Hungary, Cold War, persecutions 

The case of Cardinal Mindszenty has aroused the public opinion of the whole democratic world. People of every religious faith have been shocked, and awakened, by the brutal treatment he received at the hands of his Communist captors. Where before his name was known to comparatively few outside his native country, now he has become a twentieth-century martyr, a living symbol of the fate of Christianity under Communism.

What sort of man is Cardinal Mindszenty? From what background does he come? What were his experiences as a young priest before he became a Prince of the Church? How did he take the Nazi persecution? What were the circumstances of his arrest? What are the facts of his trial? Was he drugged, and if so, by what kind of drug? Is his widely publicized confession authentic?

All these questions, and hundreds of others, are answered in this intimate and utterly engrossing life story of the Cardinal. Its author, Dr. Bela Fabian, has known the Cardinal personally for years and writes from knowledge gained first-hand. As a member of the Hungarian Parliament for seventeen years, as a former Judge of the Criminal Court, as leader of the Independent Democratic Party, he was in frequent official contact with Cardinal Mindszenty. As a Jew who worked closely with the Cardinal to prevent racial persecutions under the Nazis, he is in a position to demolish the charge of anti-Semitism made at the trial. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Hungarian Government in exile, he has had means of gathering information concerning recent events in Hungary. In addition, he has been in touch with members of the Cardinal's family and with close friends, who have been able to supply facts not generally known.

Dr. Fabian has written a human, colorful and revealing story - the story of a strong and courageous man who has fought his whole life long against every form of totalitarian persecution, regardless of the race or religious beliefs of the victims. Twice before, under the terroristic regimes of Bela Kun and the Nazis, he was imprisoned for refusing to compromise his principles. And when, in 1946, he received the red hat of a cardinal at the Vatican, Pope Pius is said to have remarked: "You may be the first whose red blood will stain the blood-red of the Cardinal's hat." The words have proved prophetic.

Taken from the back cover.