HUNGARY AFTER GLASNOST
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equipment like xerox machines , typewriters , and videos. Individ–
uals , such as writers , are applying to get grants for one year or two
years: they can get a monthly stipend so as to be able to finish a book
or research. It's a very, very wide-ranging thing. And as far as I
know, there was a dispute because the Hungarians tried to obscure
the picture about the foundation's support, why they got it and how
the whole thing was administered . Soros demanded that all the con–
ditions be openly publicized and that they really be clear. So they
agreed that the Soros Foundation deserved a kind of autonomy, that
it should decide , of course in agreement with the Hungarian Minis–
try of Culture, what it wants to fund .
Gyorgy
Ridas:
You mean to say that others also should state that they
are going to play the game only if there is openness . An important
aim of the Soros Foundation is to foster an open society . Therefore,
sponsoring oppositional intellectuals , who are deprived by the Party
or government of the possibility of legal work , has priority.
William Phillips:
You mean that people outside the country should
put pressure on the government.
Gyorgy
Ridas:
Yes.
Judith Szikdcs :
But it was a very friendly type of pressure , in this case .
Elizabeth Dalton:
I was curious, or I was a little confused, when you
said that there is no mastermind, there is no single power. Isn't the
new president , Gr6sz, powerful?
Gyorgy Ridas:
It is not a question of power, it is a question of mind.
In a very precarious, extreme situation you need an extraordinary
mind. For the present, this is not a criticism only of Gr6sz, but holds
true for the others . There is no group which has the necessary lead–
ership qualitities. This is not just my opinion but also theirs.
Ivan Lust:
This is a quote from Prime Minister Gr6sz. When he gave
an interview upon coming back from Teheran, he said that it's the
problem of the Politburo , and that there is no one strong enough and
important enough to lead in this catastrophic situation, to get us out
of this catastrophe . He stated it as a problem, not as something to be
desired .
Joanna Rose:
What was the view in Hungary of the American elec–
tion?
Gyorgy Ridas:
We knew from correspondents in New York and
Washington, and other places that there was no presidential can–
didate who was excellent. We read in our newspapers that , there–
fore , there was such a low turnout in the elections because people
were apathetic , uninterested.
