Ferenc A. Váli

Who was Ferenc A. Váli?

Ferenc A. Váli was a Hungarian lawyer, author, and political analyst specialising in International Law. He was born in 1905 in Budapest, Hungary. He received his Doctorate at the University of Budapest in 1927, and his Ph.D. in political science at the University of London in 1932. From 1935 he was a member of the Law Faculty at the University of Budapest. Váli published several books in Hungarian, German and English.

During World War II the Hungarian government sent him to Istanbul, Turkey, on a confidential mission to make contact with the Allied powers. During 1943 to 1946 he lectured at the University of Istanbul on International Law.

Returning to Hungary after the war, he was international law adviser to the Hungarian Ministry of Finance, and continued teaching at the University of Budapest until he was banned from the faculty and from the ministry by the Communists early in 1949. In 1951, Váli's western connections led to his arrest. His wife was also arrested. She remained in prison for three years. He was provisionally released on October 18, 1956. Five days later the Hungarian Revolution broke out and he was recalled to the university and participated in an effort to reorganize the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. After the Revolution was crushed, Váli and his wife escaped from Hungary into Austria.