About this episode
Originally Aired: January 27, 1957 Suspense #683, "Freedom This Way," brings listeners the harrowing story of Bela Hajos, a Hungarian freedom fighter who has just arrived in America after escaping Communist tyranny. As Bela lands at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey with other refugees, overcome with emotion at the sight of the Statue of Liberty, immigration officers quickly pull him aside. They've discovered he falsified his entry papers, using a false name—a violation that means immediate deportation back to Hungary. Desperate to explain, Bela recounts his dangerous journey to freedom. He describes broadcasting truth from Radio Free Budapest during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution before Russian tanks silenced the station. Captured and imprisoned in the dreaded Koporoshi House by the secret police, Bela was given hope by a condemned cellmate who passed him a small file before being executed. The file allowed Bela to escape, but his freedom came at a terrible price involving betrayal by someone he once trusted. Now, facing American authorities who hold his fate in their hands, Bela must convince them why he risked everything—and broke their rules—to reach freedom.
From Suspense - Radio’s Outstanding Theater of Thrills by OTR.FM Network. Visit the show’s website.