Sharing A Shady Past

news front page
articles directory

Polish and German institutes holding sensitive communist-era secret police archives have agreed to share historic documents which may shed light on some of the darkest events of communism.

Poland's Institute for National Remembrance (IPN) and Germany's Gauck Institute agreed on Tuesday in Warsaw to exchange files of the once feared East German Stasi and Poland's SB secret police.

IPN chairman Professor Leon Kieres and head of Germany's Gauck Institute Marianne Birthler also agreed their institutes would co- operate closely on sensitive research projects.

On Tuesday the Gauck Institute handed over Stasi files on an East German agent code-named 'Josef' who had spied on top figures in Poland's 1980s anti-communist Solidarity opposition, including its leader Lech Walesa.

The identity of the man who posed as a photographer and Solidarity sympathiser was not released. It could be made available to the IPN upon formal request, Birthler said.

The agent was charged with gathering personal information of opposition figures in Poland. Two of his photographs of Lech Walesa were handed over to the IPN on Tuesday, along with other items including letters, photographs and postcards.

Source: DPA

June.8.2005



Krakow News
Warsaw News
Gdansk News
Events

 


Poland Delighted With Olympic Tally
They may not have come back dripping with gold, but the Polish team returned jubilant from Vancouver. It' was Poland's most successful Winte...


Ogrody Gorskie

reviewed on Mar.11.2010
"First of all i have to say about very friendly and careful owners - we could call them with any problems any time. Laurent and Agnieszka tha..."
write your own review now!

add your comments