MINISTRY OF INTERIOR
III/III-4-b subdivision
TOP SECRET!
B u d a p e s t, 8 October 1980
Assessment report based on materials retrieved from “K” materials [postal interception]
R E P O R T
(excerpt)
According to our data, he established an archives in 1979 under the name ART POOL without the permission of the authorities, in which he mainly stores materials sent by foreign nationals. In order to further expand his collection, he sent about three thousand printed propaganda materials to almost one thousand foreign persons, including Western citizens.
In his English language call he promotes his archives’ materials. He provides an overview of Hungarian Avant-garde artists, their actions, as well as solo and group performances. He makes a reference to the events of the Chapel Exhibition in Balatonboglár in 1973, as well as to the Halász Theatre and the activity of the “Indigo” group of Miklós Erdélyi, who we have on file because of his antisocial actions. He calls attention to the Hungarian Avant-garde Museum, founded by András Bán, and to the action launched with the title “Textile without Textile”.
A large amount of material has been arriving from abroad to Galántai’s call. Some of the materials are obscene and politically damaging. There have even been some attempts at sending inciting articles, pictures and ‘artworks’.
(…)
It has been established that Galántai has only built relationships with most of the Western citizens by correspondence only. His correspondence with foreigners is distributed as follows:
Italy 224 persons,
FRG 92 persons,
USA 88 persons,
France 76 persons,
Canada 58 persons,
Netherlands 56 persons,
England 74 persons,
New Zealand 7 persons,
Denmark 4 persons,
Argentina 5 persons,
Israel 2 persons,
Korea 1 persons,
Poland 24 persons,
GDR 17 persons,
Bulgaria 2 persons,
Brazil 41 persons,
Australia 39 persons,
Japan 17 persons,
Switzerland 16 persons,
Spain 14 persons,
Belgium 13 persons,
Sweden 10 persons,
Mexico 5 persons,
Finland 4 persons,
Iceland 2 persons,
Northern Ireland 2 persons,
Portugal 1 person,
Czechoslovakia 21 persons,
Yugoslavia 4 persons.
In order to prevent contraband activities and limit his Western ties, we suggested that about one thousand propaganda publications as well as inciting and obscene materials sent [to Galántai] from abroad be withheld indefinitely.
In order to limit the number of participants in his exhibitions organised in the French Institute and the FMK [Young Fine Artists’ Club], we delayed the arrival of some of the invitations and withheld them indefinitely in 300 cases, with permission from our superiors.
The postal censorship we have introduced has significantly contributed to carrying out “Painter’s” in-depth examination. It has helped us to find out about and prevent the activity and the network-building of the person in question.
The information thus gained confirm that György Galántai continues to pursue his activity going against the party’s cultural policy. He has not given up his ambition to exhibit materials sent to Art Pool, which in some cases were inciting in nature.
Based on the above as well as Galántai’s increased efforts to build a domestic and foreign network, his postal censorship needs to be continued.
It is recommended that the intercepted materials be destroyed.
Tibor Horváth, 1st lieutenant
Registry number: 4/5-753.
Printed in 3 copies