POLISH PRISONER'S ACCOUNT OF SOVIET CONCENTRATION CAMPS.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000500830060-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 28, 2003
• Sequence Number: 60
• Publication Date: July 23, 1947
• Content Type: IR

Approved For Release 2004/03/31 : CIA-RDP80-00809A00050.0830060-1
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v~.ll?.OY It~3YA
4L Bd`Y1TE$,.LIGE .C.'E 0R 01ItJV
INTELLIGENCE REPORT
COUNTRY Poland/adSlt
SUBJECT Polish Prisonerto Aecount of Soviet
Concentration C:avps.
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DATE:
INFO.
DIST. 23 Ju7.y, 194`1
PAGES
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STATE I WAR NAVY I JUSTICE _ R d. E C& D
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'Pm(Qabl oa k'r ors
1. Prisoners were transported in uavenl;ilatod cattle cars with no protection
from the loo winter weather. There was an average of "a people in oath
15--ton car. Daily rations conaistei of 220 gr. of biscuit,, 50 gr. of sal.ted
bacon, and one teaspoon of sugar. 11o water was furnished; vrhen prisoners
called for it guards would come into the cars, boat and kick the poop: , and
incite their dogs to take away chat food they had.. Told the cars contalmed
Germans., the population cursed the F;risoners and threw stones. in each ear
there were Informers who conducted investigations during the one-month,
journey.
lh,~ Came
2. Upon arrival at a dastinatior. prisoners always had to walk a few miles to
the camp? often through deep snow, sur oufndod by guards and clogs. Camps
usually consisted of badly and hurriedly built barracks 4mfoated with bedbugs.
Straw was unvd in lieu of blankets. Often there was no water in the cannp.
In those cadet it Could have to be brought in on sleighs Ivillod by a z to
eight man for a distance oi' two Li.amoters. Washing was out of the question.
3. Camps near the mines v 6i-6 well off for fuel as everyone would bring a f dece
of coal from ;Work. In owner camps fuel had to be brought in alo3.gba pulled
by men. "Pleat service" in huge vats eras lone an a penalty for bad work or
lack of discipline. In one of the camps (Plumber 9/283) the eamvanding officer,
a Captain Ploxynuki, aatod a special brigade of former AB / Armja lrrr..jot-a,
or Home Army officer for this filthy tank. .
Food End Work- pP Conditiq?}
4. Twice a day, in the morning and evening, prisoners received tiree-quarters at
-.liter of soup from. rotten cabbage leaves and other such. vegetables, throe to
four spoonfuls of knaha, en3 600 grams (one kilogram if working in the zaines)
!'^uir`IDMIAL
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of broad. Once a month they got a half kilogram of sugar. Moot of the
fat, flour, moat, and craned stuffs received at the camp was eats by the
camp administrators; very little reached the prisoners. In the spring,
when no cabbage was left, they boiled thistles and nettles. To avoid
complete emaciation the inmates sold whatever was left of their belongings,
stole at their working posts, and made all sorts of things to sails In that
way they. helped each other to survive. There were some doctors (also Poles)
but facilities were so inadequate and medicines so scarce that sickness was
a habit. Tuberculosis, diarrhea, pneumonia, and sciatica ;ere particularly
prevalent.
5. Daily working hours ranged from eight hours in the mines to ten hours in
the buildings. Pay varied from 100 to 300 rubles a month. Some of the mine
workers received premiums to encourage greater output-e.g., one k5.logram of
bread (20 - 30 rubles), one kilogram of potatoes (6 - 16 rubles), one ;liter
of milk (12 - 25 rubies), one egg (7 - 10 rubles), one kilogram of bacon
(250-450 rubles). These prices varied with the seas;na and tie appearance
of items on the free market.
Evotp After Germany's S=rgn 1 r
6. When the fighting stopped prisoners expected to be released, but not until
Sop 45 did any return to Poland. Those remaining were mostly social and
political workers, AK officers, or German spies.
7. On 27 Dec 45 a second transport loft from Stalinogorsk. Food became scarcer
and fat or meat non-existent. In the spring of 46 the a:uthoritiea received
orders to favor the Germans, who were given the atctus of guards. Though
unarmed, they could be distinguished by white bands on their sleeves. This
scandalized the local population who from then on became friendlier toward
the prisoners. The administration of the camp was. also turned over to the
Germans. The authorities explained that this was because they planned to
send all the Poles home, keeping only the Germans. In Jean 46 about 150,
mostly AK officers, were selected and sent east, probably to Kazan, ruder very
strong escort.
8. On 15 Jun another transport of about 2,OJO people, mostly Poles who had served
in the German Arty or Germans who laiew Polish, was put together. This group
went to Stalinogorsk and then to Brzeae where a Polish Government delegate
took over. From Brzesc they wars taken to a camp in 1AAlecin near Wioclawok
for screening. All except 350 collaborators were sent home. But many Poles
still remained in Soviet camps.
Trip from $talLMrmrsk to Wlocl
9, Destruction between the Ustawaja station and Baranoviezo is widespread. Stations,
bridges and cities are completely destroyed and only a few villages have survived.
The fields are mostly unplowed and grass is high on that were battlefields.
Between these one does see stripe of land with very poor crops on them. Along
the track there are whole German factories on railroad cars. On the side of
the tracks uncovered machinery in dumped sloppily to rot away. Sore things,
naturally, are being carried away by the local population.
10. At the Hatyn station prisoners tried to got the "kolchozniki" who bad spent the
Kozie G1owy.
whole war there to talk about Polish officers murderer: in Kozia Gorar
They would look around fearfully to see if ,anyone was watching or listening and
than without a word would leave. The place is now guarded by the Soviet Anir
.and no one can go there.
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11. At Krasnaja prisoners saw a man in a Polish majors uniform walking up and
down with an old bearded kolchozr.ik. When they spoke to the officer- in
Polish ho did not understand.
12. From Smolonsk onward crowds of women would board the train, hanging on the
buffers and sitting on the roof. They would go as far as Brzeso to get --
bread and potatoes which they would take back home. The difference on the
Polish side of the frontier was noticeable. There the fields were tilled,
the houses clean, and at the stations women crime and sold bread, butter,
sausages, milk, and cheese.
Qtjher Soviet Comps
13. In many caxrpd in the Stalinogorsk region there are still about 1,500 Poles,
mixed with Germans. In Mar 46, 5,500 Poles, including 4 AK generals and
700 AK officers, were still in a largo vamp at Kazan.. Most of them probably
are still there.
Pianosition of the Soviet Ponu3.atio
14. After the war ended there was groat disillusionment. This was especially
true among the Soviet soldiers who had been treated unjustly. Repatriated
from the west, they were placed in workers' batallions where the discipline
was very stiff. Their food'was no better than that of the Polish prisoners'
but their working norms were higher. Intelligent elements and officers often
also worked in the camps. When they were taken from Germany they were told
tall. tales about the future. Thus they are now filled with hatred. ,-"or the
authorities. They sow discontent and a whisperinr campaign against the regime
is going on. They work lazily and sloppily, and often there is sabotage, with
destruction of tools and m6teriol and stealing. Politically they are a very
conscious element. Anti-Semitism is strong among them.
15. During the summer and autumn of 45 robber-bands started roaming the country.
In'the Stalinogorek region a few higher officers of the NKGB were murdered.
Rumors among the local population are eagerly hunted and received. They see
their only salvation in a war between the USSR on one side and the US and
Great Britain on the other. All are convinced that nowhere also -i the world
is life as bad as in the USSR. The reputation of the US is immense. During
the war the population saw many US goods whose quality was far superior to
Russian. The Soviet masses are drawn to the picture of the US, with the free-
dom and wealth of its citizens. It is hard to conceive that the-USSR could
push its masses against the US as they were able to stir them against the
Germans.
16. Those who were in Poland speak well of the Poles. In 1946 Soviet efforts to
create hatred of Britain could be seen. This campaign was intensified in the
press and radio after Churchill's Fulton, Rir;souri speech. During this time
the masses lived in the conviction that war was imminent.. They prayed for it.
When a plane appeared on the horizon; they looked eagerly- to see if it was a
foreign one. The people saw that that the USSR had. been tolli-,$ them for years
was all lies.
Poverty, t:?rror, and injustice are on the increase. The 19145 crop rama'i.od In
the fields not only because of the manpower shortago but because of, the hatred
of the akolchoznikin who receive so, little grain for :t air bard wrk. The-,
have to steal-from the State allotments in order to live. Primitive methods
produce very small crops even from the very rich lands. There is a severe shortage
of livestock. particularly horses and cattle. In 1946 prices continued to climb;
the on],y was in clothing and shoes which were brought back by returning
-and-
`` CONFIDENTIAL This document contains information
affecting the national defense of the
United States within the meaning of the
Approved. For Release 2.004/03/31 : CIA-RDP80-0080.9A000500830060-1
Espionage act,,5u, U.S.C. 31 and 32, as amended. Its jdratto
missionxm or-th-: revelation of its u ntents in any manner
to an unauthorized person is prohibited by .a...%'. -?