There were approximately 130 index card files produced in the former state security organs (both military and security police), which are kept in the Institute of National Remembrance Archive. As a result of the destruction of the case files, the index card records are often the only testimonies of the interest taken by the state security organs in a particular person, and of the character of that interest that lead to that person’s registration in the operational process.

The MSW Bureau “C” index card file

For the information retained in it, the most important of those index card files was that of MSW Bureau “C”. Bureau “C” was a unit that served as a registry and archive for the ministry, supporting the operational activities of the Security Service. The uniqueness of this index card file was a result of its central character. The central operational units of the ministry, as well as territorial units of the Security Service and other services subordinated to the minister of internal affairs that were conducting operational activities (the reconnaissance unit of the border control troops – Zwiad Wojsk Ochrony Pogranicza, and the counterintelligence and political security unit of the internal [counterinsurgency] troops – Wojskowa Służba Wewnętrzna Jednostek Wojskowych Ministerstwa Spraw Wewnętrznych), were obliged to file the index cards of registered persons of interest there. Also filed there were the index cards produced in Directorate II of the General Staff (Zarząd II Sztabu Generalnego), the military foreign intelligence unit and the counterintelligence and political security unit of the army (Wojskowa Służba Wewnętrzna Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej). The index card file was not passed on to the IPN Archive in its original form. The original index card file was two-fold: registration index cards (Mk. EO-4) were kept in one of the Bureau “C” divisions, but duplicates (Mk. EO-4-A cards) were passed to another division. There were two separate index card files at the time: “statistical” (EO-4) and “general information” (EO-4-A). The difference between these index card files was that the EO-4 registration index cards contained full information concerning the registered person of interest, including the character of registration, but the EO-4-A card duplicates contained only personal data and a registration reference number (and no data concerning the character of registration). The cards in the general information index card file were arranged in so-called ‘phonetic’ order, which enabled searching for names written differently (but pronounced similarly). In the index card file existing currently, the above-mentioned index card files were merged, and arranged in alphabetical order.

Every inquiry from the communist security services which concerned a specific person was passed to the general information index card file. The index cards prepared by military intelligence and counterintelligence units were also passed to the general information index card file. When the relevant case file was closed and archived, the Mk. E-14 index card (then Mk. E-14/1) was passed to the general information index card file. These cards contained personal data and some brief information on the closed case, as well an archival reference number (issued in the division of Bureau “C” that acted as an operational archive). The archival reference number also indicated the character of the archived case file, as it consisted of the serial number of the archival log and the symbol of the archival series indicating the case category; e.g. the reference number followed by a slash and the symbol “I” meant it was the file of a secret collaborator (informant, agent, etc.), “II” meant the file of a person under surveillance, etc. After filing of the Mk. E-14 (E-14/1) index card in the general information card index, the Mk. EO-4 and EO-4-A cards were withdrawn from the card indexes.

Card Index of MSW Department I (Foreign Intelligence)

A separate index card file existed in MSW Department I (Departament I MSW), the foreign intelligence unit of the Security Service. It was kept in the Independent Registry Section (Samodzielna Sekcja Ewidencji), the unit that also acted as the Department’s archive. The index cards passed from MSW Department I to Bureau “C” were devoid of information concerning the character of the case; instead of a detailed category of the case, the entry “secured” was introduced [the word in this context means “to block the operational interest of other units” or “to mark someone as the subject of operational interest” – t.n.].

The maintaining of secrecy in foreign intelligence, also towards the functionaries of the Independent Registry Section, was very strictly observed. In no instance was the character of the case and of the affected person’s registration revealed. Such practice was observed also after the archiving of the case file. In the Department I index card file there is only information concerning the department’s division that registered the case, the registration number and the archival reference number (the current number with the letter “J” added). The character of the case could be only identified from the case file records.

Index card file of the military services

The IPN Archive obtained records, including index cards, of the military foreign intelligence and counterintelligence services. Originally those services ran their own index card file – in the IPN Archive, those were merged.

The oldest index cards remaining in the index card file come from 1945, and purportedly there are also a few cards from 1944. Over several dozen years of activity, the form specimens, symbols and the range of information (constantly widening) included in the index cards varied. The common feature of all types of index card files was the recording of the character of the registration, i.e., the character of operational interest. The largest group of people registered people were soldiers, those drafted as well as career soldiers, NCOs, and officers. Civilians from the so-called military units and institutional ‘milieu’ were also registered. Apart from persons collaborating and under surveillance, the card index contains cards concerning career soldiers, who were authorised to participate in secret proceedings of a ‘special’ character, those in contact with family members living abroad, or banned from travelling abroad to ‘capitalist’ countries due to their deployment.

The index cards produced by military foreign intelligence prior to the 1960s did not remain in the index card file. The reason for this was the introduction of the Mk. K-1135 index cards at that time, which were used up until 1990. The previously used index cards were weeded, and the information contained was rewritten onto new cards. As in the MSW foreign intelligence unit, military intelligence did not record the character of the operational registration in the index card file. There one may also find cards concerning soldiers of units subordinated to Directorate II of the General Staff, and civilians working in these units.

Index card file of MSW functionaries

The index card file of MSW functionaries was produced in the period from 1944–1990. The index card file contains cards concerning functionaries of the Security Service (and its predecessor, the Department of Security), as well as of the Citizens’ Militia (Milicja Obywatelska, MO). Other than personal data, dates of commencement and leaving the service were recorded, as well as the units where the functionary served, the course of his service, promotions, awards, penalties, etc. The archival reference number of the functionary’s personal case file was also recorded.