|
JANOS MILHALY SZMOLKA
HUNGARIAN FREEDOM FIGHTER, 459th VETERAN AND COUNTER INTELLIGENCE AGENT
LITTLE DID I KNOW IN APRIL OF 1966, WHEN I ARRIVED AT FORT HUACHUCA ARIZONA THAT I WOULD COME IN CONTACT WITH A FUTURE COUNTER INTELLIGENCE AGENT NAMED JANOS MILHALY SZMOLKA.
AS I WORKED IN THE BATTALION PERSONNEL SECTION, I MET MOST OF THE PERSONNEL THAT MADE UP THE 459TH SIGNAL BATTALION PRIOR TO OUR DEPLOYMENT TO SOUTH VIETNAM. ONE OF THOSE MEN WAS JANOS SZMOLKA, A YOUNG ENLISTED MAN RECENTLY ARRIVED IN THE UNITED STATES FROM HIS NATIVE HUNGARY. AFTER ARRIVING IN THE UNITED STATES, JANOS FOUND WORK AS A BOOKBINDER IN NEW YORK CITY. I REMEMBER JANOS AS A BIG FELLOW, WITH DARK HAIR, AND A BROKEN ENGLISH ACCENT. HE WAS A GOOD SOLDIER AND ALWAYS APPEARED TO BE GOOD NATURED. HE WAS BORN IN HUNGARY ON 18 FEBRUARY 1943.
JANOS WAS ASSIGNED TO COMPANY "A" OF THE 459th AND APPEARS ON THAT COMPANY'S ROSTER IN JANUARY 1966. HE WAS DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY AND HIS SERIAL NUMBER WAS US515-53-761. HIS ARMY JOB WAS MOS 72C20 TELEPHONE SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR. WE WOULD SEE EACH OTHER FROM TIME TO TIME DURING OUR TRAINING AT FORT HUACHUCA AND DURING OUR DAYS IN VIETNAM.
WHILE STATIONED AT FORT HUACHUCA, JANOS MET HIS WIFE PEGGY WHO WAS A MEMBER OF THE WOMEN'S ARMY CORPS. PEGGY WORKED IN A DENTAL UNIT ON THE BASE AND LATER APPLIED FOR A JOB WITH THE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DIVISION. THEY WERE MARRIED JUST WEEKS BEFORE OUR UNIT SHIPPED OUT FOR VIETNAM IN OCTOBER 1966.
YEARS LATER, AS I WAS TRYING TO LOCATE FORMER MEMBERS OF THE BATTALION FOR OUR FIRST REUNION IN 2004, I PLUGGED THE NAME JANOS SZMOLKA INTO A WEBSITE SEARCH ENGINE. TO MY SURPRISE, UP CAME JANOS'S NAME.
IT APPEARED THAT JANOS HAD STAYED IN THE ARMY AND WENT ON TO CLIMB THE RANKS TO CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER CW4. IN 1977, WHILE STATIONED IN GERMANY, JANOS PAID A VISIT TO HIS MOTHER IN BUDAPEST HUNGARY. WHILE THERE, HE WAS APPROACHED BY A HUNGARIAN MILITARY INTELLIGENCE AGENT. THIS AGENT WAS NAMED LAJOS PERLAKI. JANOS REPORTED THIS TO UNITED STATES ARMY INTELLIGENCE AND AGREED TO WORK AS A DOUBLE AGENT.
IN 1981 SZMOLKA WAS PAID $3000.00 FOR 16 ROLLS OF UNCLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS AND WAS OFFERED $100,000 FOR CLASSIFIED MATERIALS ON WEAPON AND CRYPTO SYSTEMS. AFTER BEING TRANSFERRED TO FORT GORDON GEORGIA IN 1980, JANOS MAINTAINED HIS CONTACTS WITH HUNGARIAN INTELLIGENCE. DURING THIS TIME, HE WAS INTRODUCED TO OTTO ATTILA GILBERT A HUNGARIAN BORN US CITIZEN. GILBERT HAD BEEN WORKING FOR THE FBI UNDER THE NAME ALLEN BYRON GILBERT.
ON APRIL 17th 1982, SZMOLKA AGREED TO MEET WITH GILBERT, AT THE CONFEDERATE WAR MEMORIAL IN AUGUSTA. SZMOLKA WAS WIRED, AND HIS CONVERSATIONS WITH GILBERT, WERE MONITORED BY FEDERAL AGENTS. WHEN GILBERT GOT OUT OF THE VAN HE WAS ARRESTED. GILBERT WAS TRIED AND CONVICTED OF ESPIONAGE AND GIVEN A SENTENCE OF 15 YEARS IN PRISON.
JANOS WENT ON TO RETIRE FROM THE ARMY BUT PASSED AWAY ON 24 MAY 1992, AT AGE 49. HE IS BURIED IN PLOT 879 AT THE NATIONAL CEMETERY IN BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI. PEGGY N. SZMOLKA, ALSO WENT ON TO RETIRE AS A CW3 AND HAS NEVER REMARRIED. SHE RESIDES TODAY IN FLORIDA.
HIS NAME, AND THAT OF HIS WIFE PEGGY, ALSO STRANGELY COME INTO MENTION IN THE FAMOUS CASE OF DR. JEFFREY MACDONALD, THE GREEN BERET DOCTOR WHO WAS CONVICTED OF MURDERING HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTERS AT FORT BRAGG NORTH CAROLINA IN 1970. PEGGY SZMOLKA WORKING FOR THE CID WAS A LEAD INVESTIGATOR ON THE CASE.
AFTER MAKING SEVERAL INQUIRIES REGARDING JANOS ON SEVERAL WEBSITES SOME YEARS AGO, I STARTED TO GET STRANGE AND SOMEWHAT EERIE PHONE CALLS TO MY HOME HERE IN RICHMOND. THE CALLER NEVER IDENTIFIED HIMSELF BUT THE NAME JANOS SZMOLKA WAS MENTIONED. THIS CAUSED ME TO WONDER, IF SOME OF HIS FRIENDS OR CONNECTIONS FROM THE SHADOWY WORLD OF COUNTER INTELLIGENCE WERE STILL INTERESTED IN HIM.
COMPILED BY: HOWARD E. BARTHOLF 459th SIGNAL BATTALION HISTORIAN
2 NOVEMBER 2006 Return to TAPS
|