Archival Instructions from the Ministry of Security Archives of the Polish People’s Republic (1956–1990): Overview of the Issues

Abstract

In communist Poland, the archives of the state security organs operated from 1944– 1990. Throughout the history of these archives, six comprehensive archival directives were issued regarding the handling of archival materials in the ministry. These were Directives: no. 00123/57, no. 0127/57, no. 0107/68, no. 034/74, no. 030/79 and no. 049/85. In the years 1956–1990 they regulated in its entirety the procedure for archival files produced by security authorities. In the period examined, all archival work in the ministry was subordinated to the management of the operational archive. In the process of amending archival standards, the handling of operational and non-operational files in the ministry was comprehensively regulated. The classification of the standards changed from ‘top secret’ to ‘secret’. Gradually, changes were made to the nomenclature describing the collected operational materials: documentation, archival files, and archival materials. In all subsequent archival standards, the content and structure of the issues were fully preserved. In the records schedule, the number of departments, keywords and types of operational files increased. The number of types of print templates was amended and increased. The status of the standards was raised for the instructions to the directives. All changes made to archival standards resulted from the specific nature of operational files and the need to secure the efficiency and secrecy of the Security Service’s operations.