessenyey and other publications are also included. 

The papers of György Bakách-Bessenyey consist of dossiers, mostly by correspondence partners but occasionally by organization or themes. The dossiers are chronologically organized. They can be researched on microfilm.