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Primary sourceDocumentEnd of March 1919

Communication on the Wireless Negotiations with Béla Kun

Vladimir Lenin · End of March 1919

Lenin's own account of a radio exchange with Béla Kun, checking the authenticity and direction of the new Hungarian communist revolution.

Lenin's firsthand account of verifying and communicating with Kun during the Hungarian Soviet Republic.

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Source: Wikisource

About this source

What it is

A short written communication by Vladimir Lenin, recorded at the end of March 1919 and published from gramophone records, describing a wireless conversation with Béla Kun shortly after the Hungarian communist revolution began.

Lenin explains he knew Kun from Russia, where Kun had been a prisoner of war and discussed communism with him, and that he questioned Kun by wireless to confirm it was really him leading the new government.

Why it matters

This source shows how closely the Soviet leadership in Moscow, through Lenin, monitored and tried to verify events in Hungary. It reveals the personal relationship between Lenin and Kun and the suspicion within the international communist movement about who truly controlled new revolutionary governments.

Look closer

  • Why did Lenin feel he needed to test whether it was really Kun speaking?
  • What does this tell you about trust and communication between revolutionary leaders in 1919?
  • How might this account differ if written by someone in Hungary rather than Lenin in Moscow?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Béla Kun on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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