on february 28, 1956, bánáthy was naturalized as a united states citizen. after nine years of separation, and repeated failures to get his sons repatriated from behind the iron curtain, bánáthy obtained help from dr. eugene blake, president of the national council of churches; representative charles m. teague; ernest nagy, vice consul in the u.s. legation in budapest; hulda neiburh of the mccormick theological seminary; and howard pyle, deputy assistant to president dwight d. eisenhower. he was finally able to arrange for 13-year-old béla and 11-year-old lászló to emigrate to the united states a photograph of the two boys greeting their mother was featured in "life magazine."