Roman Romkowski

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Roman Romkowski born Menasche Grünspan also known as Nasiek (Natan) Grinszpan-Kikiel, (February 16, 1907 – July 12, 1968) was a Polish communist official trained by Comintern in Moscow. After the Soviet takeover of Poland Romkowski settled in Warsaw and became second in command (the deputy minister) in the Ministry of Public Security (MBP or colloquially UB) during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Along with several other high functionaries including Stanisław Radkiewicz, Anatol Fejgin, Józef Różański, Julia Brystiger and the chief supervisor of Polish State Security Services, Minister Jakub Berman from the Politburo, Romkowski came to symbolize communist terror in postwar Poland. He was responsible for the work of departments: Counter-espionage (1st), Espionage (7th), Security in the PPR–PZPR (10th Dept. run by Fejgin), and others. De-Stalinization brought about Romkowski's downfall. He was arrested in 1956 and sentenced to prison for gross violations of human rights and abuse of power.

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Early life Romkowski was born on February 16, 1907, into a Jewish family in Kraków, as the fourth child of Stanisław (originally Izaak) and Maria (originally Amalia) née Blajwajs (Bleiweis). His father was a butcher by profession, employed at a sausage factory. His mother worked intermittently as a cook and a maid at a public bathhouse. He had seven siblings. Romkowski began his political activities by joining the youth section of the Woodworkers' Trade Union and later the Poale Zion, which at that time had significant influence among the workers in that union. The progressive radicalization of his views led him to join the Young Communist League of Poland (ZMKwP), established on March 17, 1922. His initial tasks included conducting communist agitation in the youth sections of trade unions and performing tasks within the so-called "technique," which involved, among other things, distributing leaflets and illegal publications, organizing meetings, and hiding communist activists sought by the police. In 1924, Romkowski became the head of the "technique," which also meant joining the District Committee of the Union of Communist Youth in Kraków. During preparations for the first anniversary of the Kraków riot in November 1923 (the so-called Kraków Uprising), Romkowski was arrested…Citește mai mult

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Work in security services From 1941, he fought in the Soviet partisan unit 'Stalin Brigade' in Belarus, serving as a unit commander, political commissar, and head of intelligence for the Brigade. After the formation of the Polish Committee of National Liberation in July 1944, Romkowski was assigned to help establish Poland's new security apparatus. On August 1, 1944, he became head of the Operational (Counterintelligence) Department of the Public Security Resort in Lublin. From 1944 to 1948, he was a member of the Polish Workers' Party (PPR) – from December 12, 1945, to December 21, 1948, he was a member of the Central Committee (KC), and subsequently of the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) – from December 21, 1948, to January 24, 1955, he was also a member of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party. He was a delegate to the I and II Congress of the PPR and the I and II Congress of the PZPR. Romkowski played a key role in organizing the security apparatus, creating its first operational guidelines and training its officers. He drafted important instructions on investigative procedures and managing informant networks. On January 1, 1945, Romkowski was appointed director of Department…Citește mai mult

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Arrest Romkowski was arrested on April 23, 1956, during the Polish October, and brought to trial along with functionaries responsible for gross violations of human rights law and their abuse of power. Historian Heather Laskey alleges that it was probably not a coincidence that the high ranking Stalinist security officers put on trial by Gomułka were Jews. Władysław Gomułka was captured by Światło and imprisoned by Romkowski in 1951 on Soviet orders, and interrogated by both, him and Fejgin. Gomułka escaped physical torture only as a close associate of Joseph Stalin, and was released three years later.

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The court proceedings At trial, Col. Różański didn't deny that he routinely tortured prisoners including Polish United Workers' Party members, and he didn't apologize for his actions. Instead, he pointed a finger at Romkowski and continuously repeated the Leninist argument that "the end justifies the means". For him, torturing people was a daily double-shift job, nothing more, nothing less. He admitted that all charges against his victims were falsified on site by his department. Roman Romkowski had been put on trial along with Józef Różański and a second Jewish defendant from his department, Anatol Fejgin. Romkowski insisted that Różański should have been removed already in 1949 for his destructive activities, even though, Romkowski himself taught Różański everything about torture. Both, Romkowski and Różański, were sentenced to 15 years in prison on 11 November 1957, for unlawful imprisonment and mistreatment of innocent detainees. Romkowski was pardoned and released from prison on 1 October 1964. Feign was sentenced to 12 years, on similar charges. A well-known writer Kazimierz Moczarski from AK, interrogated by Romkowski's subordinates from January 9, 1949, till June 6, 1951, described 49 different types of torture he endured. Beatings included truncheon blows to bridge of nose, salivary glands, chin,…Citește mai mult

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Awards and decorations Order of the Banner of Labour (18 JUly 1954) Order of the Cross of Grunwald, 2nd Class (19 July 1946) Commander's Cross of Order of Polonia Restituta (22 July 1947) Officer's Cross of Order of Polonia Restituta (10 October 1945) Order of the Red Banner, twice (USSR)