Stephen Denis Kertesz (1904–1986)

Stephen Denis Kertesz was born István Kertész in Putnok, Hungary. He received a Dr. Jur. degree from the University of Budapest in 1926, and a diploma from the Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales in Paris in 1928. During World War II, Kertesz worked in the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1943-1944, he tried to convey the intentions of Admiral Horthy to surrender to the Allies in order to avoid further damage to Hungary. After the war, he represented the Hungarian government at the peace talks in Paris. Kertesz opposed the Soviet occupation and takeover of his country. Later, he fled to the USA, where he taught diplomacy and international relations at the University of Notre Dame and published several landmark works.