January 1. In its New Year communiqué the Parliament denounces the overt or covert derogation of ethnic minority rights; at the same time it calls the Council of Ministers to continue to keep an eye on the political situation of Hungarians living beyond the borders of the country.

January 2. By the decision of the Council of Ministers - as of January 9 - the price of food products is raised on the average by 16-17%, that of detergents by 8% and that of cars by 25%.

January 3. The Committee for Historical Justice send a letter to minister of justice Kálmán Kulcsár, summarizing the position of the families of Imre Nagy and his associates concerning the reburial of those died after 56.

The Hungarian Democratic Forum proposes, supported by the ministry of the interior, that refugee camps should be set up for those coming to Hungary from Transylvania.

Jenő Váncsa, minister of agriculture and food supply is the first government minister since 1967 to visit Israel.

January 4. The National Savings Bank raises the interest rate of loans for new housing to 18.5%.

January 5. According to data published by the State Price and Wage Agency there are as many as 15 thousand unemployed people in Hungary.

January 6. By the resolution of the CC of the Soviet Communist Party a law must be passed to abate all those sentences brought out of court which were adjudicated between 1930 and 1940, and in the early 50s by the so-called special councils.

The presidency of the National Council of Trade Unions considers the right to strike to be an employees' right.

The Alliance of Free Democrats and the Asylum Committee suggests that Hungary should join the Geneva Refugee Convention.

January 9. As a response to the price rises several thousand workers in Szabolcs-Szatmár county lie off work for 10 minutes. The trade union representatives of Zala, Csongrád and Szolnok counties also make a protest.

The East-West Dialog Network Circle requests the introduction of alternative military service.

January 10-11. The Parliament passes the law on the right for public meeting and the right for assembly. By this move political parties can be established legally in Hungary.

January 12. Twenty-five alternative organizations issue a joint communiqué in which they demand the restoration of the Kossuth coat-of-arms. They recall that the coat-of-arms was used for some months after October 23, 1956 by the state.

In compensation for the rises in prices the trade unions of several sectors of economy and some county unions demand a pay rise of 3%. At the same time they criticize the National Council of Trade Unions for their poor work in representing workers' interests.

January 13. Under the pressure of the sectoral unions the National Council of Trade Unions also demands to counterbalance the price rises.

The New March Front proposes to set up the National Committee in order to work out the transition into a representative democracy.

January 14. The Independent Lawyers' Forum is transformed into a social organization.

January 15. The Council of Ministers accepts the proposal to summon the National Interest Reconciliation Council before its next meeting is due in order to discuss measures to compensate for the price rises.

Leaders of the Hungarian churches express their concern in a statement for the fate of national minorities living in Rumania.

January 16. Károly Grósz, general secretary of HSWP confirms in the company of American representatives the invitaton for president Bush to visit Hungary.

Prime Minister Miklós Németh turns down a proposal made by HDF to resolve the problems in agriculture by means of a new redistribution of land.

January 17. A documentary volume on the László Rajk trial is published, edited by the editor-in-chief of Esti Hírlap, Gábor Paizs.

January 18. In an essay entitled "The new national alliance" published in Hitel Dénes Csengey says that "the reassessment of 1956, finding a worthy place for it in the memory of the nations, is one of the fundamental issues and standards of the Hungarian democratic transition."

The Synod of the Hungarian Reformed Church decides to start reorganizing its former schools in Hungary.

January 19. The organizing committee of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary holds its first open session.

At its prompt meeting the Council of Ministers sets up a cabinet of six and at the same time dissolves the Economic Planning Committee.

The Gödöllő local organization of HDF initiates the recall of Ferencné Cservenka, member of Parliament. Shortly afterwards the representative stands down.

January 20. The journal Világosság publishes a roundtable talk with the witnesses of the age (rezső Nyers, Miklós Vásárhelyi, Szilárd Ujhelyi, Sándor Balogh) under the title "Hungary, 1953-1956", an essay written by Imre Nagy in 1955, and a paper written by András Hegedűs B. on the Petőfi Circle.

The first open talk takes place between representatives of HDF and those of HSWP at the Political College.

550 thousand cubic meters of stone is exploded at Nagymaros in order to prepare for building the foundation of the dam.

January 21. The national leadership of the Smallholders' Party just being reorganized holds its meeting.

Deputy minister of the interior Zoltán Gál says refugee camps will be set up in Budapest and another three cities in Eastern Hungary for the refugees coming from Rumania.

January 24. Lead by István Fodor the fraction of independent representatives is set up in the Parliament.

January 25. Ferenc Kárpáti, minister of defense says one soviet armored division and one training regiment will be withdrawn from Hungary in the first half of the year, and in the second half a vertical assault battalion and a fighter plane regiment will be pulled out.

Gyula Horn, secretary of the foreign ministry conducts negotiations with the UN high commissioner of refugee affairs, among other things, on Hungary joining the Geneva Convention.

January 26. In his speech presented in Kecskemét Imre Pozsgay says the present situation in Hungary "by no means resembles the period before 1956, and that reforms are urgent both in a political and in an economic sense."

At the session of the Council of Ministers the funeral of Imre Nagy and his associates is approved of as a measure of reverence. The funeral will takes place in section 301 of the cemetery in Kozma street, which will be preceded exhumation. Setting the exact time of the funeral is in the hands of the families.

January 27. Headed by Imre Pozsgay the historical sub-committee of the CC of HSWP holds a session in which they discuss a several hundred-page long study to be submitted to the session by Iván Berend T., member of the CC. The participants of the discussion are Sándor Balogh, József Bayer, Csaba Csáky, György Földes, Tibor Hajdu, István Huszár, Mária Ormos, Katalin Radics and Ferenc Tőkei.

By the decision of the Presidential Council The National Savings Bank and the mutual savings associations will lose their monopoly in collecting private deposits as of February 1.

January 28. In the radio show 168 Hours Imre Pozsgay says that based on the present state of research the historical sub-committee lead by him qualifies the 1956 events as a national uprising. He judges the role of Imre Nagy controversial.

The Hungarian churches and representatives of the state and the party carry on a discussion about freedom of conscience and religion. They agree that alternative military service should be introduced in Hungary.

January 30. Arriving home from the World Economic Forum in Switzerland Károly Grósz states he had no knowledge of the background and the circumstances of the Pozsgay interview, and stresses that it is the CC of HSWP that is in the position to assess the nature of the 1956 events.

Miklós Németh, Prime Minister says "The October of 1956 can only be characterized in extremely contradictory terms. Its true evaluation may comprise terms like "national uprising" just as a qualifications like terrorist riot against socialism resulting in national tragedy. For its beginning was very different from what it turned out to be in the end.

As early as 1989 and 1990 Hungary will reduce the military force of men by 9% in the Hungarian People's Army. Defense minister Ferenc Kárpáti says the cut-down involves 9,300 troops, 251 tanks and 1 fighter plane company.

February Valóság publishes an excerpt from a series of talk between István Bibó and Tibor Huszár in which Bibó tells his experiences and the events between October 23 and November 5 1956.

February 1. Hungary and South Korea enter into diplomatic relations. In Seoul Gyula Horn, secretary of the foreign ministry signs an agreement on economic, trading and cultural cooperation.

János Lukács believes that it is Imre Pozsgay's personal opinion that in 1956 there was a national uprising in Hungary.

February 2. According to Mátyás Szűrös, secretary of the CC of HSWP the events of 1956 can not be characterized comprehensively by just one term, either as counter-revolution or as national uprising.

HDF proposes to enter into diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

February 3. The journal Élet és Irodalom publishes an article by István Tamás entitled "What has János Kádár got to say?" in which he calls the party leader to reveal his position openly.

February 5. According to data of the State Wage and Labor Office there are still at least 4,000 without a job among those 130,000 young people who completed their studies in the previous year.

The Ferenc Münich Society objets to calling 1956 a national uprising and considers it to be an oversimplification, while AFD welcomes it.

February 6. In an article entitled "The morals of memory" the daily paper Népszabadság levels sharp criticism against István Tamás for his Kádár article.

15 alternative organizations and the Association of Writers urges in a communiqué "a just and fair historical evaluation of the 1956 national uprising", adding that this would be the only way for them to work with HSWP either in coalition or in opposition.

It is announced at the party press conference that the Independent Smallholders' Party considers 1956 October to be a national uprising, a revolution against stalinism.

The fact-finding committee of UN comes to Budapest to assess what sort of help they could give to the Transylvanian refugees.

February 7. It is announced in Moscow that Károly Grósz and Mikhail Gorbachev will meet in the second half of March in the soviet capital.

Sándor Nagy, general secretary of the National Council of Trade Unions says the trade unions repudiates the agreement made with the government on the minimum wages, the necessary social measures and the raising of pensions because they believe the rate of inflation will be higher than the 12% anticipated.

Péter Medgyessy, deputy Prime Minister signs a contract with his Czechoslovakian colleague on completing the Bős-Nagymaros dam 14 months earlier than planned.

February 8. Under pressure by the trade unions the Interest Reconciliation Council proposes that companies and cooperatives should raise their employees' wages by 3%. It is agreed that as of March, instead of June, minimum wages will be raised from 3,000 to 7,000 forints. Accepting the motion of the trade unions the minimum wage level will increase by a further 300 forints in October.

Five independent organizations requests the Parliament to modify the law of public meeting so that demonstrations can be also held in front of the House of Parliament.

The National Emblem sub-committee of the body responsible for the preparation of the new constitution proposes to restore one of the historical Hungarian coats-of-arms.

February 10. The CC of HSWP convenes behind closed doors.

February 11. The meeting of the CC of HSWP takes a position supporting the introduction of a multiparty system in Hungary. They recognize 1956 as a national uprising, breaking with a more than 30 year long tradition. Through reaching a consensus among alternative trends within the party they succeeded in avoiding a split in the party.

The daily paper Magyar Nemzet launches a series of articles entitled "Sections 301" edited by Béla Kurucz which will contain interviews with relatives of the 1956 martyrs, firstly with Aliz Halda, and on the events of the rehabilitation procedures.

February 12. The communiqué of the CC of HSWP holds that the society is not yet ready for an immediate transition to a multiparty system, therefore there is a great danger of destabilization. The document states that the economic system should be worked out in a way that in the major sectors of economy state and collective ownership play the leading role, while in the rest of the economy private ownership has an equal chance.

Alexander Bovin, correspondent of the soviet paper Izvestya states in a soviet television program: it would be fit to reconsider the assessment of the military actions taken in 1956 in Hungary and in 1968 in Czechoslovakia.

February 13. Prime Minister Miklós Németh and Austrian Chancellor Franz Vranitzky agree on the removal of the technical sealing of the frontier.

February 14. According to a statement by Prime Minister Miklós Németh Imre Nagy was not a "born counter-revolutionary".

Chief commanders of the Workers' Militia support the recent statement made by the CC of HSWP in their meeting.

On the occasion of discharge and joining-up representatives of the ministry of defense announce that according to current plans armless alternative military service will last for 24 months while civil military service for 36 moths.

Miklós Németh receives Zevolun Hammer, Israeli minister of religious affairs who confirms the invitation of the Hungarian Prime Minister to visit Israel.

In its statement the CC of HSWP supports the idea of setting up a political forum which could facilitate the elaboration of the new constitution and the new election law through continuous dialog.

The Social Democratic Party of Hungary urges a roundtable talk between the various political forces.

February 15. The Saint Crown Society is established.

February 16. Prime Minister Miklós Németh says the most important result of the last CC meeting of HSWP was that they could overcome the split in the party. He characterizes Imre Pozsgay' role as positive because it was he who challenged the CC to put forward their opinion on pluralism, freedom of platforms and the multiparty system.

The National Peace Council objects to the proposal made by the ministry of defense that civil military service should take 36 months, a disproportionately long time with a punitive character.

The Csongrád County party committee of HSWP decides to rehabilitate the editors of the literary journal Tiszatáj fired two and a half years ago.

February 17. In a joint communiqué independent political organizations and parties welcome the statement of the CC of HSWP on the introduction of a multiparty system, but at the same time they criticize the party that it is still not willing to accept 1956 as a revolution and a fight for freedom. The Endre Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Friendship Society, the Transylvania Alliance, the Hungarian Democratic Forum, the Social Democratic Party of Hungary, the Federation of Young Democrats, the Independent Lawyers' Forum, the Independent Smallholders' Party, the Committee for Historical Justice, the Péter Veres Society and the Alliance of Free Democrats put forward a proposal to set up a national roundtable to start talks.

With documents issued by the International Red Cross the 12 Transylvanian refugees fly first to Vienna and then to Hungary, who fled to the Hungarian embassy in Sofia in September 1988.

The Patriotic People's Front calls for commemorating March 15 together, including all political organizations.

February 18. The journal Képes 7 publishes passages from Krushchev's memoirs, pronounced fake before, including the chapter on the 1856 revolution.

Secretary of the foreign Ministry, Gyula Horn's statement appears in Népszabadság: "...by the end of October, following the October 23 uprising, a national uprising, counter-revolutionary events became increasingly prevalent, and the danger of a counter-revolution was imminent.

There are now 23 representatives of Parliament who propose the House to revise its decision on the Bős-Nagymaros dam.

February 19. Representatives of The Endre Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Friendship Society, the Hungarian Democratic Forum, the Federation of Young Democrats, the Independent Smallholders' Party, and the Alliance of Free Democrats meet in Budapest. They refute the call made by the Patriotic People's Front, harmonize their position on the issue of commemorating March 15 and accept a 12 point statement. Point number 10 says: "We demand justice for 1956, respect for the martyrs of the revolution. October 23 must be declared to be a national holiday."

February 20. The Committee for Historical Justice becomes a legally registered social organization.

At its two-day session the CC of HSWP approves of the report on the scheme of the new constitution which says that the party abandons its claim to be included in the new basic law as a party with a leading role in society. The body also accepts the agricultural program of HSWP and submits it to discussion by the party members. The CC sets up working groups to conduct negotiations with various different political organizations in order to pave the way for the national roundtable talks.

The planning and budgetary committee of the Parliament supports the introduction of the institution of solidarity strike.

February 21. In its article entitled "The money-collecting campaign of FYD-dancers" the daily paper Népszabadság makes a savage attack on the Federation of Young Democrats because their representatives showed up in the company - among others -of poet Tibor Tollas, editor of the paper Nemzetőr (Militiaman) in Munchen.

The legal committee of the House agrees that the regulation banning any strike in front of the House of Parliament should be removed from the law of public meeting.

February 22. Minister of justice Kálmán Kulcsár says the Council of Ministers set up a committee to deal with the revision of show trials which will investigate all the trials between 1945 and 1962.

The National Alliance of Hungarian Political Prisoners (NAHPP) is established in Budapest. The chairman of the alliance is engineer Jenő Fónay, who says: "We want to show our truth without any sense of revenge ... what we want is that the whole truth should be revealed about 1956."

The Council of Ministers withdraws the planned price rises. November 7 is declared to be a workday.

February 23. Leaders of the Danube movements announce that more than 124 thousand people have already signed the petition demanding a referendum on the issue of the Bős-Nagymaros dam.

February 24. The Presidential Council decides that Hungary should join the Geneva Refugee Convention; that the imprisonment of those who repudiated military service should be suspended.

February 25. The Solidarity Workers' Trade Union Alliance is established.

László Síkvölgyi, consul-general of Hungary in New York visits Gergely Pongrátz in Akron, Ohio and invites him and other representatives of Hungarian emigrants to attend the funeral of Imre Nagy and his companions. Pongártz turns down the invitation.

February 27. Before his talks in Yugoslavia Károly Grósz gives an interview to the press agency Tanjug: "The burial of Imre Nagy and his closest associates is justified on humanitarian grounds. This is no political rehabilitation. (...) Should we find any evidence, any new fact which could justify their rehabilitation, then we would have to face it."

February 28. The special February issue of Társadalmi Szemle (Social Review) is reprinted which contains the Pozsgay report under the title "Our historical route".

The National Council of Trade Unions rejects the strike Bill in case it still contains restrictions in the version to be submitted to the Parliament.

Gyula Horn, secretary of the foreign ministry calls attention to the serious situation of Hungarian national minorities living in Rumania at the meeting of the Human Rights Committee of UN in Geneva.

March 1. Achille Ochetto, general secretary of the Italian Communist Party stresses in his talks with Mikhail Gorbachev that he highly appreciates the declaration of the Hungarian multiparty system and the change in the evaluation of the 1956 events.

Ferenc Berényi, executive secretary of the Ferenc Münich Society says the evaluation of 1956 is premature since many of the participants of those events are still alive.

HSWP and the New March Front propose to set up a discussion group to start a dialog between political and social organizations.

70 young people are set free in Baracska who earlier repudiated military service and were sentenced to imprisonment.

Four new frontier stations are opened on the Hungarian-Soviet frontier for those who live in the area near the two sides of the border.

March 2. FYD organizes a demonstration in Vörösmarty square to protest against the imprisonment of Vaclav Havel.

March 3. Vladimir Shemyatjenko, ambassador of the Soviet Union accredited to EEC says in his interview given to the paper Le Soir in Brussels: the Soviet measures taken in 1956 and 1968 rested on legal grounds. He expresses his hopes, however, that such events and situations will not occur in the future again.

A meeting is held at the Political College on the Pozsgay report. The questions brought up in the discussion are answered by Sándor Balogh, József Bayer and György Földes. In their opinion Imre Nagy had historical rather than any kind of criminal responsibility for what he did.

Miklós Németh, following his one day visit to Moscow says: the soviet leaders support the Hungarian reform program.

Representatives of HSWP and the Social Democratic Party of Hungary discuss the election law and the constitution.

March 4. The opening general assembly of the Independent Smallholders' Party takes place.

In order to prepare the national roundtable talks representatives of HSWP conduct negotiations separately with the delegation of the Alliance of Hungarian Resistance Fighters and Anti-fascists, the Ferenc Münich Society and the Independent Smallholders's Party.

March 5. Bilateral consultations continue to prepare the national roundtable talks. The negotiating delegation of HSWP meets with representatives of National Council of Hungarian Youth Organizations, the Hungarian People's Party and HDF.

In his television interview Rezső Nyers says that in his view it would not lead to a split in the party if followers of socialism taken in its traditional sense left HSWP.

Foreign minister Péter Várkonyi conducts negotiations separately with soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevarnadze and American secretary of state James Baker.

March 6. Hungarian Television broadcasts a program made in memory of László Rajk born 80 years ago. István Huszár, general secretary of the Patriotic People's Front states the Front will have to work in the future as an independent social alliance following its own route, independent of any party.

Talks are held between representatives of HSWP and the Social Democratic Party of Hungary.

March 7. The sculpture of László Rajk made by István Szabó jr. is inaugurated in the garden of the training center of the Patriotic People's Front in Gárdony.

The CC of HSWP discusses its short-term plan of action on a one day session. Secretary of the CC Mátyás Szűrös's nomination as speaker of the House is approved at the meeting.

March 8. In a joint communiqué the Independent Lawyers' Forum, the Publicity Club, the István Hajnal Circle and the Committee for Historical Justice state that independent professional organizations must also be involved in the rehabilitation procedures, and they express their readiness to participate in the elaboration of the principles of rehabilitation procedures.

A collection of texts broadcast in the Hungarian radio in 1956 is published under the title "The voice of the revolution" edited by János Kenedi.

The Parliament elects Mátyás Szűrös speaker of the House, replacing the retired István Stadinger. The representatives approve of the conception of the new constitution which specifies the introduction of the function of president of the republic and the dissolution of the Presidential Council. The Council of Ministers is given the task to work out a draft version of the text of the new constitution. As a response to a motion made by several representatives Prime Minister Miklós Németh says the Council of Ministers is willing to investigate the possibility of calling a referendum on the issue of the Bős-Nagymaros dam. The House modifies the law of public meeting, thus from now own, if the Parliament is not in session, demonstrations may be held in front of the House of Parliament. The session of the House will resume on March 22.

March 10. András Kanyó starts a series of talks with János Kádár in which Kádár talks about his course of life and 1956. Passages of the interciew are published first in the journal Magyarország, then it appears in a book form in the fall under the title "Testament".

The action plan of CC of HSWP is made public. In it the party distances itself from the mistakes committed by the former leadership, from subjectivism and from a policy making practice that excluded most of the members of the party. At the same time it takes a stand on a constitutional state, a constitutional multiparty system, free elections and coalition government.

The Szeged local organization of HDF nominates one of its members, historian Ernő Raffay to take the seat of Antal Apró in the House who resigned recently.

March 11-12. The national meeting of HDF is held. The delegates approve of the charter and the program of HDF. The political communiqué issued by the meeting demands national autonomy, parliamentary democracy, economic renewal and the representation of the interests of all Hungarians wherever they happen to live. HDF sets up a committee to make preparations to transform the forum into a political party and elects a chairmanship consisting of 15 members. The meeting calls the Council of Ministers to request the Warsaw Treaty Organization to summon its political negotiating body because of the situation in Rumania.

Prime Minister Miklós Németh travels to Prague to attend a summit meeting of 24 countries on environmental protection. He conducts separate talks with the Dutch, the French and the Swedish prime ministers.

March 13. In the radio program "First hand facts" Lajos Czinege says that in his view "1956 saw a national uprising and a counter-revolution going on parallel."

March 14. US ambassador to Budapest, Mark Palmer visits leaders of the Workers' Militia.

A new political-social weekly is published in Debrecen under the title "Úton" (On the road) which brings out a hitherto unpublished speech made by Imre Nagy in the radio on October 28, 1956.

March 15. Thousands of people demonstrate in Budapest. On behalf of the Committee for Historical Justice Imre Mécs speaks at the Petőfi sculpture, János Dénes on Bem square on behalf of the workers' councils, and Jenő Fónay, at the same site, on behalf of The National Alliance of Political Prisoners. Tibor Hornyák, member of the former Újpest revolutionary committee and the sister of the executed Pál Kósa both call for forgiveness and reconciliation. On the staircase of the television building on Szabadság square actor György Cserhalmi reads out the 12 points written by the opposition organizations which organized the demonstration. Official mass media, especially the Hungarian television, continue to suppress or distort the demonstrations in their account.

March 16. Jasser Arafat, chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization conducts talks with Károly Grósz in Budapest.

Péter Vrákonyi, foreign minister meets with Margaret Thatcher british Prime Minister in London.

AFD suggests that independent organization should work out a common stand in a roundtable discussion before they sit down for negotiations with HSWP.

March 17. The Christian Democratic People's Party (CDPP) is established.

Hungary joins the refugee convention of UN.

Several independent organizations protest that the explosion of rocks continue at the B ős-Nagymaros building site, though Prime Minister Miklós Németh promised nothing irreversible would be done in the future.

March 18. A scientific memorial meeting is held in the banquet-hall of Vigadó in Buda under the title "The Petőfi Circle - the forum of reform movements in 1956". The opening lecture is presented by András Hegedűs B. Further speakers include István Lakatos, chairman of the former Bessenyei Circle, Domokos Kosáry, Miklós Vásárhelyi, Ferenc Pataki, Balázs Nagy, Péter Kende, Imre Mécs, Károly Vígh and György Litván. (András Hegedűs B.'s lecture is published in the June issue of Világosság.)

March 19. The first national meeting of AFD is held in the Corvin film theater. Archbisop, László Paskai, roman catholic primate pays a private visit to John Paul II.

March 20. As a guest visitor of the congress of the Italian Communist Party in Rome, Imre Pozsgay meets with pope John Paul II. "I have also informed His Holiness of the decision of the Hungarian Council of Ministers to revise the political trials between 1945 and 1962, and this will surely involve those legal actions which were brought against church personalities, including the Mindszety trial." The Hungarian politician announces that the pope will probably visit Hungary in September 1991.

The local party organization of Magymaros started a signature collecting campaign for building the dam.

March 21. On the anniversary of the proclamation of the Hungarian Soviet Republic, after the official commemoration in Budapest, more than 200 people walk to the memorial place in Dózsa György street with a photo of János Kádár and with placards saying "Long live HSWP!"

March 22. The parliament passes the Act on the right to strike.

At the initiation of the Independent Lawyers' Forum the Opposition Roundtable is established at Eötvös Lóránd University.

The Lenin sculpture in Salgótarján is brought down.

March 23. Secretary of the ministry of justice Gyula Borics says the exhumation of the mortal remains of Imre nagy, Pál Maléter, Miklós Gimes, József Szilágyi and Géza Losonczy will begin in a few days, after a sketch of section 301 has been discovered. at the request of the families the funeral will take place on June 16, 1989, on the anniversary of the execution of Imre Nagy and his associates.

March 24. The government spokesman confirms the announcement made by Gyula borics, secretary of the ministry of justice: Imre Nagy and his associates will be buried on June 16.

The Council of Ministers discusses a bill on the motion of censure, vote of confidence and the national referendum.

The foreign ministry lodges a note of protest with the Rumanian embassy in Budapest because the authorities in Bucharest took the text of the poem "National Song" out of the cabinet in the Hungarian embassy on march 15.

March 28. Judit Ember's book entitled "Right of Asylum - 1956", the script of the film under the same title, as well as a book edited by Áron Tóbiás under the title "In Memoriam Imre Nagy" are published.

Károly grósz, Miklós Németh and Rezső Nyers receive the delegation of the US congress.

Ferenc bartha, chairman of the Hungarian National Bank says: the deficit of the balance of payments in the first three months of the year amount to 600 million USD, which is more than it was for the whole of last year.

March 29. The exhumation of the bodies of Imre Nagy, Miklós Gimes, Géza Losonczy, Pál Maléter and József Szilágyi buried in a nameless grave begins in section 301 of the Rákoskeresztúr cemetery. For reasons of reverence the exhumation procedure is overseen only by family members, representatives of the Committee for Historical Justice, some experts and secretary of the ministry of justice, Gyula Borics. On behalf of the Independent Smallholders' Party Imre Boross, attorney general of the party and general secretary Dezső Futó request minister of justice Kálmán Kulcsár to make a moral apology to the former leaders of their party and the Hungarian peasants who suffered persecution in the 50s and 60s.

The CC of HSWP hold a one day meeting to discuss the draft of a statement on the development of political publicity, the basic principles of the information law and the principles of the party's press policy.

March 30. Secretary of the CC of HSWP János Lukács says that 120 thousand people have left the party in the last one and a half years and 20 thousand new members have joined the party.

March 31. The Presidential Council modifies the executive order on private trading, thus private people dealing in trading can now employ as many as 500 people.

April 1. In section 301 of the new Rákoskeresztúr public cemetery family members identify the remains of Imre Nagy, Miklós Gimes and Pál Maléter.

Secretary Gyula Borics, in an interview given to Magyar Nemzet, says the Council of Ministers will see to it that Imre Nagy and his associates be given a fair and respectable funeral, and no difficulties will be raised against erecting a memorial.

The Committee for Historical Justice decides that a memorial will be erected in Section 301 in memory of all the martyrs executed.

The independent artistic group Inconnu call all citizens of the country to give moral and financial support for the memorial graveyard to be established for the national heroes.

The Council of ministers makes a decision on the introductions of toll in highways. László Somogyi is commissioned to head the committee responsible to make preparations for the 1955 Vienna - Budapest World Fair.

The Hungarian New Apostolic Church is pronounced to be a legally recognized confession.

April 2. General secretary of HSWP Károly Grósz answers questions put by listeners in the radio. He believes it is unlikely that Imre Nagy will receive political rehabilitation.

The Hungarian Independence Party is re-established.

April 3. On his way to sub-Carpathia Károly Grósz, general secretary of HSWP confers the status of city on Záhony. In his speech he states that a new national consensus is needed in the framework of which HSWP must distance itself from the mistakes committed in the last one and a half decades. He believes that some measures that may have a bad influence on general feeling in the population are unavoidable, for the outstanding total debt of the country is nearly unmanageable. Invited by the CC of the Soviet Communist Party the general secretary of HSWP visits places inhabited by Hungarian in sub-Carpathia.

April 4. According to estimates over 150 thousand Hungarians traveled to Austria to do shopping on this holiday.

April 5. Discussing principles of the freedom of consciousness and religion the CC of HSWP states that in the future the state should not interfere with internal affairs of the churches.

April 6. The exhumation of the bodies of Imre Nagy, Miklós Gimes, Géza Losonczy, Pál Maléter and József Szilágyi is completed in section 301.

The Council of Ministers discusses the referendum bill. According to present conceptions the referendum must be called only if the Parliament intends to modify the constitution, or if it is requested by at least 100 thousand or at least 150 thousand people.

April 8. At the initiation of HSWP representatives of 7 political and social organizations hold a meeting to discuss the establishment of a political forum for the reconciliation of interests. Of the newly formed organizations only the Independent Smallholders's Party and the Ferenc Münich Society participate in the discussion. The other 8 organizations invited to attend the meeting, all members of the Opposition Roundtable, stay away from it saying that it was not prepared properly and thus real discussion was not possible.

April 11. In a unanimous decision the Mosonmagyaróvár City Committee of HSWP decides to request the exact clarification of the local events taking place in 1956 and their background.

Ferenc Szalai, secretary of the National Council of Trade Unions says that contrary to an earlier decision the council will nevertheless organize the general meeting and the procession on May 1. In the meantime the independent trade unions also announce to organize a May picnic in Népliget, to which they invite representatives of the newly established political organizations, HSWP and the National Council of Trade Unions.

April 12. The last public speech made by János Kádár at the meeting of the CC of HSWP. With an unbalanced mind Kádár battles with the shadow of Imre Nagy and his own conscience, and explains at length his reasons for his old decisions. The speech is not publicized in press, its text is published only later. After reorganizing the Politburo the number of its members is reduced from 11 to 9. János Berecz, Judit Csehák, János Lukács and István Szabó are not reelected, they are replaced by Mihály Jassó, secretary of the Budapest committee, and Pál Vastagh, secretary of the Szeged committee.

April 13. At its prompt meeting the Council of ministers decides that as of April 14 the forint is devalued by 6% with respect to convertible currencies.

The advisory body of the Council of Ministers urges the revision of the Imre Nagy trial.

The frontier guards announce they will start removing the technical sealing of the frontier within 3 days on the Austrian-Hungarian border.

April 14. The Nyíregyháza local organization of HDF and the Szabolcs-Szatmár county board of the Smallholders' Party request the minister of justice to take steps in the case of the Nyíregyháza martyrs of the revolution.

HDF proposes to set up a crisis government.

The National Council of the Patriotic People's Front elects an interim leadership. István Kukorelli is elected executive president, István Huszár chairman-general secretary.

April 15. György Marosán's memoirs entitled "The witnesses are still alive" appears in which he gives an account of the events between September and December, 1956.

A national conference is held in Kecskemét under the title "Reform-circle". It is also the first meeting of the reform circles of HSWP. They believe that an advanced congress must be held, and they sharply criticize the party leadership and the government.

April 16. The general assembly of AFD proposes to set up an expert government lead by one of the ministers of state. in another statement they suggest that Hungary should declare its neutrality.

Károly Grósz, general secretary of HSWP pays a one-day visit to Sofia.

April 17. The Central Supervisory Committee of HSWP abates the decision which excluded Mihály Bihari, Zoltán Bíró, Zoltán Király and László Lengyel from the party, but those involved do not rejoin HSWP.

April 18. Károly Grósz, general secretary of HSWP and Prime Minister Miklós Németh conducts negotiations with Jichak Shamir, Israeli Prime Minister in Budapest. The parties confirm that they are both ready to develop relation between the two countries.

April 19. It is decided at the meeting of the Opposition Roundtable that they will start negotiations with HSWP. They propose that before the negotiations start both HSWP and the Opposition Roundtable should make a public statement on complying with the constitution. They want bilateral negotiations to agree on laws and regulations concerning the democratic transition and the time of general elections.

The Politburo of HSWP proposes to the CC that the party should give up its authority in political screening of leaders in case the post is not within the party. In their view life has already outdated the traditional idea of democratic centralism, therefore this term is omitted in the draft version of the party rules.

April 20. The Council of Ministers requests the minister of justice to hand over the documents of the Imre Nagy trial to the minister of the interior and suggests that the revision of the legality of the sentence.

The Council of Ministers decides on the shut-down of the bauxite mines in Nyírád within a year.

April 21. Minister of state Imre Pozsgay, speaking at the meeting of the World Alliance of Hungarians, says the Council of Ministers will not use administrative measures in the future to prevent people from settling down abroad in case that is what they wish to do in order to get along in their life.

Workers of the bauxite mines in Nyírád hand over their letter to Prime Minister Miklós Németh and general secretary of the National Council of Trade Unions Sándor Nagy in which they demand that they should be given guarantee that their social and financial conditions will be secure, and that they should be told what economic reasons have lead the government to shut down the mines.

April 21-22. At the 12^th congress of the Communist Youth Federation the dissolution of the organization is declared, and the Hungarian Democratic Youth Society is established as its successor. Imre Nagy is elected chairman of the new organization.

April 22. It is decided at the meeting of the Duna Circle that a voting office of the Duna movements will be opened whose task will be to inform the people about issues concerning the Bős-Nagymaros dam, including questions relating to topology, energy, shipping and agriculture.

The Independent Lawyers' Forum urges the renewal of criminal law and a new definition of anti-state crimes.

April 25. The partial withdrawal of soviet troops stationed in Hungary begins. The soviet armored battalion in Kiskunhalas leaves for home.

April 26. The Council of ministers sets up a committee comprising criminal lawyers and historians to revise the show trials. The committee is co-chaired by Tibor Zinner and József Földvári.

Prime Minister Miklós Németh submits his proposal to reconstruct the government to the Presidential Council. He nominates Gyula Horn, secretary of the foreign ministry, foreign minister, László Békesi, deputy minister of finance, minister of finance, Csaba Hütter, chairman of a cooperative in Szécsény, minister of industry, Ferenc Glatz, director of the Institute for History of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, minister of culture, and Ernő Kemenes, secretary of the National Planning Office, president of the National Planning Office.

The new government takes office on April 28.

On his visit to France Tamás Beck, minister of trade confirms that 50 companies will be privatized.

April 28. The Opposition Roundtable has its meeting. They will resume talks on May 1 and May 2.

May 1. A political meeting is held on the procession square in budapest, organized by the National Council of Trade Unions.

May 2. At the invitation of the Hungarian Jewish Cultural Society historian Péter Gosztonyi gives a lecture in Budapest under the title "The 1956 Hungarian revolution in the light of the most recent research".

The technical sealing of the frontier begins near Kőszeg at the Austrian-Hungarian border.

Barna Sarkadi Nagy, the new leader of the State Office of Church Affairs says the state will give up control of any aspect of church life.

May 3. Péter Medgyessy, deputy Prime Minister carries on talks with deputy P rime Minister Pavel Hrivak in Prague. He says Hungary will not yet sign the agreement with Czechoslovakia on the environmental and water-purifying projects related to the Bős-Nagymaros dam, because it has to wait for the decision of the Parliament.

The advisory board of the Council of Ministers, with the participation of Prime Minister Miklós Németh, discusses current issues of the Bős-Nagymaros dam. They also listen to the opinion of experts of the Danube Circle who oppose the dam.

The Budapest division of the Paris-based Hungarian League of human Rights is established.

May 4. The Council of Ministers takes a position on working out a comprehensive economic package. György Marosán jr., government spokesman says the price rises will exceed what was expected earlier, on the other hand, the government intends to accelerate the development of enterprises and the economy and facilitate the privatization of state ownership.

May 5. The Supreme Prosecutor submits a protest on legal grounds against the sentence passed in Pál Demény's case in 1946.

May 8-9. In view of his ill health János Kádár is relieved of all his duties by the CC of HSWP. At the meeting of the CC a national meeting is summoned for the fall and a proposal is made to set up a political conciliation forum.

The general assembly of the National Academy of Sciences discusses the rehabilitation excluded members: among others, the academy membership of Imre Nagy and several philosophers excluded in 1973 is restored.

May 9. The letter of the CC of HSWP written to János Kádár is made public. It says the CC made its decision to relieve the chairman of the party of all his duties in the party after carefully weighing his physical conditions. The letter stresses that "Today we are not yet in the position to evaluate this half a century long course of life of historical significance. (...) The Hungarian communists look upon János Kádár as a leader who was always prepared to achieve consensus for the sake of reconciliation."

May 10. The ministry of justice makes public the list of those sentenced to death by the courts and executed between December 20, 1956 and December 13, 1961. The list of names was compiled based on data from correction institutions and from documents.

Secretary of the ministry of finance Gyula Borics says the Council of Ministers will not be officially represented at the funeral of Imre Nagy and his associates on June 16, 1989.

May 10-12. The Parliament declares invalid the 1955 law marking the memory of Stalin.

After modifying the constitution the representatives of the House pass the Bill on the motion of censure. The election law is also modified. It is stipulated that seats becoming empty in the House must be filled in the course of by-elections, and that the candidates must accept the constitution rather than the program of the Patriotic People's Front.

May 12. In its communiqué the Committee for Historical Justice demands that the revision of the political trials of the past historical period should be done in a fair and impartial manner. The Committee regards it as unacceptable that Hungary's interests are represented in the Soviet Union of Gorbachev by ambassador Sándor Rajnai, the person who arrested Imre Nagy and his associates and then lead the investigations in their case.

The advisory board of the Council of Ministers proposes to bring the building of the B ős-Nagymaros dam to a full stop. The reason for the proposal is that the investment has become the symbol of a mistaken and out-dated policy of economic development demanding way too much energy and resources, and it also epitomizes a decision-making system that excludes a wide range of experts and works without public control. The board rejects the proposal that the issue must be decided in a referendum.

May 13. At its emergency meeting the Council of Ministers suspends the building of the Nagymaros dam with immediate effect. Miklós Németh will start negotiations in Czechoslovakia on the problem on May 24.

May 14. Minister of finance László Békesi, speaking of the economic package of the Council of Ministers, says the government intends to reduce the budgetary expenditures by 20 billion forints, the budget of national defense by 5 billion, that of executive bodies by 1 billion and the subsidies given to social organization by 1 billion. At the upcoming meeting between the government and the National Council of Trade Unions the Council of Ministers will put forward the government's social security package estimated at 5-6 billion as well.

May 15. Prime Minister Miklós Németh conducts negotiations with Prime minister Mielczyslaw Rakowski and Wojciech Jaruzelski, general secretary of the Polish United Workers' Party in Warsaw.

May 16. The Politburo of HSWP summons the CC to meet on May 29. It suggests that the policy of the party in religious and church affairs should be modified. According to the Politburo the CC will also have to work out a new agrarian program, because the one proposed earlier has been criticized extensively.

May 17. It is announced at the joint meeting of the Council of Ministers and the National Council of Trade Unions that the government waives raising the price of water supply and canal toll as well as the rental rates of state-owned apartments. AT the same time it is announced that the price of home energy will be raised as of January, but its extent will be smaller than planned.

Deputy prime minister Péter Medgyessy says after the meeting of the executive committee of Comecon in Moscow that the Soviet Union seems willing to change to a convertible system of accounting in trading with Hungary.

May 18. Participant organizations of the Opposition roundtable say in their letter that HSWP has blocked, or even put an end to the negotiations started between the governing party and the opposition. The offer made by HSWP is nothing but a propaganda trick, as Károly Grósz said the first general elections can take place 6 years from now at the earliest.

May 20. The reform circles of HSWP demand at their Szeged conference that the party congress should be convened and they collect signatures to achieve this goal. They propose in a statement that the CC should declare before the June 16 funeral that Imre Nagy fell victim to a show political trial.

Leaders of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary say the party has some 20-30 thousand members, and they intend to hold a congress at the end of the year.

leaders of FYD announce that they leave the National Council of Hungarian Youth Organizations.

In an interview given to an Italian television station Mátyás Szűrös, speaker of the House urges the political and legal rehabilitation of Imre Nagy.

May 22. At a discussion forum of the Eger reform circles of HSWP Gyula Horn foreign minister, and in a radio interview Mátyás Szűrös, speaker of the House state that Imre Nagy and his fellow martyrs fell victim to a show political trial.

May 23. The Committee for Historical Justice, family members of those executed and the authorities have come to an agreement concerning the plan for the June 16 funeral of Imre Nagy. June 16 will be a national day of mourning, at half past twelve people all over the country will pay tribute to the martyrs memory by standing up in silence for one minute and all the bells in the country will toll. Six bodies will lie in state: Imre Nagy's, Miklós Gimes's, Géza Losonczy's, Pál Maléter's, József Szilágyi's and a six one of an unknown revolutionary. The coffins will be transported from Heroes' square to section 301 where the last honor will be paid in the presence of the families.

Foreign minister Gyula Horn says "it is imperative and pressing that the society, the nation administer justice to Imre Nagy and his associates."

The Supreme Court declares null and void the unlawful sentence passed on Pál Demény in 1946.

Mátyás Szűrös, speaker of the House offers his help in organizing the negotiations between HSWP and the Opposition Roundtable.

May 24. Prime Minister Miklós Németh agrees with Prime Minister Ladislav Adamec in Prague to set up a Hungarian-Czechoslovakian expert group lead by deputy prime ministers to settle the matters concerning the Bős-Nagymaros dam.

In his talks in Belgrade foreign minister Gyula Horn agrees with the Yugoslav party that Yugoslavia will hand over to Hungary the Yugoslavian documents relating to the period of Hungarian history between 1956 - 1968.

The Opposition Roundtable accepts Imre Pozsgay as a partner in the negotiations.

May 26. Police colonel Sándor Pongor announces at the press conference of the Budapest Main Police Station that there is no need to issue permission for public meeting on June 16, for it is going to be a private funeral. The police will protect all the sites involved. Organizers of the Committee for Historical Justice and activists of HDF will also be helping the police to keep everything under control on Heroes' square. Colonel Pongor says there has been an agreement made between the police and the HJC that the coffins for the memorial ceremony on Heroes' square will be placed on a stand erected on the staircase of the Art Gallery.

HSWP nullifies the decision made in the case of seven philosophers and sociologists - Ágnes Heller and others - in 1973. In support of the government decision on the issue of the Bős-Nagymaros dam, some 6 thousand people walk to the house of Parliament. Representatives of the Danube movements present the papers in which another 40 thousand people demand calling a referendum on the investment. In the meantime representatives of the Nagymaros local party organization of HSWP take 78,500 signatures to the house of parliament demanding the completion of the Nagymaros dam.

May 27. The Solidarity Trade Union Workers' Council has its statutory congress in the Jurta theater.

It is announced that Hungary and the International monetary Fund will continue their financial cooperation, although for the time being the IMF does not grant the last installment of the most recent stand-by credit, because Hungary has failed to meet the conditions accepted in the agreement. At the same time representatives of IMF expressed their agreement in the talks in Budapest concerning the economic package of the government.

May 28. The reduction of soviet land forces planned for the year 1989 is completed.

May 29. According to the position accepted at the meeting of CC of HSWP representatives of the party will not officially attend the funeral of Imre Nagy and his associates.

May 30. In the House of Parliament Prime Minister Miklós Németh announces that after studying the documents of the Imre Nagy trial the Supreme Prosecutor will very soon - before the funeral - define his legal position, and then the legal and political rehabilitation can take place. He adds: "This means that we can attend their coffins resting in state bearing in mind that we bow our heads before former the prime minister, the minister of state and the minister of defense of the Hungarian government." He brings up the idea for consideration that a law should be passed stating the innocence of other victims of the show political trials.

The new proposal for negotiations by HSWP is made public. According to it quadrilateral negotiations should be held in such a way that one side is taken by HSWP, the other by the Opposition Roundtable, the third by the rest of the independent organizations, and the fourth by observers. HSWP requests the speaker of the house to chair the sessions of the negotiations.

May 30. - June 2. The Parliament passes the bill on calling a referendum and popular initiatives, the law on the transformation of economic organizations and companies and modifies the company law and the cooperative law.

In its communiqué the CC of HSWP considers it to be necessary that the revision of the trials of Imre Nagy and his associates be completed as soon as possible and justice be administered to the convicted politicians. In the course of renewing the party they will build on the principles of the policy adopted at the end of October 1956 and openly accept the heritage of the reform initiatives of 1953-54.

The Supreme Prosecution hand over the personal bequest of the former prime minister, Imre Nagy, to his daughter, including a draft of a memoir entitled "A Stormy Generation", his notes taken in Snagov, poems, letters. According to Erzsébet Nagy several items are missing from the bequest.

Summer The last issue of the samizdat paper appears which publishes several 1956 documents and photos in the spirit of the upcoming national day of mourning: a paper written jointly by Imre Mécs and János Rajna M. about the activities of the special police force in 1957, and the sentence passed by the Council of the People's Court of the Supreme Court in the case of István Bibó, Árpád Göncz and László Regéczy-Nagy pronounced on August 2, 1958.

June 1. The Committee for Historical Justice objects to representatives of HSWP, the Presidential Council and the Council of Ministers officially laying a wreath on the coffins at the funeral, because these bodies have not yet distanced themselves in a straightforward fashion from the events taking place in 1956 and afterwards.

June 2. The first round of talks between HSWP and the Opposition Roundtable bring no results.

The Budapest reform circle of HSWP sends an open letter to the presidency of the Committee for Historical Justice in which they denounce Károly Grósz for his actions.

The party committee of the Technical University of Budapest makes a statement public in which they call the general secretary of HSWP to resign immediately.

Accepting the proposal made by Mátyás Szűrös, the Parliament supports the idea that a parliamentary delegation should lay a wreath at the funeral of Imre Nagy and his associates. Agreeing with the motion of the Prime Minister the representatives of the House take a position on passing a law to nullify the sentences passed in the show trials. The House acknowledges that the Council of Ministers has suspended the building of the B ős-Nagymaros dam. Two members of the House call László Maróthy, minister of environmental protection and management of water supplies to resign.

Representatives of the Council of Ministers, the Social Democratic Party of Hungary, the Hungarian People's Party, the Endre Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Society, the Left-wing Alternative Association and the New March Front hold a preliminary negotiation.

June 3. The national board of the Independent Smallholders' Party, now numbering 6 thousand members, elect Vince Vörös chairman and Tivadar Pártay honorary chairman.

June 4. In China the army is used to put an end to the several-week long demonstration of students on Tienanmen square in Beijing.

June 5. The Council of Ministers makes a decision that the employment and the pension of those relocated between 1949-1953 will be settled by the end of June. Fair and square measures will be taken in September in the cases of those relocated between 1945-1949 and after 1956 who suffered legal disadvantages. The mode of compensation will be codified in a law. The Council of Ministers also decided that from now on no permission is needed to publish books or put films on show.

Foreign minister Gyula Horn states nothing can justify the bloodshed in Beijing.

Many political and social organization condemns the bloodshed in Beijing in a communiqué and warns that political conflicts should not be settled by force of arms in Hungary. There are demonstrations in front of the Chinese embassy in Budapest.

June 5-6. The independent artistic group Inconnu pays tribute to the memory of the nameless victims lying in section 301 of the Rákoskeresztúr public cemetery by erecting 301 wooden headboards.

June 7-9. The Hungarian television broadcasts Judit Ember's - hitherto banned - 11 hour long documentary film entitled "Right of Asylum" in three installments.

June 7. The Council of Ministers denounces the events in Beijing in a communiqué. FYD demonstrates in front of the Chinese embassy in Budapest.

The Christian Democratic Party of Hungary is admitted to the organization at the meeting of the Opposition Roundtable.

June 8. According to the agreement made between the Council of Ministers and the Committee for Historical Justice Miklós Németh and Mátyás Szűrös will officially participate in the funeral on June 16, but HSWP as a political organization will not be represented.

It is announced that the Russian language will cease to be a mandatory foreign language in schools from the next academic year.

June 9. The Supreme Prosecutor of the People's Republic of Hungary submits a protest on legal grounds to the Presidential Council of the Supreme Court of the People's Republic of Hungary in the case of Imre Nagy, Ferenc Donáth, Miklós Gimes, Zoltán Tildy, Pál Maléter, Sándor Kopácsi, József Szilágyi, Ferenc Jánosi and Miklós Vásárhelyi in which it moves that the unlawful sentences be nullified and those unjustly condemned be acquitted.

The Ferenc Münich Society issues a communiqué in which, "welcoming the day of national reconciliation" it calls every loyal supporter of socialism to refrain from any action which would endanger the national reconciliation treasured by everyone.

The 5^th district committee of HSWP proposes that after the legal rehabilitation of Imre Nagy the nameless square in the 5^th district of Budapest, where the Bathyhány sanctuary lamp is to be found, should be named Imre Nagy square.

June 10. Experts of HSWP and the Opposition Roundtable agree on starting genuine political negotiations.

The radio program 168 Hours talks with András Hegedűs B. on the preparations for the funeral, with Imre Pozsgay on the intellectual heritage of Imre Nagy and his associates, and with Rezső Nyers on the Imre Nagy trial.

The New March Front established 15 months ago becomes and independent intellectual, political organization with members of its own.

June 11. The television program Hét (Week) gives a brief historical overview of Imre Nagy's political course of life. Imre Pozsgay, minister of state and Gyula Horn, foreign minister are questioned in the program, who believe the funeral may turn out to put and end to a historical era.

Local people commemorate Ferenc Nagy, the prime minister of the coalition government after 1945, in his home village in Baranya county, in Bisse. A memorial tablet is unveiled at the ceremony organized by the Independent Smallholders' Party, HDF and the local reformed community.

The agreement on the beginning of the political conciliatory negotiations is made public according to which the democratic transition and the resolution of conflicts should be implemented in a peaceful manner excluding any form of violence, therefore no social organization can have direct control over the armed forces.

June 12. Leaders of the Hungarian Roman Catholic Church, The Ecumenical Council of the Hungarian Churches, the Reformed Church, the Evangelical Church, the Orthodox Church, the Council of Denominational Churches, the Methodist Church, the Unitarian Church and the Israelite Confession issue a solemn communiqué concerning the re-burial of the martyrs of the 1956 revolution. They all state that June 16, the day of national mourning should be the dawn of union, collaboration and resurrection.

June 13. Representatives of the Council of Ministers, Miklós Németh, Ferenc Glatz and Gyula Horn meet with Imre Nagy's daughter, Erzsébet Nagy and her husband. The fully agree that the funeral ceremony on June 16 should serve justice and national reconciliation.

The executive presidency of the National Council of the Patriotic People's Front issues a statement: The execution of Imre Nagy and his associates is a disgrace to the history of Hungary and Europe after 1956.

The National Roundtable talks begin: those participating are HSWP, the Opposition Roundtable and the so-called "third party" (social organizations, movements).

Ambassador André Erdős announces at the human rights conference in Paris that 75% of the refugees coming to Hungary from Rumania are no longer of Hungarian nationality.

June 14. In its statement the Council of Ministers pays the tribute of respect to Imre Nagy and his companions in distress, "to all the victims of the 1956 national uprising and tragedy", and its shares the grief of their families.

The US Senate passes a unanimous decision which states: "The 1956 Hungarian revolution was a breakthrough in recent history, the first important signal that the destruction of Stalinism was inevitable."

Károly Grósz participates in the party meeting of the Salgótarján party organization, where he says concerning the assessment of 1956: a more careful examination of the documents sheds light on the unlawfulness of the sentences.

June 15. The People's Militia is placed under the control of the Council of Ministers.

A temporary memorial tablet is placed on the wall of the prison in Fő street where Imre Nagy and his associates were sentenced to death. On behalf of those convicted Imre Mécs commemorates Imre Nagy, then József Antall, Károly Debreceni and Gábor Fodor make a speech.

At the initiative of FYD more than 200 people demonstrate in front of the embassy of the Soviet Union in Budapest, demanding the prompt withdrawal of the soviet troops.

A memorial tablet is inaugurated on the wall of Imre Nagy's birth-place in Kaposvár.

June 16. Hundreds of thousands pay their tribute at the funeral of Imre Nagy and his companions on Heroes' square. The funeral ceremony starts at 9 o'clock. At 10 actor Imre Sinkovits reads out the communiqué written by the families, the Committee for Historical Justice and other opposition and alternative organizations. Then people march past the coffins in a long line for two hours, paying their respect to the martyrs. Actor László Mensáros and others read out the names of all the martyrs. Shortly after 11 wreaths are placed at the coffins. At 12 Árpád Göncz opens the funeral ceremony, calling all the people of the country for a silence of 5 minutes. Chariman of the Committee for Historical Justice makes his funeral speech. He is followed by Sándor Rácz, former chairman of the Central Workers' Council of Greater Budapest who recalls the memory of his deceased companions. Imre Mécs speaks on behalf of all his companions sentenced to death, while Tibor Zimányi on behalf of those relocated, interned and imprisoned in Recsk. Béla Király, commander of the Militia speaks on behalf of the freedom-fighters, and Victor Orbán in the name of young people of Hungary, demanding the withdrawal of the soviet troops. At around 13:30 the funeral procession leaves for the Rákoskeresztúr new public cemetery. There, in the presence of family members, fellow freedom-foghters and friends, the names of the martyrs are read out again. The corner-stone of the monument to be erected is laid. Then a separate church service is given to Flórián Szegedi, András Czakó, Pál Kósa and István Szelepcsényi, who still lie in a nameless grave. Finally, priests of the various denominations offer an ecumenical prayer and bless section 3January As a conclusion to the service, while the poem "Szózat" is being recited, the coffins of Imre Nagy, Ferenc Donáth, Miklós Gimes, Pál Maléter, József Szilágyi, and an unknown freedom-fighter descend into their graves.

The funeral service in Heroes' square and in the cemetery is covered by the Hungarian Television and the radio live all the way through, and a large number of television stations all over the world cover the event on site. Bill Lomax, Béla Szász and Béla Varga, former speaker of the national Assembly give an interview in the morning program of the radio.

In the evening the Committee for Historical Justice gives a reception at the Institute for Educational Research in honor of the representatives of the Hungarian emigration - most of whom have come home for the first time.

The Hungarian television shows a documentary on Imre Nagy entitled "Stormy Generation" in the evening.

Late in the evening a delegation of the 16^th district organization of AFD, FYD and HDF visit the soviet barracks in Mátyásföld, where Imre Nagy and his associates were temporarily kept after having been transported there from the Yugoslav embassy. The soviet officers showed them to the exact place where the delegation place a wreath and light candles in memory of the martyrs.

June 19. There is a "nationwide protest by workers" in Rumania against the "chauvinist, fascist and nationalist" speeches made at the Imre Nagy funeral.

Foreign minister Gyula Horn gives an interview to the radio program called "First hand facts". He says the Council of Ministers does not intend to respond to the Rumanian and Czechoslovakian accusations concerning the June 16 funeral.

June 21. At the second round of the political conciliatory negotiations the representative of HSWP announces that the ruling party will not propose to place the bills on the agenda of the session of the House beginning on June 27 concerning the modification of the constitution, the political parties, the introduction of the office of presidency and the Constitutional Court. This is welcomed by the spokesman of the Opposition Roundtable. The same position is taken by the representative of the third party, but he also brings up the proposition that perhaps the president of the country should be elected, for he could play a stabilizing role after the general elections.

Prime Minister Miklós Németh gives an interview on the June 16 events: The leadership of the country and the moderate public alike distanced themselves from political demagogy that also hurts feelings of reverence.

The radio of Free Europe sets up an office in Budapest.

June 22. General secretary of the National Council of Trade Unions Sándor Nagy visits the Metallurgical Works in Ózd, after the workers held out a prospect of going on strike because as a result of reorganizing the production of the plant 2,500 worker are in danger of losing their job in 1990.

June 23-24. A presidency of four members (Károly Grósz, Mikló s Németh, Rezső Nyers and Imre Pozsgay) and a Political Executive Committee of 21 members are elected in the meeting of the CC of HSWP. Imre Pozsgay is nominated president of the republic.

In a survey made by the Central Committee for People's Control nearly 130 thousand people were unemployed in 1988, showing an increase of 20% with respect to the previous year.

June 24. The chairmanship and the committee of HDF decides that the organization should constitute intself a political party.

June 26. The Council of Ministers makes public a statement saying that the agreement made in 1950, regulating the relationship between the state and the churches becomes ineffective, and the State Office of Church Affairs ceases to exist without any legal successor.

The Council of Ministers accepts the proposal of the bills on emigration, immigration, travel abroad and the passport.

The Presidential Council suspends making decisions on petitions for pardon until the Parliament decides on the abolition of the death penalty.

June 27. Lead by György Krassó, Pál Szolnoki and József Bánlaki the Hungarian October Party is established. Their intention is to facilitate the full implementation of the objectives of the 1956 revolution and fight for freedom.

The Parliament passes the bill on the implementation of the 1988 budget, relieves Rezső Nyers from his office as minister of state, who has just been elected chairman of HSWP, and elects independent member of Parliament István Fodor deputy speaker of the House.

Mark Palmer, US ambassador to Budapest meets with representatives of the Opposition Roundtable.

Foreign minister Gyula Horn visits Austria to negotiate about the Bős-Nagymaros dam, the 1955 World Fair and Austrian-Hungarian relations in general.

June 28. The Salgótarján local organization of HDF hold a conference on the salvo on December 8, 1956.

The Parliament accepts the first draft of the memorandum on the lessons of the new tax reform and the conception of the modernization of the tax system.

June 29. Jevgenyiy Ambarutsev publishes an essay on the occasion of the Imre Nagy funeral in Moskowskie Novosty. In in he stresses: "Though Imre Nagy was convicted by a Hungarian court in Budapest, it is unquestionably our sin, the sin of our leader at that time, Krushchev's".

June 30. The Parliament modifies the national defense law, specifying that the term of military service, be it regular, without arms or civic, is uniformly 24 months. The Criminal Code is modified by the representatives in a way that the longest term inflicted for repudiating civic military service should be 3 years.

July 1. The daily paper Magyar Nemzet launches a series of articles entitled "White Spots in Our History".

State control over church press and publications is abated.

July 2. According to Rezső Nyers. chairman of HSWP the utilization of foreign and domestic private capital is not inconsistent with socialism, quite the contrary, it promotes the socialist system.

July 4. Minister of culture Ferenc Glatz says it is in the social and national interest of Hungary to return the immovable estates of the churches to their original owners.

In the future HDF intends to function simultaneously as an intellectual movement and as a political party.

July 5. János Barabás, secretary of the CC of HSWP states in his press conference that "drawing a lesson from recent events HSWP will take the initiative in getting ready for the upcoming anniversary of the 1956 national uprising."

One of the leaders of the Italian Socialist Party requests the city council of Rome in a letter to name a square after Imre Nagy in the Italian capital.

July 6. By the decision of the Presidential Council of the Supreme Court the protest filed on legal grounds is well-founded, therefore the sentence passed in the cases of Imre Nagy, Ferenc Donát, Miklós Gimes, Zoltán Tildy, Pál Maléter, Sándor Kopácsi, Ferenc Jánosi, József Szilágyi and Miklós Vásárhelyi is repealed and those convicted are acquitted for lack of crime.

After a long period of ill health - in the hours of Imre Nagy's acquittal - János Kádár passes away. The Council of Ministers orders national mourning.

The membership of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary is suspended at the meeting of the Opposition Roundtable.

According to the statement of the ministry of justice Béla Zsedényi, former speaker of the national Assembly convicted in 1950 was innocent and the legal action brought against him was unlawful.

July 7. Rezső Nyers meets with Mikhail Gorbachev and Miklós Németh with Vladislav Adamec, Czechoslovakian Prime Minister at the meeting of the political council-board of the Warsaw Treaty Organization. The chairman of HSWP says at the summit meeting that there is no mandatory model for all the socialist countries to follow, therefore national character and seeking one's ways and means independently should be given utmost respect.

July 8. In the future Hungary can send 6 representatives to sessions of the European Council as observers.

July 9. Simultaneously with filing a protest on legal grounds in the cases of Imre Nagy and his associates the Supreme Prosecution abates the criminal investigation for lack of crime in the case of Géza Losonczy. The decision points up that the former minister of state was in custody illegally until his death.

July 10. László Paskai, archbishop of Esztergom requests Miklós Németh in a letter that the Hungarian government should initiate the revision of József Mindszenty's trial. In his response Miklós Németh says the Council of Ministers has already requested the Supreme Prosecutor to revise the legal action brought against archbishop Mindszenty.

The State Wage and Labor Office will cover 65% of the costs of retraining the teachers of Russian from the employment fund.

Péter Zwack, descendant of the former owner of the liquor company establishes a limited liability company called Zwack Unicum with a registered capital of 60 million forints.

July 11. Ferenc Pintér, deputy to the leader of the secretariat of the ministry of justice says to the daily paper Népszava that 277 people are known to have been executed for their role in the 1956 events.

George Bush, president of the United States of America arrives in Budapest. In the course of the day 4 Hungarian-American joint venture company contracts are signed.

The Opposition Roundtable rules that temporarily representatives of the social democrats can participate only in the highest level of the political conciliatory negotiations.

July 12. George Bush makes a promise in Budapest that he will urge for effective economic help for Hungary at international forums, in the first place at the upcoming summit meeting in Paris. The US president suggests that the Congress should establish a 25 million USD fund to support the acceleration of private business in Hungary, and furthermore, in case the Hungarian Parliament passes the bill on emigration, trade restrictions on Hungary should be lifted. The American Peace Corps will send English teachers to Hungary. The minister of culture says the costs of retraining the Russian teachers will be covered - in addition to the employment fund - by the local councils and schools, so Russian teachers will have to pay nothing for their retraining.

The Independent Police Trade Unions is established.

July 14. János Kádár is accompanies by a crowd of several thousand from his catafalque in the seat of the CC of HSWP to the Kerepesi cemetery where he is laid to rest in peace in the pantheon of labor movement.

László Rajk jr. issues a statement saying that he indents to have the mortal remains of his parents removed from the pantheon of labor movement.

The Hungarian October Party and the Hungarian Radical party hold a demonstration in Budapest in Ferenc Münich (Nádor) street. They cover up all the name-plates in the street and place the name "Nádor street" on walls everywhere.

László Paskai, archbishop of Esztergom and Ferenc Glatz, minister of culture discuss the possibility of returning state immovable estates and establishing catholic schools.

July 15. Leaders of the seven most developed capitalist countries envisage a concerted economic aid for Hungary and Poland and promise to convene an international conference in order to support the reforms in the two countries.

July 18. The volume on the funeral of Imre Nagy and his associates entitled "301" is published, edited by Éva Kapitány and Péter Grawátsch.

In an open letter the Opposition roundtable requests Prime Minister Miklós Németh to revise his position on the issue of the Bős-Nagymaros dam.

According to official data from Bonn at least 60 East German citizens have managed to get to Austria from Hungary in the last 3 weeks, since the demolition of the technical sealing of the frontier started.

July 19. Péter Borenich interviews Ferenc Vida, a retired judge who was the judge in Imre Nagy's case and in many other cases of retortion.

July 20. The Czechoslovakian and the Hungarian prime ministers agree at their meeting that further examinations are needed to clarify the potential environmental effects of the Bős-Nagymaros investment, and also that before the end of October the prime ministers will sit down again to discuss the results of research, but until then no irreversible operations may be carried out at Nagymaros.

One of the leaders of HDF conducts negotiations in Brussels with the Christian Democratic group of representatives of the European Parliament. According to József Antall the general elections in Hungary must take place in November or in March at the latest.

July 21. The Left-wing Youth Association, one successor organization of the Communist Youth Federation calls the political parties and organizations to declare October 23 "the day of non-violence."

July 24. Chairman of HSWP Rezső Nyers and general secretary Károly Grósz pay an official visit to the Soviet Union.

July 25. AFD and HDF call for a general revision of street names in the capital city.

In Moscow Mikhail Gorbachev, Rezső Nyers and Károly Grósz agree to continue negotiations on the further withdrawal of Soviet troops stationed in Hungary. They also agree that under appropriate international circumstances the reduction of troops may lead to a complete withdrawal of armed forces.

The delegation of the Common Market visits Hungary in order to learn about the political and economic situation in the country.

July 26. The assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences rules that redressing the unfair grievances is a moral obligation, therefore the measures and resolutions having infringed the rights of members of the academy will be annulled and membership of those suspended or excluded will be continued.

Pope John Paul II announces that he will visit Hungary in 1991.

AFD demands that the Hungarian frontier guards should not put a special seal in the passport of East German citizens who are caught trying to escape from Hungary to Austria.

July 27. The Hungarian October party and the capital city council agree that Ferenc Münich street will regain its original name, Nádor street and a committe will be set up comprising representatives of political and social organizations and other experts to revise the status of political symbols and names of public places.

July 28. The CC of HSWP initiates that HSWP should make preparations for October 23 in the spirit of serving the cause of national reconciliation.

Valentyin Falin, leader of the international department of the CC of the Soviet Communist Party says in his interview given to the paper Új Fórum: ... I do not have any evidence confirming that the Soviet Union should have played a decisive or a significant role in determining the fate of Imre Nagy. The existing documents indicate that the final decision was not made over here."

Otto von Habsburg is elected president of the Hungarian delegation in the European Parliament. The body will be composed by half of representatives of the European Parliament and by half of Hungarian members of Parliament.

August 1. It is said at the press conference of the National Planning Office that the rate of inflation in the first half of the year was 15%, and presumably it will change in the rest of the year. The deficit of the convertible balance of payments is greater than expected, due to tourist shopping by Hungarians abroad.

August 2. The Council of Ministers does not intend to request easy terms of payment from Western creditors, however, it would like Hungary to be able to get credits faster and easier so that it could improve its infrastructure and reduce the deficit of the balance of payments. At the same time the Council of Ministers proposes to the Common Market that the trading quotas inflicted on Hungary should be lifted as early as next year.

The Opposition Roundtable criticizes HSWP for not accepting publicity and public debate in the trilateral negotiations, and also for not taking written responsibility for the party's assets.

August 4. The West German government intends to negotiate with representatives of the Hungarian ministry of the interior and the foreign ministry about the status of East German citizens staying at the embassy of the German Federal Republic in Budapest. 130 East German citizens are reported to be waiting for an entry visa to the GFR at he embassy. The Hungarian ministry of the interior says they are ready to investigate the application for political asylum submitted by the East German citizens.

More than 17 thousand Rumanian refugees live in Hungary. 171 million forint have been used to cover the costs helping the refugees from the settlement fund.

August 5. By-elections are held in three electorates as a result of recalling the representatives. In Szeged and in Kecskemét, candidates of HDF, Ernő Raffay and József Debreceni win the seats. In Kiskunfélegyháza no representative is elected, because only less then 50% of voters turn up at the election.

Representatives of the Opposition Roundtable go on a study trip in England.

August 6. The National Council of Trade Unions denies that it intends to sell its resort places and to cease the granting of accommodation at its resort places for a nominal charge.

August 7. According to some sources there are as many as 200 East German citizens staying at the West German embassy in Budapest. A high ranking West German government official says the authorities in Berlin try to prevent East German tourists to travel to Hungary by using administrative measures.

Hungary is invited as a guest to the summit meeting of the non-allied countries.

After 50 years sailing on lake Fertő is possible without any restriction.

August 8. The opposing fractions of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary agree to convene a congress in November and before that a party conference. On learning about the agreement the Opposition Roundtable reinstates the social democrats in the roundtable.

August 11. The Supreme Prosecutor submits a protest on legal grounds in the legal action brought against high ranking officials of the ministry of agriculture in 1948.

August 13. Democratic Youth Federation launches a signature-collecting campaign so that the office of the president be introduced before the general elections scheduled for next year.

August 14. The West German embassy in Budapest is temporarily closed down because it can not accommodate any more East Germans who intend to emigrate. Jürgen Südhoff, West German secretary of the foreign ministry starts negotiations in Budapest to resolve the case of East Germans. The Hungarian opinion is that the emigration of East German citizens to West Germany is an issue to be resolved by the two German states, but in order to achieve a humanitarian solution to the problem Hungary will discuss it with Berlin.

August 16. The Political Executive Committee of HSWP issues a statement saying that the party leadership does not endorse the military intervention in Prague in 1968.

According to Imre Poszgay the signature-collecting campaign of Democratic Youth Federation for the early introduction of the office of the president is in conflict with the preliminary agreement made at the National Roundtable.

August 17. The secretary of the foreign ministry Of West Germany visits Budapest again to negotiate the case of East German refugees. According to the British news agency Reuters 1,100 East German citizens have fled to Austria through the Hungarian border in the first half of the month.

August 18. Representatives of AFD hand a letter written to Gorbachev over to the Soviet embassy in Budapest. In it they request the President of the Supreme Council to take steps that so that the leadership of the Soviet state officially denounce the military interventions of 1956 and 1968 which violated international laws.

According to estimates of the trade unions 1 million people take part in the warning strikes against the rise of meat prices. The National Council of Trade Unions and the Council of Ministers agree at heir meeting that they will both ask the meat companies not to raise their prices.

The Czechoslovakian government sends a diplomatic communication to Hungary saying that they insist on complying with the contract signed by the two parties on the Bős-Nagymaros investment and on compensation for the damage inflicted by the suspension of work on the Hungarian side.

István Őszi, deputy foreign minister talks with the ambassador of East Germany to Budapest about the case of east Germans wishing to emigrate to West Germany.

August 19. The new draft program declaration of HSWP appears which characterizes the 1956 events as a popular uprising and points up that "Imre Nagy had undertaken the death of a martyr, and at the same time János Kádár was forced to make severe compromises with the hard-liners of the party."

A "pan-European picnic" is held near Sopron where 300 East German citizens flee to Austria though the temporarily open border.

HDF opens its own market, the selling of vegetables and fruits at a reduced price.

August 20. After a break of 41 years the Holy Right procession is held again in Budapest.

In his ceremonial speech Mátyás Szűrös says: in the spirit of national reconciliation the Parliament could propose a motion as early as its next session that the new constitution should declare October 23 a national holiday.

August 21. Several activists of FYD are arrested at the demonstrations held in Prague on the anniversary of the military intervention. Their fellows hold a sitting and hunger-strike in front of the Czechoslovakian embassy in Budapest between August 22 - 29 for their release.

Despite previous denial the price of meat and meat products is raised.

August 24. The first group of the East German citizens who were granted political asylum at the West German embassy in Budapest leave for Austria.

Foreign minister Gyula Horn announces at a press briefing that at least 20 thousand of the 200 thousand East German citizens staying in Hungary do not intend to go back home.

The Council of Ministers proposes to convene a prompt meeting of the Interest Reconciliation Council in order to ease the tension caused by the price rises.

The three parties of the trilateral political conciliatory negotiations agree to set up a Committee for Impartial Information with the task to supervise the Hungarian Radio, the Hungarian Television and the Hungarian News Agency.

The National Council of Consumers' Cooperatives protests the plan of the Council of Ministers to modify unilaterally the housing loan contracts already in force.

August 25. Prime Minister Miklós Németh and foreign minister Gyula Horn conduct negotiations in Bonn on the issue of East German refugees staying in Hungary.

The Hungarian National Bank says it will take up a loan of 2.3 billion USD in 1989 in foreign countries. This will be used to finance the deficit of current balance of payments, the expiring loans and the interests of standing credits.

The Presidential Council makes an executive order which gives permission to monastic orders to function, and another one on the enforcement of the Geneva Refugee Convention in Hungary.

August 26. The district court of Prague rules that legal action will be brought against Tamás Deutsch and György Kerényi. The participants of the meeting organized by AFD on 200^th the anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights march to the Czechoslovakian embassy to Budapest in protest to the charges. The free democrats say at the meeting that HSWP makes every effort possible to preserve its power; for instance it established the one-man NEXT 2000 limited liability company which looks after the party's resort places worth 1.2 billion forints.

August 28. The foreign minister summons the interim chargé d'affaires of the Czechoslovakian embassy to Budapest and says Hungary files a protest against the legal procedure brought against the two Hungarian citizens arrested at the demonstrations in Prague.

The court in Prague finds Tamás Deutsch and György Kerényi guilty, inflicts a fine of 5,000 crowns on them and expels them from Czechoslovakia. After the two youngsters return home, the sitting and hunger-strike in front of the Czechoslovakian embassy in Budapest comes to an end.

August 30. Close to 10 thousand people demonstrate in Pécs against the planned cut down on mining in the area. The crowd hoots the minister of industry down at the meeting when Ferenc Horváth starts saying that the shut-down of the mines will have to begin at the beginning of the 90s.

The National Council of Trade Unions walks out of the political conciliatory negotiations because they believe the forum is gradually turning into an inter-party discussion.

The Opposition Roundtable proposes at the conciliatory negotiations that the law on the office of the president should be made in the transitional period, but the office should be filled in only after the general elections. According to the opposition the rights of the president should be exercised in the interim period by the speaker of the House.

August 31. 5 members of the House set up an opposition parliamentary group lead by Zoltán Király.

September 1. The pioneers' camp of Csillebérc in Budapest becomes full with the 2,500 East German refugees, so the newcomers are transported to the pioneers' camp in Zánka by bus.

New rules of military service are laid down at the ministry of defense. As of the middle of September soldiers can exercise their religion and their right of association outside the barracks just like any civil person.

September 2. The secretary of the CC of HSWP says that some 10 thousand people leave the party every month, membership being estimated at roughly 730 thousand at present.

September 3. Lead by foreign minister Gyula Horn a Hungarian delegation participates at the meeting of non-allied countries as an invited guest.

September 4. Representatives of the Endre Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Society, the Independent Smallholders' Party, the Christian Democratic Party of Hungary, HDF, the Hungarian People's Party, the National Alliance of Political Prisoners and the Recsk Alliance set up the October 23 Committee to organize the ceremony commemorating the 1956 revolution and freedom fight and to have October 23 pronounced a national holiday. The committee proposes to the House to declare October 23 a national holiday and a rest-day in its next session.

Intermediate level representatives of the members of the National Roundtable agree that the modified constitution should rule: the Republic of Hungary is a sovereign, democratic constitutional state in which principles of civil democracy and democratic socialism both play a crucial role.

The National Commandership of the Workers' Militia accepts the proposal that in the future the militia should only contribute to fixing the damage caused by the forces of nature and to maintaining order and public safety. For the latter, however, they believe they will need arms.

September 5. AFD urges the television to broadcast the intermediate level talks of the political conciliatory negotiations.

September 6. Imre Pozsgay announces at the intermediate level round of the trilateral negotiations that HSWP is willing to give an account of its assets to the new Parliament.

September 8. It is agreed that the Hungarian Television will cover the political conciliatory talks once every week, and the intermediate level negotiations will be given the widest publicity possible.

September 10. The Council of Ministers announces that as of 00:00 o'clock September 11 East German citizens are allowed to leave Hungary for Western countries as well. The next three days over 12 thousand people take the best of this opportunity.

September 13. Miklós Németh sends a letter to the Independent Rehabilitation Committee and the Recsk Alliance. In it he states that "... the present Council of Ministers does not assume responsibility for the injustice and the unlawful measures taken by the former regime. On initiating rehabilitation the Council is determined to push the process through to its end with no compromise."

September 14. The Committee for Historical Justice demands that October 23 be declared a national holiday and a rest-day.

The Vatican and Hungary express their willingness to start negotiations on reestablishing diplomatic relations.

September 16. Heading a Hungarian parliamentary delegation Mátyás Szűrös, while staying in the United states, lays a wreath on the memorial monument of the Hungarian freedom-fighter in the city of Passaic.

The Movement for Democratic Hungary is established, and Imre Pozsgay becomes its interim chairman.

September 18. The first phase of the negotiations of the National Roundtable is concluded by signing an agreement which is however not accepted by FYD and AFD. According to the agreement the Presidential Council should resign immediately when the modification of the constitution comes into force, and until the president of the republic is elected, the office of the president will be served by the speaker of the House. The next day AFD publishes a statement in which they demand that the assets of HSWP, the National Council of Trade Unions and the Workers' Militia should be frozen.

The October 23 Committee has its meeting, joined now by FYD, the Hungarian October Party, AFD and the Committee for Historical Justice. A resolution is made at the meeting saying that the anniversary of the revolution will be commemorated at the memorial sites of the 1956 events.

After 22 years Hungary and Israel restore diplomatic relations.

September 20. Miklós Németh, Prime Minister receives the representatives of the Evangelical Church, the National representation of Israelites and the Council of Denominational Churches which intend to take part in the activities of the National Council of Religious Affairs.

September 22. The Supreme Prosecutor announces at the meeting of the Council of Ministers that the revision of the show trials is in progress: in 8 cases he filed a protest on legal grounds, among others in the cases of József Mindszenty and his associates and József Grósz and his associates. The Council of Ministers puts on its agenda the draft of a decree on the rehabilitation of those interned or relocated between 1953 - 1956 and of those convicted for their participation in the 1956 events.

In accordance with the international agreement the Presidential Council makes an executive order to acknowledge the Hungarian citizenship of those who are granted refugee status.

September 24. AFD starts a signature-collecting campaign in order to call a referendum in 4 questions: 1: Should HSWP leave work-places? 2. Should HSWP give an account of its assets? 3. Should the Workers' Militia be dissolved? 4. Should the president be elected before or after the free general elections?

Anders Björck, president of the parliamentary assembly of the European Council says Hungary can be the first country to be granted full membership in international organizations in the 90s.

The workers' militiamen in Békés county threaten with armed retortion if "the incitement to counter-revolutionary riots" does not come to an end.

The Parliament passes the Act on emigration and immigration which declares emigration to be a fundamental human right, and the Act on passport which no longer restricts the length of stay abroad.

September 27. The Parliament passes the motions for an amendment concerning the Criminal Code and the law on legal procedure, and modifies the tax law.

September 28. The Parliament distances itself in its statement from the military intervention of 1986 in Czechoslovakia, and condemns that at that time the Hungarian troops were sent to Czechoslovakia without the approval of the House.

September 29. In New York Gyula Horn negotiates with the foreign minister of the DDR on the issue of East German refugees. Since the middle of September 23 thousand East German citizens have left for West Germany via Hungary.

The Hungarian October Party nominates Sándor Rácz, chairman of the Workers' Council of Greater Budapest in 1956 presidential candidate.

September 29. - October 2. FYD organizes nationwide strikes against the Workers' Militia.

September 30. Pál Shciffer's documentary film entitled "Conciliation 1956 - 1989" is finished, which talks about two commanders of the armed guard of the steel factory in Salgótarján, their tragic execution and the fate of their families afterwards.

HDF, the National Alliance of Political Prisoners, the capital City Council and representatives of the Kerepesi cemetery announce at a press briefing that since tidying up the graveyard has been completed, section 21 of the cemetery is now to be regarded as the resting-place for the heroes of the 1956 revolution and fight for freedom. The corner-stone of the monument in honor of those killed in the fights will be laid on October 22.

October 1. Miklós Németh, Prime Minister and Imre Pozsgay, minister of state also sign the call for demanding political and economic self-government for the cities and villages of the country.

The leaders of the secretariat responsible for church affairs of the Council of Ministers confirms that the state is ready to return the former immovable church properties to their original owners.

October 2. A new Marxist left-wing concentration is established by 15 left-wing organizations and the HSWP platform because in their view "the resoration of capitalism is Hungary is a real danger."

October 3. The ministers' council of the European Community decides that it will grant an aid of 220 million USD to Hungary and Poland next year.

October 4. It is announced that the Council of Ministers does not intend to declare October 23 a national holiday; rather, it would prefer to see the memorial ceremonies to serve national reconciliation. The Council of Ministers - without a successor - retires the commander-in-chief of the Workers' Militia.

The foreign ministry protests that Rumania does not allow Hungarian politicians to travel to Arad on the anniversary of the execution of the martyrs.

October 5. According to the communiqué issued by the National Coordination Council of the Reform Circles and Basic Organizations of HSWP October 23 must be declared a national holiday and rest-day.

The Marxist united platform of HSWP holds a meeting. Róbert Ribánszky, leader of the platform says "if the country continues its course in the spirit of Imre Nagy, then people's power will be overthrown."

Tibor Soós, leader of the office of the Parliament makes an offer to the October 23 Committee saying that if requested, the illumination of the red star on top of the house of Parliament will be turned off, and it will not be turned on any more in the future.

October 6. The Budapest organization of the Independent Smallholders's Party starts a signature-collecting campaign for nominating Otto von Habsburg to the office of president.

October 6-10. The 14^th, extraordinary congress of HSWP is convened. The session is opened by Mária Ormos's speech commemorating the martyrs of Hungarian history: "Let us bow our head before Batthyány, Damjanich, Rajk, Imre Nagy, and Imre Mező, and all people like them." On the 7^th of October the party dissolves itself, and a new party, the Hungarian Socialist Party (HSP) is established. The new party starts its 1^st congress right away. As a legal successor to HSWP HSP inherits the assets of the former party. In a statement it is suggested to the parliamentary group of the party that it should initiate the declaration of October 23 a national memorial day. On the 9^th HSP elects its new leadership: Rezső Nyers becomes chairman, and two-thirds of the leaders are members who have never filled any leading office in the former party. The Marxist United Platform of HSWP announces in a communiqué that HSWP has not ceased to exist.

October 9. The Independent Lawyers' Forum proposes to the opposition parties that the former roundtable should continue its activities in a new form under the name "Opposition Political Conciliatory Forum".

October 10. Deputy foreign minister Béla Havas says any one can freely enter Hungary, and the 1956 rebels forced to live in exile can come home any time they wish to.

October 11. No progress is made in reconciling to positions of the two parties on the issue of the Bős-Nagymaros dam at the meeting of the prime ministers of Czechoslovakia and Hungary. Miklós Németh asks the Czechoslovakian party to study the Hungarian proposal according to which only the Bős dam would be run, and only at a basic level of power.

The Hungarian Television signs an agreement with the opposition parties on covering their respective congresses.

Several hundred photos, posters, flyers, newspapers and various objects relating to the period between October 23 and November 4, 1956 are put on display at the exhibition in the Museum of Labor Movements.

October 12. At the meeting of the Austrian and Hungarian prime ministers in Sopron chancellor Vranitzky says: they will doubtless take into consideration the future decision of Hungary on Bős-Nagymaros, but they lay a claim to the compensation of the Austrian companies involved under any circumstances.

HSP criticizes the signature-collecting campaign run by AFD in the case of the presidential elections.

As for the future of the Workers' Militia the interministerial committee of the Council of Ministers proposes that the militia should be integrated into the regular armed forces as a voluntary body guarding the territory of the country.

October 13. AFD submits 67 thousand signatures to the Parliament, supporting the referendum in the case of, among other things, electing the president of Hungary.

Czechoslovakia believes it is feasible to modify the interstate contract made in 1977 on the Bős-Nagymaros dam, but its precondition is that Prague and budapest should agree on the degree of compensation.

According to the legal committee of the Parliament it should be banned for political parties to establish and maintain organizations at work places.

October 14. It is decided at the 2^nd national congress of FYD that for the time being the organization will not be transformed into a political party and they will not elect a presidential candidate of their own.

The trial issue of Magyar Narancs is published.

October 15. Minister of justice Kálmán Kulcsár is elected chairman of the movement and its presidential candidate at the congress of the Patriotic People's Front.

The chairmanship of HDF nominates Lajos Für for its presidential candidate.

October 16. The Council of Ministers proposes to the Parliament that a referendum should be called in two further issues in addition to the question concerning the election of the president: which of the three days, March 15, August 20, or October 23 should be national holidays, and what should be the official coat-of-arms of Hungary. With respect to the People's Militia the proposal is that either it should be dissolved without any legal successor, or it should be integrated into the regular armed forces as a voluntary force guarding the territory of the country.

A communist meeting is held in Budapest, organized chiefly by Róbert Ribánszky, in which a call is made to preserve and renew HSWP.

October 17-20. The Parliament passes several acts on modifying the constitution: on the operation and management of parties, on electing members of the House, on dissolving the Presidential Council, on electing the president of the country, and on rectifying "the sentences passed by courts in connection the 1956 national uprising." It is announced that Hungary is a parliamentary republic, a sovereign, democratic constitutional state. It is decided that in the future parties should not be present at the work place. Mátyás Szűrös, speaker of the House is elected interim president. The People's Militia is dissolved without any legal successor. The Parliament does not declare October 23 a national holiday.

October 18. An article written by army general Lastchenko, the commander of the special army corps in Székesfehérvár in 1956, is published in the journal of military history Zsurnal, in which he states that 1956 was a counter-revolution, Imre Nagy a traitor, and the events were arranged by forces in the West.

October 19. The Budapest Main Police Office makes investigation in the case of the Hungarian nazi leaflets which appeared a few days ago in the streets of Budapest. The leaflets contained the telephone number of well-known opposition figures. According to the information given by the ministry of the interior, it will soon be traced down who made the posters advertising the reestablishment of the Hungarian Arrow-cross Party.

Eight years after its first issue the trial number of Beszélő as a legal journal is for sale.

The journal Kis Újság gives a picture of October 1956 through the eyes of the former participants of the events.

October 20. The Social Democratic Party of Hungary distances itself from the 1956 soviet military intervention.

According to the statement of the ministry of the interior the police will help in organizing and holding the memorial ceremonies commemorating the anniversary of the national uprising if they are in accord with the existing laws and regulations of the country.

October 20-22. Lajos Für is elected presidential candidate and József Antall chairman of HDF at the party's 2^nd National Meeting. The modified constitution of the party is approved which emphasizes that HDF is a social organization functioning as a party.

October 21. It is announced in the Parliament that on October 23 Mátyás Szűrös, interim president will declare the Hungarian Republic from the balcony of the House of Parliament.

The supplement of the daily papers Népszabadság and Magyar Nemzet publishes photos and essays in connection with 1956.

On behalf of the Committee for Historical Justice Alajos Dornbach and András Hegedűs B. give an interview to the radio program 168 Hours on issues of the administration of justice, György Konrád talks about October 23, Sándor M. Kiss about the history of the State Security Authorities, and Mária Wittner, an armed rebel sentenced to death, about her own fate.

Gyula Obersovszky hold an author's night entitled "A Prelude After Death" at the Jurta theater.

October 22. On the eve of the October 23 ceremonies Miklós Németh turns to all citizens of the country in a statement, calling everyone to show maturity and restraint and to concentrate on the tasks the country has to face after having come to an end of a long historical period.

The 1956 Reverence Committee hold a commemoration service in section 21 of the Kerepesi cemetery. They lay the corner-stone of the Memorial of the War Dead and place a provisional wooden headboard to mark the place of the future memorial.

The plans submitted to the competition announced by the Committee for Historical Justice for the memorial to be erected in section 301 in memory of the 1956 martyrs are exhibited in the National Gallery.

October 23. Nationwide memorial services are held to commemorate the 33^rd anniversary of the 1956 revolution. In Budapest a memorial mass is celebrated to honor the martyrs of the revolution at 10 am in the Basilica. At noon interim president Mátyás Szűrös, speaker of the House declares the Hungarian Republic from the balcony of the House of Parliament. In the course of the day several ceremonies and wreathing services are held in section 301, section 21 of the Kerepesi cemetery, on Heroes' square, in Corvin place, at the Kilián barracks, at the Hungarian Radio, and in front of the central building of the Technical University. In the evening a mass meeting is held on Kosuth square (some 100-150 thousand people come together) where Imre Fónay, Gyula Obersovszky, György Krassó, Mária Wittner and Sándor Rácz make a speech.

Early in the evening a torchlit procession is held in Debrecen and Pécs.

In Jászberény a memorial tablet is inaugurated in honor of the martyrs of the revolution.

In Pápa, Miskolc, Nyíregyháza, Eger and Veszprém the opposition parties hold joint memorial ceremonies, wreathing services and other programs.

Representatives of the Council of Ministers say that as of January all subsidies will be frozen except those for health care and education.

It is established that the Hungarian nazi leaflets were provocative papers made by Roland Antoniewicz.

October 24. The Council of Ministers issues a communiqué in which it "evaluates the ceremonial programs commemorating the anniversary of the 1956 national uprising." They find it regrettable that "the events commemorating the fight against Stalinism were used by some to raise anti-Soviet sentiments."

AFD presents further signatures to the Parliament, thus now more than 200 thousand people demand a referendum.

The Supreme Prosecution makes a motion for a retrial in the case of the murder of a policeman in Pócspetri 41 years ago.

October 26. US president George Bush signs the decision on the basis of which Hungary is granted the status of a most favored nation for a longer period of time.

Following another unsuccessful round of talks between Czechoslovakia and Hungary Miklós Németh announces the Council of Ministers will propose to the Parliament that the building of the Bős-Nagymaros dam should be terminated for good.

A film by Pál Závada and András Sipos entitled "martial Law" has its first night show, which portrays the kulak trials of the 50s.

October 27. Gyula Horn announces at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Warsaw Treaty Organization: Hungary will make even more efforts in the future to follow its own course of foreign policy independent of its membership in the organization.

Géza Böszörményi and Lívia Gyarmaty's film entitled "Recsk" is awarded the Felix prize as the best European documentary.

AFD hold its conference of delegates. In their statement issued the next day they urge the Council of Ministers to renew talks with the parties.

October 28. Béla Király, former commander of the Militia in 1956 is rehabilitated.

A memorial tablet is placed on the wall of the Reformed Theological Academy of Budapest in memory of the students died in action in the 1956 revolution.

October 29. The conference of the delegates of AFD believes the best time for the general elections is the period around March 15.

October 30-31. István Fodor is elected interim speaker of the Parliament. The House decides on the final termination of the Bős-Nagymaros dam project, calls a referendum for November 26 (on the basis of the signatures collected by AFD and FYD), passes a law on general amnesty, on establishing the Public Board of Audit and the Constitutional Court. The representatives decide that the presidential elections should be called for the day of the referendum on the state coat-of-arms, January 7.

October 30. The Czechoslovakian government confirms in a statement that it will demand compensation if Hungary does not build the dam at Nagymaros.

The Budapest Committee of HSP holds a wreathing ceremony in honor of the fallen defenders the party building on Köztársaság square. The memorial is followed by an incident between the organizers and some - mostly elderly - representatives of the former HSWP.

November 1. The opposition parties make an agreement that they will receive financial support from the 100 million forints put aside by the Council of Ministers in proportion to the number of their members.

HSP announces that it is planning on joining the Socialist Internationale.

November 2. The Council of Ministers suspends the financial provisions for tourists for the period between November 2 and November 20, then it will introduce a new, much stricter system of providing hard currency for private people. As a result of the increasing deficit of the convertible balance of payments the hard currency quota for private people will be 300 USD for 4 years at the maximum. Following the announcement of the new regulation thousands of Hungarians leave for Austria to do their shopping.

The minimum amount of unemployment benefit is set at 80% of the current minimum wages.

US president George Bush receives Imre Pozsgay, minister of state in Washington, DC. After the news of raising custom duties, over 300 cars are imported by Hungarian tourists from Western countries every month.

The company council of the Zsolnay Porcelain Factory in Pécs decides to sell the firm to the American Riverside Company (spontaneous privatization).

November 3. The congress of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary pronounces the 1948 party congress null and void, which declared the merger of the social democratic party and the communist party.

HSP calls the society to celebrate the anniversary of the great October Socialist Revolution.

November 4. Miklós Németh hopes HSP and HDF will have a chance to form a coalition government after the elections, supported by a few other parties.

The Hungarian October Party and the Hungarian Radical party demonstrate in front of the soviet embassy in Budapest, demanding the immediate withdrawal of soviet troops. The Council of Ministers distances itself from the demonstration.

November 5. It is stated in a resolution at the congress of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary that the party intends to join the Socialist Internationale as the sole representative of social democratic values. Anna Petrasovics is elected chairman of the party.

It is said at the meeting of the Independent Smallholders' Party canvassing new members that a way must be found for Hungarian peasants to regain their land owned in 1947.

November 6. The foreign ministers of member states of EEC decide that as of January the Common Market will open up its borders for Hungarian and Polish goods.

November 7. The temporary national body of deputies of HSWP hold a political meeting on the occasion of the anniversary of the Great October Socialist Revolution. The meeting is attended by János Berecz, Károly Grósz, Frigyes puja and Róbert Ribánszky.

The Chairman of the Suzuki Car Company conducts negotiations in Hungary on establishing an assembly plant in the country.

November 8. AFD, FYD the Independent Smallholders' Party and the Social Democratic Party of Hungary jointly turn to the people of Hungary asking them to participate in the referendum called for November 26, and vote yes for all the four questions.

The foreign ministry protests at the Rumanian embassy to Budapest in the case of László Tőkés, minister in Temesvár.

November 9. Gyula Horn says the aim of the government is to speed up the withdrawal of soviet troops significantly next year so that all the soviet units still in the country should leave as soon as possible.

The presidency of the National Council of Trade Unions resigns as a body. A national coordination committee is set up, headed by Sándor Nagy, whose task is to pave the way for the establishment of the national trade union association.

November 10. Miklós Németh announces that the Council of Ministers have started negotiations with various parties concerning the date of the general elections.

The Supreme Prosecution orders investigations for a retrial in the case of József Mindszenty and his associates, because it finds the charges of the people's court of 1949 unlawful.

November 11. The Italian, the Yugoslav, the Austrian and the Hungarian foreign ministers negotiate in Budapest on the possibility of more intensive cooperation in the Alps-Adriatic-Danube region.

November 12. The Independent Smallholders' Party holds a canvassing meeting in Kunszentmiklós, where chairman Vince Vörös points up that land must be returned to their former owners in accordance with the ownership structure that existed in 1947.

November 13. The country is in a critical financial situation - says the secretary of the National Planning Office.

Minister of Culture Ferenc Glatz announces that the ministry is planning to reintroduce the 4 year elementary and 8 year secondary schooling system in the 90s, and tuition will be gradually introduced.

HDF calls for the boycott of the November 26 referendum.

November 15. AFD, FYD the Independent Smallholders' Party and the Social Democratic Party of Hungary sharply criticize HDF for calling for the boycott of the November 26 referendum.

November 16. At the meeting of the European Council Gyula Horn, foreign minister hands over the application of Hungary for admission into the organization.

November 17. Gyula Horn states: there is a real danger in Hungary that extremist left and -right-wing forces may exploit the social tension deriving from economic transformation for their own good.

The restoration of the original bed of the river begins in the Danube bend.

November 19. Hungary receives a prompt short-term aid of 1 billion USD from the Common Market.

November 20. The Council of Ministers gives up the right to control and supervise the Hungarian Radio and Television; a committee of 15 members is commissioned to perform the task.

November 21. Miklós németh Announces in the Parliament that the gross foreign debt of Hungary will amount to 20 billion USD by the end of the year, the net debt will be 14 billion. At the same time he acknowledges that the leadership of the country published false data on the outstanding total debt in the mid-80s, fearing that it will discourage foreign creditors. The Prime Minister also announces that Lajos Czinege resigns from his military rank of army general. László Maróthy, minister of environmental protection and management of water supplies also resigns.

The presidency of HDF urges the parliament to dissolve itself on December 11 and to proclaim presidential elections and general elections for March 11 next year.

The American General Electric Concern buys up 50% of the shares of Tunsgram.

November 22. The Parliament votes down the 3 year economic policy program of the Council of Ministers.

November 23. The Parliament elects 5 members of the Constitutional Court and the vice president of the Public Board of Audit.

The chairmanship of HSP decides that the resort places, the Political College and the Institute for Social Studies managed by the party will be handed over to the state, and furthermore, the Next 2000 limited liability company will be closed down.

November 24. After supplies have run short in the counties by the borders, due to a large number of tourist shoppers, the Council of Ministers extends the range of food products which may not be exported.

The Socialist Internationale restores full membership of the Social Democratic Party of Hungary.

November 25-26. Miklós Németh states at the meeting of the Association of Writers: "the government renounces its right to control literature and the arts for good."

November 26. The first national referendum is held in Hungary - the so-called "referendum of four yes votes". Of the four question put up for voting only the one on electing the president is still relevant. The turnout of voters is 58%, and a little over 50% votes for electing the president of the country after the general elections.

November 27. The Chairman of the Hungarian television resigns. Gyula Bereczky justifies his decision by suggesting that the committee commissioned to supervise the radio and the television has turned the editorial offices into an arena of merciless political fights, thus making real professional work impossible.

217 employees of the radio responsible for making programs sign the letter addressed to the Prime Minister in which they call for the dissolution of the supervisory committee of the radio and the television, because in their view by setting up the committee the authenticity and objectivity of information have been jeopardized.

November 28. The executive speaker of the House, AFD, The Hungarian People's Party and the Christian Democratic Party believe the most suitable date for general elections is March 18. The Social Democratic Party of Hungary considers this sate premature.

November 29. Prime Minister Miklós Németh assures the defense ministers of the Warsaw treaty Organization in Budapest that Hungary will continue to be a member of the Eastern European military alliance, but he also stresses that the alliance needs to be modernized.

HSP urges the Parliament to make it possible that the president of the country be elected directly by the people.

November 30. The International Monetary Fund accuses Hungary of delaying in taking the necessary unpopular measures.

The Opposition Roundtable hold a meeting. In a joint communiqué 14 parties and organizations demand that negotiations on the modification of the interstate contract on the Bős-Nagymaros dam should be conducted only by the newly elected government. In the meantime any construction or restoration work must be suspended. They also demand that the present Parliament should dissolve itself and the parliamentary elections should be proclaimed for next March.

December The last issue of Irodalmi Újság (Literary Journal) appears in Paris.

December 1. Miklós Németh announces that from 1991 mandatory military service will be 12 months. The Council of Ministers' position is that Hungary should maintain its military defense within the Warsaw treaty Organization, although in the long run it would like to see a Europe without any military blocks.

The Council of Ministers confirms its decision on the establishment of the supervisory committee of the Hungarian Radio and Television, and commissions Imre Pozsgay to start negotiations on setting up expert committees which can ensure the proper operation of these institutions.

Temporary accommodation is provided in Budapest for the homeless, whose situation is also discussed by the Council of Ministers.

December 4. The secretary of the ministry of finance say in the presence of members of the Parliament that the reserves of the country has reached a minimum which would result in declaring insolvency of the country if the Parliament does not pass the act on the budget. The International Monetary Fund expects Hungary to radically reduce its deficit the balance of trade in 1990, otherwise it will not grant further credits to the country.

December 6. According to sources in Washington it is quite possible that as a result of serious disagreement the negotiations are suspended between experts of the International Monetary Fund and Hungary. The European Community is willing to give a loan of 1 billion ECU to Hungary if it can reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

The Mosonmagyaróvár plant of the Rába Works holds an 8 hour long strike in order to put pressure on the leadership to let them break away from the company and become independent.

December 7. The Council of Ministers obliges the organization responsible for reorganizing companies which have gone bankrupt to indicate within 48 hours if they are willing to give financial support to the bankrupt company.

Károly Grósz proposes at a meeting in Miskolc that the HSWP should organize its own guard of activists because in his view the dissolution of the Workers' Militia was a political mistake.

December 8-10. A three-day summit meeting is held by the Parliament, the Council of Ministers, and the various political parties and conciliatory organizations. The majority of the participating 16 parties believe that after the Parliament dissolved itself, it should only legislate laws serving the stability of the country. The participants of the summit meeting agree that the parliamentary elections should take place in the second half of March.

December 10. A sharp dispute develops between representatives of the Council of Ministers and the members of Parliament. The legislators do not agree that the 1990 budget plan should be discussed as early as December, while the Council of Ministers urges the debate because the approval of the budget is a precondition of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

The jury of the tenders nominates the Lágymányos area of Budapest for the site of the 1995 World Fair.

December 11. As of January next year Democratic Youth Federation renounces all its assets in favor of the government.

December 12. János Sebők, member of the House proposes at the meeting of the defense committee of the Parliament that the soviet troops should be withdrawn from Hungary by the end of 1990, and that the government should start negotiations to this effect.

December 13. Miklós Németh says in his talks with Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister that the West should not withhold financial support until the general elections because in this case the country might get into a very serious situation.

Gyula Horn states in Brussels that the Hungarian government is determined to implement its economic program even if at the beginning it may give rise to social conflicts.

December 14. The planning and budgetary committee of the Parliament approves of the plan for the 1990 budget, but it rejects the housing program - which envisages rising the interest rate housing loans and the rental rates for state-owned apartments.

Budapest and Vienna are granted the right ot organize the 1995 World Fair.

December 15. The chairman of the National Planning Office says the Council of Ministers would like to hand in its application for admission to the European Association of Free Trading in 1990.

The independent Hungarian Democratic Party, the Christian Democratic Party, the Hungarian Independence Party, the Social Democratic Party of Hungary and the National Alliance of Political Prisoners form an electoral alliance for the upcoming general elections.

December 16. The general secretary of the National Council of Trade Unions anticipates even more radical steps than a warning strike if the Council of Ministers does not manage to ease the tension due to unemployment, and if it does not implement the liberalization of wages and the reform of proprietary rights.

December 17. The Council of ministers decides on reorganizing the ministry of the interior and the defense ministry. Inside the ministry of the interior functions of state security and those of public security are separated.

The 14^th congress of HSWP begins, whose organizers do not recognize the resolutions made by the October congress.

December 18. The Parliament calls the Rumanian government to respect its commitments accepted in international agreements. The Parliament expresses its support for László Tőkés. The Rumanian authorities seal off the Hungarian border, because the day before there was an anti-government demonstration in Temesvár.

Several thousand people demonstrate in Budapest on Heores's square in support of László Tőkés.

The left-wing fraction of the former HSWP reestablishes the party under the same name and elects Gyula Thürmer its chairman.

December 19. The Parliament approves of the 1990 economic policy program of the Council of Ministers.

The Association of Hungarian Independents denounces those parties which "conduct roundtable talks without listening to the people."

Miklós Németh resigns from his membership in the presidency of HSP.

Árpád Göncz is elected president of the Association of Writers.

December 20. The Parliament approves of the slightly modified housing program of the Council of Ministers. According to it the rental rates will rise by 35% as of February 1, and a tax will be levied on state housing loans.

The Council of Ministers submits an official protest to the ambassador of Rumania for the denigration of László Tőkés and the crackdown on the demonstration in Temesvár.

December 21. The Parliament pronounces its dissolution effective of January 16, 1990. The representatives pass the 1990 budget act.

Hungarian financial leaders and the International Monetary Fund agree in Washington that they will resume talks in Budapest in the first half of January.

Ferenc Kárpáti, defense minister announces further withdrawal of soviet troops.

December 22. Mátyás Szűrös, interim president sets the date of the first round of parliamentary elections for March 25 next year.

Several Hungarian organizations and institutions send food and medicine supplies-in-aid to Rumania.

December 23. Gyula Horn, foreign minister announces Hungary recognizes the Council for Saving the Nation as the official representative of Rumania.

December 24. An ecumenical midnight mass is held in Budapest where several thousand people pay tribute to the memory of the victims in Tmesvár.

December 26. Mátyás Szűrös and Miklós Németh send a telegramm to welcome the new Rumanian leaders who repeatedly thank Hungary for its assistance and solidarity.

December 29. The deputy chairman of the Hungarian National Bank says that there are signs of insolvency right before the December session of the Parliament.

Gyula Horn negotiates in Budapest.

An aid concert is held in the Budapest Sports Stadium to support those in need in Rumania.

The Independent Smallholders' Party is split into two: the National Smallholders's Party is established in Szeged.