Gábor Péter

Gábor Péter (born Benjámin Eisenberger; 14 May 1906 in Újfehértó – 23 January 1993 in Budapest) was a Hungarian communist politician. Between 1945 and 1952 he was chief of the State Protection Authority (Államvédelmi Hatóság, ÁVH), and as such responsible for much brutality and many political purges.

Early life Péter was born Benjamin Eisenberger to Péter Eisenberger, a Jewish tailor, and Róza Meczner, in Újfehértó, Hungary. Originally employed as a tailor, he took part in the labour movement from the early 1920s, and joined the Hungarian Communist Party in 1931. During the 1930s, Péter was active in the Hungarian section of the International Red Aid and as a trade union organizer. At this time he was also a lover of Litzi Friedmann, the future first wife of Kim Philby, a member of the Cambridge Five.

Career In January 1945, Péter was appointed leader of the Budapest Department of the State Political Police (PRO), the Hungarian secret police. Péter's career rose quickly; he became chief of the Hungarian State Police State Defense Department (ÁVO) and its successor, the State Protection Authority (ÁVH).

In 1952, coinciding with the height of the anti-cosmopolitan campaign in the Soviet Union, he was discharged from his position. Foreign honours