Kazimierz Moczarski
Encyclopedia
Kazimierz Damazy Moczarski (July 21, 1907 - September 27, 1975, Warsaw
) was a Polish
writer and journalist, officer of the Polish Home Army (nom de guerres: Borsuk, Grawer, Maurycy, and Rafał; active in anti-Nazi resistance
). Kazimierz Moczarski is primarily known for his book Conversations with an Executioner, a series of interviews with a fellow inmate of the notorious UB secret police prison under Stalinism, the Nazi war criminal Jürgen Stroop
soon to be executed. Thrown in jail in 1945 and pardoned eleven years later during Polish October
, Moczarski spent four years on death row (1952–1956), and was tried three times as an enemy of the state
while in prison.
, Moczarski was the son of Jan Damazy, teacher and school principal, and Michalina Franciszka (née Wodzinowska), also a teacher. In October 1926, Kazimierz began studying law at Warsaw University. During his studies, he was drafted to Reserve Infantry Battalion No.9 and served at Bereza Kartuska in 1929–1930 for 10 months. In December 1932, following his graduation, he continued his studies in France at the Institut des hautes études internationales of Paris University. In 1935, he returned to Warsaw and became an adviser to the Ministry of Labor and Social Services, specializing in Polish and International Law
regulations. He was also a member of the “Youth Legion,” and a member of the progressive organization “Labor Club Maurycy Mochnacki.” In 1937, he took part in the setting-up of the Democratic Club of Warsaw (the first meeting took place at his own Warsaw apartment).
which was part of the 30th Infantry Division, and also participated in the defence of Warsaw
. Later, in German-occupied Warsaw, Moczarski was an active member of the secret Democratic Party and participated in anti-German resistance in the Home Army
. In the Home Army, Moczarski (then an Ensign
) was a member of the Information Department under the pseudonym “Rafał.” Up until late fall 1943, he concentrated his efforts on the military intelligence
and propaganda
(BiP) department of Warsaw’s Home Army District. From May 1944 on, Moczarski (under the new pseudonym “Maurycy”) took the post of the Head of Department of Personnel Sabotage
. Its task was to fight Polish traitors and German informers, and Moczarski was regarded as highly qualified in this field. It was his idea to recapture Polish prisoners, who were incarcerated by Germans at the Jan Bozy Hospital in Warsaw (June 11, 1944).
, he was given a new post as the head of the radio and telegraph services of Home Army’s headquarters
. During the uprising, Moczarski was directing one of the radio station
s, “Rafal,” located in Warsaw’s district Srodmiescie-Polnoc. In September 1944, he moved to another station, “Danuta,” located at 16 Widok street. At the same time, he was editor-in-chief of “Wiadomości Powstańcze” (“Uprising News”), which was a daily regional addition to the Home Army’s “Biuletyn Informacyjny” (“Information Bulletin”). On September 14, 1944, he was promoted to the post of reserve Lieutenant.
After the collapse of the Warsaw Uprising on October 7, 1944, he left the city together with a group of coworkers from BiP, but returned shortly afterwards, to help with the escape of Jan Stanisław Jankowski, the delegate of Polish Government in exile. Later on, he continued his underground activities, changing his nickname to “Grawer” in late fall of 1944. Starting in mid-October, he was the head of the Home Army’s BiP (Information and Propaganda) office. He was trying to restore the BiP, as the office was destroyed during the uprising.
. Initially, Moczarski was sentenced by a military court to 10 years in prison on January 18, 1946, but in February 1947, his sentence was shortened to five years. However, in spite of his sentence’s fulfillment, Moczarski was not released from Warsaw’s Mokotów Prison
. The darkest years of Stalinism in Poland were yet to come. Interrogated again by Romkowski's subordinates from January 9, 1949 till June 6, 1951, Moczarski described in his memoir the 49 different types of torture he had to endure. Beatings included truncheon blows to bridge of nose, salivary glands, chin, shoulder blades, bare feet and toes (particularly painful), heels (ten blows each foot, several times a day), cigarette burns on lips and eyelids and burning of fingers. Sleep deprivation, resulting in – meant standing upright in a narrow cell for seven to nine days with frequent blows to the face – a halucinatory method called by the interrogators "Zakopane". General Romkowski (b. in Moscow as Natan Grünspau-Kikiel) told him already on November 30, 1948, that he personally requested this "sheer hell". In his ward, Moczarski stayed for some time with two German SS-men: SS-Untersturmführer
of BdS Krakau Gustav Schielke and SS-Gruppenführer
Jürgen Stroop
. Several years later, Moczarski secretly wrote the book Rozmowy z katem (Conversations with an Executioner), which related his jail-talks with Stroop, who was responsible for the destruction of Warsaw Ghetto
after the uprising of 1943.
In 1952, his new trial opened on charges falsified on site by MBP and, by the decision of Warsaw’s District Court, Moczarski was sentenced to death on November 18, 1952 as an enemy of the state
. During the Khrushchev thaw
of 1953, his sentence was changed to life in prison. Moczarski, who remained on death row
, was not informed of this decision while awaiting execution, until January 1955. Moczarski was released from prison on June 24, 1956 after the Polish October
revolution, and in December of the same year, he was pardoned and cleared of all Stalinist charges.
. He worked as a journalist at the Kurier Polski (Polish Courier) newspaper, being responsible for contacts with readers. He was also active in the anti-alcohol movement, and for some time he was editor-in-chief of a Problemy Alkoholizmu (Issues of Alcoholism) magazine.
In April 1972, the first part of Conversations with an Executioner was published in Odra monthly. The story continued to run in parts until February 1974, and it was published in book form in 1977. Moczarski did not witness the publication of his book. He died on September 27, 1975 in Warsaw. His biography written by Andrzej Krzysztof Kunert was published in 2006 with foreword by Władysław Bartoszewski. Filmmaker Maciej Englert created a DVD documentary entitled "Conversations With An Executioner" based on the book by Moczarski in 2007.
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
) was a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
writer and journalist, officer of the Polish Home Army (nom de guerres: Borsuk, Grawer, Maurycy, and Rafał; active in anti-Nazi resistance
Polish resistance movement in World War II
The Polish resistance movement in World War II, with the Home Army at its forefront, was the largest underground resistance in all of Nazi-occupied Europe, covering both German and Soviet zones of occupation. The Polish defence against the Nazi occupation was an important part of the European...
). Kazimierz Moczarski is primarily known for his book Conversations with an Executioner, a series of interviews with a fellow inmate of the notorious UB secret police prison under Stalinism, the Nazi war criminal Jürgen Stroop
Jürgen Stroop
Jürgen Stroop, , was a high-ranking Nazi Party and Gestapo official during World War II. In 1952, he was extradited to Poland, convicted of war crimes, and hanged.-Early life:Jürgen Stroop was born in Detmold, in the Principality of Lippe, German Empire, the son of a police officer...
soon to be executed. Thrown in jail in 1945 and pardoned eleven years later during Polish October
Polish October
Polish October, also known as October 1956, Polish thaw, or Gomułka's thaw, marked a change in the Polish internal political scene in the second half of 1956...
, Moczarski spent four years on death row (1952–1956), and was tried three times as an enemy of the state
Enemy of the state
An enemy of the state is a person accused of certain crimes against the state, such as treason. Describing individuals in this way is sometimes a manifestation of political repression. For example, an authoritarian regime may purport to maintain national security by describing social or political...
while in prison.
Biography
Born on July 21, 1907 in WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Moczarski was the son of Jan Damazy, teacher and school principal, and Michalina Franciszka (née Wodzinowska), also a teacher. In October 1926, Kazimierz began studying law at Warsaw University. During his studies, he was drafted to Reserve Infantry Battalion No.9 and served at Bereza Kartuska in 1929–1930 for 10 months. In December 1932, following his graduation, he continued his studies in France at the Institut des hautes études internationales of Paris University. In 1935, he returned to Warsaw and became an adviser to the Ministry of Labor and Social Services, specializing in Polish and International Law
International law
Public international law concerns the structure and conduct of sovereign states; analogous entities, such as the Holy See; and intergovernmental organizations. To a lesser degree, international law also may affect multinational corporations and individuals, an impact increasingly evolving beyond...
regulations. He was also a member of the “Youth Legion,” and a member of the progressive organization “Labor Club Maurycy Mochnacki.” In 1937, he took part in the setting-up of the Democratic Club of Warsaw (the first meeting took place at his own Warsaw apartment).
World War II underground activities
During the 1939 Polish-German September campaign, Moczarski was a commanding officer of a platoonPlatoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
which was part of the 30th Infantry Division, and also participated in the defence of Warsaw
Siege of Warsaw (1939)
The 1939 Battle of Warsaw was fought between the Polish Warsaw Army garrisoned and entrenched in the capital of Poland and the German Army...
. Later, in German-occupied Warsaw, Moczarski was an active member of the secret Democratic Party and participated in anti-German resistance in the Home Army
Armia Krajowa
The Armia Krajowa , or Home Army, was the dominant Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland. It was formed in February 1942 from the Związek Walki Zbrojnej . Over the next two years, it absorbed most other Polish underground forces...
. In the Home Army, Moczarski (then an Ensign
Ensign
An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...
) was a member of the Information Department under the pseudonym “Rafał.” Up until late fall 1943, he concentrated his efforts on the military intelligence
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....
and propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
(BiP) department of Warsaw’s Home Army District. From May 1944 on, Moczarski (under the new pseudonym “Maurycy”) took the post of the Head of Department of Personnel Sabotage
Sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...
. Its task was to fight Polish traitors and German informers, and Moczarski was regarded as highly qualified in this field. It was his idea to recapture Polish prisoners, who were incarcerated by Germans at the Jan Bozy Hospital in Warsaw (June 11, 1944).
Warsaw Uprising
Shortly before the Warsaw UprisingWarsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
, he was given a new post as the head of the radio and telegraph services of Home Army’s headquarters
Headquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
. During the uprising, Moczarski was directing one of the radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s, “Rafal,” located in Warsaw’s district Srodmiescie-Polnoc. In September 1944, he moved to another station, “Danuta,” located at 16 Widok street. At the same time, he was editor-in-chief of “Wiadomości Powstańcze” (“Uprising News”), which was a daily regional addition to the Home Army’s “Biuletyn Informacyjny” (“Information Bulletin”). On September 14, 1944, he was promoted to the post of reserve Lieutenant.
After the collapse of the Warsaw Uprising on October 7, 1944, he left the city together with a group of coworkers from BiP, but returned shortly afterwards, to help with the escape of Jan Stanisław Jankowski, the delegate of Polish Government in exile. Later on, he continued his underground activities, changing his nickname to “Grawer” in late fall of 1944. Starting in mid-October, he was the head of the Home Army’s BiP (Information and Propaganda) office. He was trying to restore the BiP, as the office was destroyed during the uprising.
After WWII
In the first months of 1945, using the nickname “Borsuk,” Moczarski was still the head of the BiP, which was part of the headquarters of the Home Army, now known as the Delegature of the Polish Forces at Home (DSZ). Moczarski, along with Włodzimierz Lechowicz and Zygmunt Kapitaniak, was the co-author of a memorandum which stipulated that former Home Army soldiers should disclose. On July 24, 1945, together with Colonel Jan Rzepecki (head of DSZ) he issued an order to his followers to lay down their arms, entitled “To former soldiers of Home Army,” which stated:“Do not listen to those who incite you to destruction, to creation of underground armed forces, to political burglary (...) Start up a public reconstruction of Poland, on all fields.”
Arrest and imprisonment
On August 11, 1945, five days after the disbanding of DSZ, Moczarski was arrested by Ministry of State Security headed by Gen. RomkowskiRoman Romkowski
General Roman Romkowski born Natan Grünspau [Grinszpan]-Kikiel, was a Polish-Jewish communist, second in command in Berman's Ministry of Public Security during the late 1940s and early 1950's. Along with several other high functionaries including Dir. Anatol Fejgin, Col. Józef Różański, Dir...
. Initially, Moczarski was sentenced by a military court to 10 years in prison on January 18, 1946, but in February 1947, his sentence was shortened to five years. However, in spite of his sentence’s fulfillment, Moczarski was not released from Warsaw’s Mokotów Prison
Mokotów Prison
Mokotów Prison is a prison in Warsaw's borough of Mokotów, Poland, located at Rakowiecka 37 street. It was built by the Russians in the final years of the foreign Partitions of Poland...
. The darkest years of Stalinism in Poland were yet to come. Interrogated again by Romkowski's subordinates from January 9, 1949 till June 6, 1951, Moczarski described in his memoir the 49 different types of torture he had to endure. Beatings included truncheon blows to bridge of nose, salivary glands, chin, shoulder blades, bare feet and toes (particularly painful), heels (ten blows each foot, several times a day), cigarette burns on lips and eyelids and burning of fingers. Sleep deprivation, resulting in – meant standing upright in a narrow cell for seven to nine days with frequent blows to the face – a halucinatory method called by the interrogators "Zakopane". General Romkowski (b. in Moscow as Natan Grünspau-Kikiel) told him already on November 30, 1948, that he personally requested this "sheer hell". In his ward, Moczarski stayed for some time with two German SS-men: SS-Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer
Untersturmführer was a paramilitary rank of the German Schutzstaffel first created in July 1934. The rank can trace its origins to the older SA rank of Sturmführer which had existed since the founding of the SA in 1921...
of BdS Krakau Gustav Schielke and SS-Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer
Gruppenführer was an early paramilitary rank of the Nazi Party, first created in 1925 as a senior rank of the SA.-SS rank:...
Jürgen Stroop
Jürgen Stroop
Jürgen Stroop, , was a high-ranking Nazi Party and Gestapo official during World War II. In 1952, he was extradited to Poland, convicted of war crimes, and hanged.-Early life:Jürgen Stroop was born in Detmold, in the Principality of Lippe, German Empire, the son of a police officer...
. Several years later, Moczarski secretly wrote the book Rozmowy z katem (Conversations with an Executioner), which related his jail-talks with Stroop, who was responsible for the destruction of Warsaw Ghetto
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest of all Jewish Ghettos in Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. It was established in the Polish capital between October and November 15, 1940, in the territory of General Government of the German-occupied Poland, with over 400,000 Jews from the vicinity...
after the uprising of 1943.
In 1952, his new trial opened on charges falsified on site by MBP and, by the decision of Warsaw’s District Court, Moczarski was sentenced to death on November 18, 1952 as an enemy of the state
Enemy of the state
An enemy of the state is a person accused of certain crimes against the state, such as treason. Describing individuals in this way is sometimes a manifestation of political repression. For example, an authoritarian regime may purport to maintain national security by describing social or political...
. During the Khrushchev thaw
Khrushchev Thaw
The Khrushchev Thaw refers to the period from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s, when repression and censorship in the Soviet Union were partially reversed and millions of Soviet political prisoners were released from Gulag labor camps, due to Nikita Khrushchev's policies of de-Stalinization and...
of 1953, his sentence was changed to life in prison. Moczarski, who remained on death row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
, was not informed of this decision while awaiting execution, until January 1955. Moczarski was released from prison on June 24, 1956 after the Polish October
Polish October
Polish October, also known as October 1956, Polish thaw, or Gomułka's thaw, marked a change in the Polish internal political scene in the second half of 1956...
revolution, and in December of the same year, he was pardoned and cleared of all Stalinist charges.
Later life
After his release, Moczarski joined the Democratic Party of PolandDemocratic Party (Poland)
The Democratic Party is a Polish centrist party. The party faced a revival in 2009, when it was joined by liberal politician Paweł Piskorski, formerly member of Civic Platform.-History:The party was established on April 15, 1939...
. He worked as a journalist at the Kurier Polski (Polish Courier) newspaper, being responsible for contacts with readers. He was also active in the anti-alcohol movement, and for some time he was editor-in-chief of a Problemy Alkoholizmu (Issues of Alcoholism) magazine.
In April 1972, the first part of Conversations with an Executioner was published in Odra monthly. The story continued to run in parts until February 1974, and it was published in book form in 1977. Moczarski did not witness the publication of his book. He died on September 27, 1975 in Warsaw. His biography written by Andrzej Krzysztof Kunert was published in 2006 with foreword by Władysław Bartoszewski. Filmmaker Maciej Englert created a DVD documentary entitled "Conversations With An Executioner" based on the book by Moczarski in 2007.