History paper by Kovács, Tamás
National Archives of Hungary

Jews on the Borders – Some Fragments of the Activities of KEOKH

Type of Abstract (select):

Abstract (max. 250 words):
Between 1930 and 1945, KEOKH (National Central Authority for Controlling Aliens) was an important branch of the Hungarian Ministry of the Interior. The head of the Authority was directly subordinated to the Minister of the Interior. The Authority included a central office (in Budapest) and a few local offices (in the countryside, near the state borders). For as much the clerks worked for the Ministry of the Interior, the clerks were, at the same time, police officers as well.
KEOKH started focusing on the Jews, especially of “unclear citizenship”, particularly after 1938. Usually, they were refugees escaping from neighboring countries to Hungary. The vast majority of these refugees had some kind of family lineage in or from Hungary. KEOKH treated these Jews as enemies. KEOKH organized raids both in Budapest and near the borders. We know KEOKH was tasked to organize the “cross-border transfer of Jews”. One of the most known and important stories is the massacre at Kamenets-Podolsk. In addition, we know of other cases when the Hungarian organizations did the same as at Kamenets-Podolsk.
On the other hand, when the military or political situation started to change, KEOKH’s policy also changed. They protected the Jewish refugees like the Western European prisoners of war. The German occupation changed the political situation. From this date, German organizations (RSHA, SD, Gestapo) took over control. The Hungarian Ministry of the Interior became both a collaborationist and an executor.


Brief Professional Bio (max. 100 words):
Tamás Kovács earned a MA (in history) from University of Pecs, in 2003. He is a Ph. D. candidate; he is expected to defend his doctoral dissertation in 2013. He worked for Holocaust Memorial Center (2003-2008), currently work for National Archives of Hungary. In addition, he teaches at the University of Pannonia. His special field the Hungarian police, military and civil secret service during Horthy era and the holocaust in Hungary.