MSW Operational Records Bureau (Bureau “C”) in the People’s Republic of Poland: The Structure and Tasks of Division II from 1956–1990

Abstract

Files produced by the security services of the Polish People’s Republic (PRL) were stored in special departmental archives. Between 1956 and 1990, operational files produced by the central authorities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MSW) were stored in Department II of the Operational Records Bureau/MSW Bureau “C”. These included the following: personal dossiers (of secret collaborators, candidates for secret collaboration, owners of clandestine flats and contact locales); service dossiers of secret collaborators (Personal Information Sources, OZI); operational files (old and new types; “04” materials; extradition files; search and investigative files; case and record files; operational files and preliminary material files; MSW Department I travel files); operational control cases (operational control files); and investigation control files (pre-trial investigation files); object and issue cases (object and issue files); court files; general operational materials; reports and correspondence. All files were classified as “top secret” or “secret.” In order to ensure effective work with operational files, the Department’s structures were reorganised four times during this period. Throughout the entire period under review, the handling of operational files was primarily focused on their collection, securing, provision of access, processing, conservation, culling, destruction, and microfilming, as well as the day-to-day work of operational units, the creation of catalogues, carrying out verifications, and the preparation of operational analyses and historical studies.