THE SIXTH PROCESS - THE past OF THE IMPORTS OF THE POLISH LAND
- I'm sorry. I looked out the window of the plane and saw that we were going in a different direction than expected. I asked why? In response, I heard that we were going to Moscow, to Stalin," said Adam Bien, 1 of sixteen arrested by the NKVD leaders of the Polish Underground State.
"Process" - memories of Adam Bienia, 1 of sixteen leaders of the Polish Underground arrested by the NKVD.
On June 18, 1945, the process of sixteen captured by the NKVD leaders of the Polish Underground State began.
JALTANISH planet PARTICIPATION
On 21 February 1945, the Council of National Unity - the Parliament of Underground Poland, despite the opposition of the emigration government, decided to recognise the findings of the Yalta Conference. Poles believed that there would be democratic elections that would let to elect a government of "national unity", independent of russian power, as the leaders of the large powers: Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin assured in Yalta.
Talks were made with the Russians. On 4 March 1945, a preliminary gathering of the AK delegation with Colonel Pimienow was held in Pruszków, a proxy for General Ivan Sierov, who later turned out to be liable for the crime on Polish officers in Katyń. Pimienow assured that the russian side had fair intentions and invited General Leopold Okulicki "The Bear", the last commander of the Home Army Command and Deputy Prime Minister Jankowski to meet with the staff of Marshal Gierogi Żuk. ""I, as an officer of the Red Army, who has been active in specified an crucial mission, give you a complete warrant that from the day your destiny depends on me, you will be completely safe from coming to us - in a letter sent to General Okulicki on March 6.
I don't want to go there due to the fact that I've already sat there and they won't let me out for the second time - said General Okulicki Adam Bien.
IMPROVED
The Soviets evidently failed to keep their promise. On 27-28 March 1945, in Pruszków, NKVD officers sneakily arrested sixteen leaders of the Underground Poland, after which they took them on a peculiar plane to Moscow and put them in prison in Lubianka.
- I'm sorry. Jankowski, Okulicki and Pużak went first for the talks - mentioned Adam Bien in the report. They didn't come back that day. We waited for them all day in a conspiratorial place at Hożej Street, and even though on 27 March we received an anonymous announcement that we should not go, that they would lock us all up, but we decided to go.
- I'm sorry. If we had not agreed, if we had not gone, Russia would have regarded this as a reluctance to negotiate," he added.
FROM WARSAW TO MOSCOVA
The character of the study by Hanna Bogoryj-Zakrzywska reported the details of the detention and transport to Moscow.
- I'm sorry. From Pruszkow we went to Italy - he said. - There was a Major NKVD on the phone, at which point we came in, he finished the interview and said, "Sir, I just spoke to Moscow. Your colleagues who came to our home yesterday landed at the airport in Moscow. We treated it as good news, but the evening came, we waited, nothing happened, and it wasn't until the next morning that any general showed up and said we were going to the airport. The yard was surrounded by soldiers with rifles, black limos waiting, we got in and drove to Okęta. I remember 1 of the russian officers asking us, "Have you taken a fistful of native land?"
Act of Charge
They all went to the celebrated Moscow execution center, which was the prison in Lubianka. "Okulicki Leopold, Jankowski Jan Stanisław, Bień Adam, Jasiukowicz Stanisław are accused of organizing and commanding underground forces in the back of the Red Army, in western Belarus, Ukraine, Lithuania and Poland. The indictment accuses them of directing a terrorist action against Red Army officers and soldiers. The indictment blames them for killing 594 and injuring 219 soldiers and Red Army officers. Also, Okulicki is accused of spying and leading an interview in the back of the Red Army" - was a part of the prosecution.
JUDGMENTS
The Russians only revealed the arrest of the leaders of the Polish Underground a period and a half later. The trial began on 18 June 1945 and lasted only 3 days. conviction was pronounced on 21 June 1945. They all received prison sentences. General Leopold Okulicki was sentenced to 10 years, Jan Stanisław Jankowski for 8 years. Adam Bien heard the conviction for 5 years. 3 of the arrested did not return to Poland, the 4th - Kazimierz Pużak, although he did return, but died in a passive prison.
Soviet authorities in their authoritative release reported that General Leopold Okulicki died in prison in Lubianka on December 24, 1946 of a heart attack. Adam Bien spoke in a broadcast about this last day of the AK commander's life. Beń himself returned to the country in August 1949.
HOW WAS IT POSSIBLE?
The 16th process was besides dealt with in 2007 in a broadcast from the series "The Secret past of Poland" by Olga Branieck. "How it was possible that everyone in the planet and in the country was reversed erstwhile sixteen leaders of the Polish underground state on 27 and 28 March 1945 accepted the invitation of Gen. Ivanov, unknown to anyone, who later turned out to be the head of the NKVD, infamous Gen. Sierow. They went to Pruszkow and from there they were expeditioned to Moscow – asked their guest Dr. Andrzej Chmielarz from the Military Bureau of Historical Research.
- I'm sorry. The leaders of the Underground Poland were guided by the rule that the signed treaties were being respected," the historian said. - Alliance commitments were taken highly seriously. The clash with the russian "real political" which trampled absolutely all accepted and recognized in the planet of values was a immense shock to these people.
Not only did they fall for this game; the another greats of this planet too.
Documents, sources, quotations:
. Rep. Hanna Bogoryja-Zakrivska
NKVD papers on the circumstances of arrest of the leaders of the Polish Underground State, commentary by historian Andrzej Kunert (16.10.1995)
Trial of sixteen - commentary by Dr. Andrzej Chmielarz from the Military Bureau of Historical Research. Aud. Olga Braniecka (12.04.2017)
