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SALE OF ARMS BY POLAND AND CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP80-00809A000700240163-3
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
U
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
December 22, 2016
Document Release Date: 
July 11, 2011
Sequence Number: 
163
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
December 27, 1955
Content Type: 
REPORT
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP80-00809A000700240163-3.pdf90.66 KB
Body: 
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700240163-3 STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700240163-3 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700240163-3 STAT SALE OF ARMS BY POLAND AND CZECI!OSLOVAKIA Radio Free Europe Item No 4096/54 29 May 1954 The International Trade Office (Biuro Fandlu Miedzynarodowego) is located in Warsaw at silica Navy Swiat No 14. In this establishment, three modest rooms are set aside for Documentation Office (Referat Dokumentacji), directed by Stefan Szwaro, who lives in Milanowek at silica Podgorna No 18. The above office name is simply a cover name for the export of Polish war materiel. The Polish Army is now being systematically new, uniform Soviet-type arms planned for all Satellite armies. The of arms, together with Polish-produced arms returned by the USSR and Hungary and old Soviet. German, and even British surplus arms, have been stockpiled. o specialists" Hungary some Rumanian named Jan Cypek and Albert Cung have handily disposed of arms also. In the past, part of the old stocks of arms were sold by Maksymowicz (fnu), the commercial adviser of the Polish Embassy in Paris, with the help of Komorowski (fnu), MOiszek (fnu), and Sywerlicki (fnu), to representatives of Vietminh and Jewish terrorist organizations. Some was also disposed of by the Polish trade representative in Karachi, Benedykt Polak, to Malayan and Burmese rebels. In the initial stage of rearming, the agents sold only limited quanti- ties. In the spring of 1952, a "pool" was suggested by Soviet advisers which was joined by Czechoslovakia. The Prague counterpart of the Polish Documentation Office was headed by Dr Karel Seidl who lived at Penske No 9, Praga II. The Czechs contribute old German and Soviet arms to the "pool" but none of their own make. In November 1952, at Prague, a conference of the chief sales agents was held. The Warsaw representatives were Burakiewicz (fnu), Stanislaw Cban, Tomczak and Szwaro (f-). The Prague representatives were Engineer Fuksa (f), Vojta Erbert D and Dr Karel Seidl. A decision was made to sellmarms toller the Near East and Africa rather than to Latin America. In the summer of 1953, a foreign delegation of sorts was formed and established in the office of the Czechoslovak trade attache in Cairo, 12 bis sh. Ismail Pasha. This delegation handled most of the transactions with the Near East and Northern Africa; most of the work was done by Tadeusz Bajer, Popularly known as "Monsieur Thadee," and his Czech colleague, Alois Laufberger. These two, together with Jaroslav Jachim, the Czechoslovak trade attache in Egypt, have unusually wide connections in Africa and the Near and Middle East. The s by Cairo int latest ariesrare 26,000 Documentation rifles Office Bro by the carnow bines,being ,omoted light machine guns, 100 Browning heavy machine guns, 100 antitank growniag 94 antiaircraft machine guns. Buns and All of the above are prewar Polish-produced items. S Also being offered are 35,000 Tokarev 38 rifles, 6,200 MPI-41 light machine guns, and 6,006 DP light machine guns. Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700240163-3 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700240163-3 nition. .ncea as are to be sold with an adequate su In addition, the offers mention 112 ,OOp rounds of 81-= ly of ammu_ for the Stockes mortar. ammunition CairoOnly a few of the dealings in this delicate materiel are completed in Most are accomplished in Alexandria or Port Said. with The Warsaw and Prague offices were established to handle operations discretion and primarily on a basis of "aid no fu in thehs cith discretion Besides operate o ffi- cial institutions similar these offices, both Warsaw and r'uggle against cial instd 'to the prewar Warsaw ,SEpZM" [not further bloc I dent. ] which, however, handle operations primarily within theme Eastern STAT Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/12 : CIA-RDP80-00809A000700240163-33 M