Main Directorate of Information of The Polish Army - GZI Organization - Soviet Control

Soviet Control

The person in command of GZI was its Chief; he was responsible for GZI actions, and reported directly to first the vice-minister or minister of National Defense. In the end of 1945, GZI was made of nine sections and eight lower rank independent sections and detachments, the number of staff surpassed 1,000 officers. In the next year, because of the demobilization of the armed forces, the number of staff has fallen to 992.

At the same time there was an all-out rebuilding and transformation of staff. At the end of August 1944, the main officer staff was Russian, they came from the Soviet secret services like the NKGB, the NKVD and the military branch of counter-intelligence called SMERSH. In December 1945, the number of Poles in GZI did not surpass 43%, but year later (1946–1947) has grown up to 77%.

In first months of GZI activities the Warsaw headquarters staff was entirely Russian. The first Pole came to headquarters at the end of 1945, but by September 1947, almost all important positions where occupied by polish army officers.

In June 1950 headquarters again had been placed under the management of a Russian officer when Dmitrij Wozniesieński (a former SMERSH officer) become the head of GZI. With him came 150 new Russian officers who took over all executive posts.