MOKOTOW PRISON IN WARSAW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A007000220004-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: June 21, 1955
• Content Type: REPORT

INFORMATION REPORT I N FORMATION r .
--.CE'NTR'AL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
S-~+.`C_R_ -.T 50X1-HUM
DATE OF INFO.
PLACE ACQUIRED
DATE ACQUIRED
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This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 21 June 1955
NO. OF PAGES 4
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
REFERENCES
Administration Department, which includes sections of Political Education,
Organization, and Security, Kowalik (fnu) is believed to be the commandant
of the prison. A Major Miend.a is Chief of the Political Education Section.
2, It is not known how many prisoners are held at the prison, but the main
building (see sketch) houses about 1,000 inmates, The prison canteen,
dispensary, sewing shop, executive chamber, and small cells are located
in the basement of this building, Larger cells, which accommodate from
30 to 40 inmates, are on the upper floors.
3. Prisoners at Mokotow rise at 5 a.m. and must be in their cells at 9 p.m
for roll call. There is a washstand on each floor, and the prisoners,
clothes are kept on a wooden bench in the corridors during the night.
The prisoners are shaved twice a week by the prison barber who is a
prison inmate. The diet consists largely of coffee, soup and bread.
Meat is served twice a year, on 1 May and 22 July. Twice a month
prisoners are allowed, however, to go to the prison canteen where they
can purchase 2 kg, of pork, sausages, preserves., butter, milk powder,
onions, white bread, honey and apples,
4. Prisoners, with the exception of those held in Pavilions 10, 11, and 12,
operate the printing press, work in the tinsmith's shop, the tailor's
shop or the kitchen. Two hundred inmates are employed at various jobs
in the operation of the printing press and work an eight-hour day,
5. In the first sages of their stay at Mokotow, prisoners are usually kept
in one of the basement cells, Prisoners awaiting trial and undergoing
investigation are kept on the first, second., and fourth floors of
Pavilions 11 and 12.9 as well as on the first three floors of Pavilion 2
which is especially reserved for purged Party personalities. Criminal
offenders and sentenced prisoners are housed in the main building.
1. The Mokotow Prison, administratively classified as a military prison,
is now under the control of the Ministry of the Interior. The prison
administration is composed of an Investigations Department and an
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(Note: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
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6. Interrogation rooms occupy the third floor of Pavilions 10 and 11,
the upper floors of Pavilion 12, and the entire building to the left
of Pavilions 10 and 111. In order to keep identification of prisoners
unknown, guards call names by initial only when summoning for inter-
rogations. Interrogations, excluding +hor- conducted by high-ranking
army officers, take place in small, simply furnished rooms. The inter-
rogator sits with his back to the window, the prisoner facing either the
the light from the window or an electric light. Although uncooperative
subjects are still intimidated, the interrogation procedure is, nevertheless,
becoming more lenient. Torture and solitary confinement are used principally
when alleged members of underground groups refuse to confess. Generally
there is only one interrogator for a. prisoner, but there is always an
additional official from the military prosecutor's office present at the
final stages of questioning to draw up a report.
7. There are approximately 200 prison guards and an equal number -+'
interrogators at Mokotow. The interrogators, who wear KBW (Internal Security
Corps) uniforms, are not permitted to carry arms within the prison compound
for fear of provoking the prisoners.
8. Although political prisoners are kept in complete isolation until
sentenced, criminal offenders may receive visitors at all times. One
monthly visit for a duration of fifteen minutes may be granted by the head
of the prison. Political detainees may not receive mail until their
sentence is passed, after which time they may write one letter and receive
two per month.
9. Prisoners condemned to death are kept in cells with other prisoners.
Executions are effected in the evenings or in the early morning hours.
Those tried by military courts are shot, while those sentenced to death
by civilian courts are hanged.
10. There is an elaborate informer system in the prison. Recruiting agents
approach new prisoners offering a 500-zloty credit in the prison canteen
as a reward for their enlistment.
11. The following interrogators are known:
a. General Zarakowski, Chief Military Prosecutor
b. Colonels Feldman and Ligeza,
C. Lieutenant Colonel Dusza, head of the investigations department
d. Captains Bydych, Mederer, Piaskowski and Waliczuk
e. Lieutenants Foltyniak and Luczak
f. Second Lieutenant Fugas
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Mokotow Prison
Legend
1. Courtyard
2. Prison administration offices
3. Main prison building
4. Pavilions 10 and 11
5. Interrogation buildings
6. Pavilion 12
7. Printing Press
8. Prison stores and tinsmith's shop
9. Kitchen
10. Laundry and washrooms
11. Prison hospital
12. Rakowiecka Street
13. Narbutta Street
5
3
9
13
9
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13. The following are inmates known to be at Mokotow:
a. Chowicz (fnu) was sentenced to 10 years for organizing an underground
movement.
b. Ernest (fnu) and Koziolkiewicz (fnu), formerly members of the Military
Court of the Home Army (Armja Krajowa) which sentenced many Communists
to death, are under death sentences, pending a March 1955 appeal of
their case.
c.' Glowacki (fnu), i- former public prosecutor, had his life imprisonr50X1-HUM
sentence commuted to 10 years.
d. Grzanka (fnu), a former iudae. was sentenced to life imprisonment)
e. Jozefski (fnu), a prewar minister, after many years in hiding, was
arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1954.
f. Bishop Kaczmarek signed A confession after having been broken by his
interrogators.
g. Kowalek (fnu), a priest, together with another priest, Stefanski
(fnu), was accused of assisting an escape from Poland. They were
sentenced to four and six years respectively.
h. Niziol u formerly a public ecutor, is serving life imprisonment
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i. Roset fnu, a priest, was sentenced to two years for an attempted escape
from Poland.
J. Stealer (fnu), arrested in connection with Bishop Kaczmarek, was
recently released for reasons of health.
k. Ex-Premier Switalski has been imprisoned at Mokotow since 1949.-
1. Generals Tr.tar2 and Kirchmajer2, Colonels Godlewsk12, Jaworski and
Pisarczuk were arrested on charges of espionage and were recently
released after alleging their arrest to be a provocation of General
Skulbaszewski, former chief of military intelligence. 50X1-HUM
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