F-2007-00392 APPEAL

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 01399803
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: August 23, 2024
• Document Release Date: July 5, 2024
• Case Number: F-2022-00198
• Publication Date: January 7, 2007

Approved for Release: 2024/07/01 C01399803
January 7, 2007
Agency Release Panel
do Scott Koch
Information and Privacy Coordinator
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington, DC
Refrence: F-2007-00392
Dear Sir:
It is difficult for mei1/4understand your reasons for refusal to release documents 155
from 53 years ago, relating to Soviet crimes committed in post-WWII Poland. It could it
that your letter is a routine stonewalling first response, or else your decision may be
based on lack of knowledge of these events and I suspect that you do not know who Josef
Swiatlo was. There is no logical reason for classifying the information which I requested,
which at this late date has only historical value. There is no agent, source or informant
alive who could be compromised. The Russians are no longer in Poland and the Soviet
Communist Empire has fallen. By classifying these documents, all you are doing is
continuing the 67 year old cover up of Soviet crimes committed against Poland, and
postponing the eventual disclosure. I can assure you that only Vladimir Putin and other
recycled Communists will be most grateful to you for your decision. They are paranoid
about the possibility that the Russian people will become aware of the magnitude of
crimes committed against them by successive Communist governments.
In appealing your decision, let me further elaborate on my request. I am collecting
information for a report, hopefully to be published on Soviet crimes against Poland
focusing on post-WWII period. There are very good reasons for writing to CIA or our
State Department for documents pertaining to those Soviet crimes. In Poland, under
Communist and under the post-Communist regimes (governments where former
communists had control of the government) there has been systematic destruction of
documents pertaining to Soviet and Communist crimes. The so-called "Polish"
government was totally loyal to Kremlin and disloyal to Poland and its people. A few
documents were retained but most important ones were destroyed. Thus the CIA, British
Intelligence and our State Department may be the last remaining sources of these
documents. What remains in Poland are more often than not, fabricated documents meant
to cover up Soviet Crimes and records of "show trials" full of confessions obtained
through torture.
Here are some examples of Soviet crimes: 1) the systematic show trials and
murders of Polish officers who returned to Poland, often under pressure from the British
Government, and were promised immunity and in fact offered positions and higher rag.
in the Polish army. There were at least 39 or more of these officers killed (the so caller
Gen. Tatar Trials), 2)systematic murder or imprisonment of members of the Home Arroy
(estimates of victims in that reign of terror is anywhere from 100,000 to 150,000 killed
Approved for Release: 2024/07/01 C01399803
Approved for Release: 2024/07/01 C01399803
and 150,000 deported to Russia, 3) pogroms of Jews, Ukrainians and others committed
by NICVD for propaganda purposes, notably the Kielce Pogrom and 4) murder of over
130 ranking officials and many more of rank and file of the Polish Stronictwo Ludowe
(Polish Peasant Party) the only democratic opposition to the Soviet Puppet Government.
The Russians refuse to even discuss the murder of 180,000 Polish POW captured in 1939,
which includes the 22,000 officers murdered in Katyn type mass murders.
Josef Swiatlo, who defected in 1953, was familiar with these crimes as the head of
Department 10, and discussed some of the above crimes in his monograph. One must
assume that he provided original documents to support his statements during the
debriefing. It is these documents that I would like to have access to as well as any verbal
information he provided which was classified.
Swiatlo made an invaluable contribution to our knowledge of the Soviet
mechanism of control of the East European Governments. He described the dual system
--
of government and how the Soviet leaders controlled all actions of the respective puppet
governments from the Kremlin, bypassing those puppet governments. Apparently, the
CIA which was privy to that information kept it a secret from President Gerald Ford, who
during the election of 1976, essentially stated that the puppet government of Poland was
the legitimate governing and decision making body. He lost the election.
During the Perestroika initiated by Gorbachov, there was hope that indeed the
Russians will finally stop the endless campaign of misinformation and fill in the "blank
pages" in Poland's post war history. Of course that was another false hope since for
practical purposes, Perestroika died in 1990, and now with Patin and his cohorts in
power, it appears that Russia is regressing back into some kind of collective dictatorship
I am asking that you reconsider this decision and review this request with people
more familiar with the events in post-WWII Poland. If necessary, I will be willing to
come to review these documents in a CIA facility.
If you need to talk to me, please call me at or e-mail me at
I will be happy to provide additional information to
supplement my request.
Sincerely,
Walter Orlowski,
1
Approved for Release: 2024/07/01 C01399803
Approved for Release: 2024/07/01 C01399803
�������
7����'.
Approved for Release: 2024/07/01 C01399803