PZPR SCHOOL FOR PARTY VETERANS IN WARSAW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A041600180001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 21, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 11, 1958
• Content Type: REPORT

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MZ~,IATION REPORT IN IFORMATION REPORT'
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material '.,ontaina information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Ser a. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
SUBJECT
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
Warsaw
REPORT
PZPR School. for Party Veterans in DATE DISTR. 11 APR 1958
NO. PAGES 1
REFERENCES RD
(report containing information
on the PZPR (Polish United Workers Party) School for Party Veterans
in Warsaw. The school, planned before Gomulka came into power,
opened on 10 October 1956 and closed on 27 July 1957?
STATE X ARMY X NAVY X AIR X F81 AEC
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r
INFORMATION REPORT INFORMATION REPORT
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Sees. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
SUBJECT' PZPR School for Party Veterans in DATE DISTR. 11 APR 1958
Warsaw
NO. PAGES 1
REFERENCES RD
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
report containing information
on the PZPR (Polish United Workers Party) School for Party Veterans
in Warsaw. The school, planned before Gomulka came into power,
opened on 10 October 1956 and closed on 27 July 1957.
XARMY XNA VY XAIR X
?? ? III 11??? ?? ? ??
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1. In October 1956 a school was opened by the Polska Zjednoczena
Partia $obotnicza (PZPR) in .1,azienki Park, Warsaw, for the
reeducation of veteran Polish communists. The school was the
brainchild of then lst Secretary of the PZPR, Edward OCHAB, and
was set up under the direction of the Central Committee (A).
The goals of the school were never published for student
consumption; however, it appeared that OCHAB wanted to bring
together members of the present PZPR who either had been members
of the old Kommunistische Partei Poland (, had been in Nazi
Concentration Camps, had fought in the Spanish Civil War, or
had served prison sentences for communist activity to attend
a one-year course in modern communism. Al the students were
assembling early in October 1956, Wladyslaw GOMULKA took over
the Polish Government and the school as OCHAB had planned it
became obsolete before the first classes began. Nevertheless,
the school opened on 10 October 1956 with an enrollment of 150
students and a revised curriculum of reading-writing-arithmetic
courses, beginning at the 7th year Volksschule level, arid
including only a minimum of political instruction. Courses
ran until the school was discontinued on 27 July 1957.
2. The school was housed in a large building in the northeast
corner of -Eazienki Park, ul. Agrikola 9, Warsaw, and was
administered by a staff of 12, as follows:
A. The Director, B. GILLER
25X
. The Assistant-director, nu 6WULARULIK
C. 5 Supervisors: names unkno
Each of the supervisors was assigned a class
of 30 students. He handled administrative matters for his
group and substituted for professors or lecturers who failed
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L. th
to appear for their classes. In such cases the supervisor 25X1
usually would lead a political discussion concerning a recent
article from Tribuna Ludu. One of the supervisors doubled as
Culture Referent. He took charge of the student's off-duty
hours and purchased opera, theater, and cinema tickets at
the student's request. He also selected books for the school
library and kept the school's TV in running order.
D. The Librarian, name unknown
She tended the school library from 0800 hours until about 1400
hours. The library itself offered a wide selection of Polish
literature and newspapers. The newspaper selection included
2-3 copies of each of the Polish city daily papers, 4-5 copies
of an unidentified Jewish paper, and about 150 copies of
Tribuna Ludu daily.
E. The Cashier, name unknown 25X1
The cashier was in charge of paying student's wages and buying
provisions for the school kitchen. Each student was paid his
full monthly wage by the PZPR while on leave of absence to
attend the pchool, and received travel expenses to and from the
school to his home at the beginning alid'dnd of the school term
as well as round trip expenses at Easter, Whitsunday, and
Christmas.
F. The Accountant, name unknown
She kept the school books and acted as substitute 25X1
librarian.
G. The Doctor, name unknown 25X1
She came to the school from a Warsaw hospital every day at about
1300 hours to hold office hours.
H. The Nurse, name unknown 25X1
She came to the school daily, usually with the doctor.
3. Students for the school were selected by the local Party
offices on the basis of :kaxt xk?x:kxr C their ?arty history.
Delegations varied in size from one to fourteen, with larger
groups attending from Katowice, Krakow, and Warsaw. All other
large cities of Poland sent at least one student with the
notable exception of Poznan. The composition of the student
group was about 15-20/o laborers, 20-30 UB officials (of whom
four wore uniforms, 1 colonel, 2 majors, 1 captain), and the 25X1
rest were Party functionaries of varying rank.
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IKuu1 Students ranged in age from 45 to 60. Enrollment
totaled 150, five of whom werd women. About 20 of the students
dropped out of the school for one reason or another during the
10 months. The following are the names of some of the students:
a. From Szczecin: fnu KUPERBERG, Party functionary
fnu FERBER, factory official
fnu ROZANSKI,
fnu RAINER, trade union official
fnu STEZ, factory official
fnu WAIMANN, Miliz official
Maria GUSMANN
Emil PRENDZYNA, laborer
fnu LISAK
b. From Warsaw: fnu TWARDOWSKI, factory official
fnu PASZTA
fnu LIPSTEIN
b. From Lodz: fnu KOZIROG, senior Party functionary
fnu ROGALSKI, Major, UB
d. FromZabzce: Richard STODCRY
Willi PIONTEK
Josef WALOSZCRYK, minor Party official
e. From Olsczyn: fnu TATAR, Party official 25X1
5. As the students assembled early in October, it was rumored
that either OCHAB, GOMUI,KA, or ZAWADZKI would attend the
ceremonies marking the official opening of the school. Special
emphasis was to be given to courses on the history of the Polish
working class movement, Marxism, and communist political
economy. With the political changes in PpJAxkcA,..these intentions
did not materialize. Only one minor / official, name unknown,
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4?
attended the opening of the school, and the curriculum was set 25X1
at the level of the 7th class of a normal Volksschule, as
follows:
a. Mathmatics (up to Algebra), 4-6 hours per week
b. Polish Grammar, 4-6 hours per week
c. Geography, 4-6 hours per week
d. Polish literature, 4-6 hours per week
e. Chemistry, 1-2 hours per week
f. Biology, 1-2 hours per week
g. Current Woild Events, 2-4 hours per week. The entire
student body was assembled on Tuesday and Thursday for a two
hour lecture/,discussion on current topics let by a member or
representative of the ZK. This was the only politically oriented
instruction given in the course. One of the wA representatives'
who led the current events discussions was H. KOZIOWSKA
Other than the twice weekly visits by the
llk~
missionaries, lectures were given by professors from Warsaw
Universities who spent five hours per day at the school lecturing
in their field. The school operated on a 6 day week with classes
running from 0800 until 1300 hours. Initially scheduled to run
for one year (including 2-months vacation time), the school was
ziai at first announced to have been cut to six months; however,
after Christmas vacation the staff announced that the course
would run for 10 months. No exams or written papers were
ever assigned students nor was any attempt to evaluate or grade
them ever evident. At Christmas students were given a 30-day
vacation, and since the vacation coincided with the Sejm
elections, they were told to report to their local Party offices
to agitate for the elections.
6. By the time the school closed three distinct groups were
evident in the student body:
A. The anti-Jewish group: the anti-Jewish group was
composed largely of students from Warsaw and from the coal
mining areas of Poland. This group resented the strength of
the Jewish element in Poland and the extent to which it had taken
over the senior positions in the PZPR. Many of these high-.
ranking Jews had allegedly immigrated or had been sent from
Russia. A great deal of attention was given to the remark by
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Kruschev on the eve of the October changes in Poland to the
effect that the Jews now held too many official posts in
Poland and that their number would have to be reduced.
B. The Natolin Group: this group conducted it/s
activities in strictest secretly, therefore very little was
know about their activities. However, members of this group
were predominantly senior Party functionaries and UB officials.
C. The anti-Soviet group: The anti-soviet group was
made up of the nationalistic Poles who resented the dependence
of the Polish economy on the Soviet Union and in particular
the heavy coal deliveries which the UdSSR was exacting from
Poland.
7. The school closed on 27 July 1957 and never reopened.
The building in 1azienki Park which had housed the school
was converted to a school for sculpture. Most of the UB
personnel who had attended the school found themselves
jobless in July, and many were pensioned. The remaining
students returned to their old places of employment,
apparently not very much better off politically= as a result
of their schooling. The school was rumored to have cost the
PZPB about 2' million Zloty.
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