Diplomats only take offense when instructed to do so
Two interviews were conducted with Viktor Polgár, a former Hungarian diplomat, in September 2025. He is one of the sons of the renowned foreign policy journalist Dénes Polgár (1912-2009 born in Győr just as Viktor. Together with his younger brother György, Viktor participated in the Jewish Roots in Győr World Reunion in Győr, July 2024.
“A diplomat only takes offense when instructed to do so,” he says in the first interview. In this one, you can learn about Viktor’s childhood in Washington and Hungary, his early career, and some details about his father’s, Dénes’ life and work. Viktor shares insights into his Canadian posting, recounts how he interpreted for János Kádár, the first secretary of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party, describes the work of a cultural attaché in Washington, and recounts his diplomatic adventure with former State President Pál Losonci. He offers advice to novice diplomats and provides examples of the pitfalls of international diplomacy. After the change of regime in Hungary, Viktor set out in new directions.
Viktor was an interpreter at high-level intergovernmental meetings, as revealed in the second conversation. In it, he describes the gradual thawing of Hungarian-American relations in the 1980s, bringing to life the figures of Ferenc Havasi, a high-ranking politician in the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party (MSZMP), and Armand Hammer, an American businessman who even met Lenin. He also talks about the meeting between Ronald Reagan, the American president at the time, and Károly Grósz, one of the last Hungarian prime ministers (MSZMP) before the change of regime. We hear about the fruitful trade relations between Rába Works in Győr and the United States, which once also brought Hungarian Ikarus buses to Los Angeles.
Both recordings are taken from Tamás Kozsdi’s YouTube channel, republished with the consent of Viktor Polgár.
Text edited and translated into English by P. Krausz.