Ministry of Public Security (Poland) - Organization

Organization

The political and administrative matters of the Ministry came under the authority of Jakub Berman, a hardline Stalinist from the Polish United Workers' Party. The Ministry of Public Security structure was being changed constantly from January 1945 on, as the Ministry expanded. It was divided into departments and each department was subdivided into sections entrusted with different tasks. In January 1945, the largest and the most important department in MBP was Department One, responsible for counter-espionage and anti-state activities. It was headed by General Roman Romkowski born Natan Grinszpan-Kikiel in Moscow. Department I was divided into Sections, each responsible for a different but specific function self-described in the following way:

1. Fighting German espionage and Nazi underground remaining in Poland.
2. Fighting reactionary underground.
3. Fighting political banditry.
4. Protection of the national economy.
5. Protection of legal political parties from outside (underground) penetration.
6. Prisons.
7. Observation.
8. Investigations.

Two new departments were formed in addition to departments and sections created for the Resort Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego (RBP) forming the core of MBP in January 1945. On September 6, 1945, from the existing structure of Department II emerged three additional departments: Department IV commanded by Aleksander Wolski-Dyszko, Department V commanded by Julia Brystygier, and Department VI headed by Teodor Duda. In July 1946, further changes were enacted. MBP was divided into eight (8) departments, five of which dealt with operational cases, including Counter-espionage (Dep 1), Technical operations and technology (Dep 2), Fighting underground resistance (Dep 3), Protection of economy (Dep 4), and Counteraction of hostile penetration and church influences (Dep 5).

In June 1948 the Secret Office was established for Internal counter-intelligence. The Special Office conducted surveillance on members of the MPB itself. On March 2, 1949, the Special Bureau was established, renamed in 1951 simply as Department Ten. Department 10 conducted surveillance of high-ranking members of the Polish United Workers' Party and people associated with them.