The Trial of the Sixteen ( pl, Proces szesnastu) was a

staged trial A show trial is a public trial in which the judicial authorities have already determined the guilt (law), guilt or innocence of the defendant. The actual trial has as its only goal the presentation of both the accusation and the verdict to the ...

of 16 leaders of the

Polish Underground State The Polish Underground State ( pl, Polskie Państwo Podziemne, also known as the Polish Secret State) was a single political and military entity formed by the union of resistance organizations in occupied Poland that were loyal to the Gover ...

held by the Soviet authorities in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

in 1945. All captives were

kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Cam ...

by the

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

secret service and falsely accused of various forms of 'illegal activity' against the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian language, Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist R ...

History

The Government Delegate, together with most members of the

Council of National Unity Rada Jedności Narodowej (''Council of National Unity'', RJN) was the quasi-parliament of the Polish Underground State during World War II. It was created by the Government Delegate on 9 January 1944. History Originally the political arm of the ...

and the Commander-in-chief of the

Armia Krajowa The Home Army ( pl, Armia Krajowa, abbreviated AK; ) was the dominant resistance movement in German-occupied Poland during World War II. The Home Army was formed in February 1942 from the earlier Związek Walki Zbrojnej (Armed Resistance) e ...

, were invited by Soviet general

Ivan Serov Ivan Alexandrovich Serov (russian: Ива́н Алекса́ндрович Серóв; 13 August 1905 – 1 July 1990) was a Russian Soviet intelligence officer who served as the head of the KGB between March 1954 and December 1958, as well as ...

(with agreement of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet Union, Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as Ge ...

) to a conference on their eventual entry to the Soviet-backed Provisional Government. Some historical accounts say approaches were made in February, with others saying March 1945. Malcher, G.C. (1993) ''Blank Pages'' Pyrford Press p. 73Garlinski, J.(1985) ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan p. 324Mikolajczyk, S. (1948) ''The pattern of Soviet domination'' Sampson Low, Marston & Co p. 125 The Polish politicians were presented with a warrant of safety, but were instead arrested in Pruszków and brutally beaten by the

on 27 and 28 March.Prazmowska, A. (2004), p. 116.Michta, A. (1990) ''Red Eagle'' Stanford University p. 39 Leopold Okulicki, Jan Stanisław Jankowski and Kazimierz Pużak were arrested on the 27th with 12 others the following day. Alexander Zwierzyński had been arrested earlier. They were brought to

for interrogation in the Lubyanka.Garlinski, J.(1985) ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan pp. 325–326Umiastowski, R. (1946) ''Poland, Russia and Great Britain 1941-1945'' Hollis & Carter pp. 462–464Piesakowski, T. (1990) ''The fate of Poles in the USSR 1939~1989'' Gryf pp. 198–199 After several months of brutal interrogation and tortureGarlinski, J.(1985) ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan p. 335 they were presented with the forged accusations of: #

Collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most ...

with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

Garlinski, J.(1985) ''Poland in the Second World War'' Macmillan p. 336Umiastowski, R. (1946) ''Poland, Russia and Great Britain 1941-1945'' Hollis & Carter pp. 467–468 #Carrying-out

intelligence gathering This is a list of intelligence gathering disciplines. HUMINT Human intelligence (HUMINT) are gathered from a person in the location in question. Sources can include the following: * Advisors or foreign internal defense (FID) personnel wor ...

and

sabotage Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...

at the rear of the

State terrorism State terrorism refers to acts of terrorism which a state conducts against another state or against its own citizens.Martin, 2006: p. 111. Definition There is neither an academic nor an international legal consensus regarding the proper def ...

#Planning a military alliance with Nazi Germany #Owning a radio transmitter, printing machines and weapons #

Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

against the Soviet Union #Membership in underground organisations. The trial took place between 18 and 21 June 1945 with foreign press and observers from the United Kingdom and United States present. The date was chosen carefully to be at the same time as a conference on the creation of the Soviet-backed Polish puppet government was organized.Prazmowska, A. (2004), p. 117.Umiastowski, R. (1946) ''Poland, Russia and Great Britain 1941-1945'' Hollis & Carter pp. 465–471 The verdict was issued on 21 June, with most of the defendants coerced into pleading guilty by the

. General Okulicki's

witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

es for the defense were declared unreachable "owing to bad atmospheric conditions", and no evidence was offered during the trial. Of the sixteen defendants, twelve were sentenced to prison terms ranging from four months to ten years, while charges against the four others were dropped by the prosecution. Immediately after the arrest of all the leaders, the

Polish government in exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile ( pl, Rząd Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej na uchodźstwie), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Pola ...

sent a protest note to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

demanding their release. At first the Soviets declared that the whole case was a bluff by the "Fascist Polish government". When they finally admitted that the leaders had been arrested (on 5 May), the American envoy of Harry S. Truman,

Harry Lloyd Hopkins Harry Lloyd Hopkins (August 17, 1890 – January 29, 1946) was an American statesman, public administrator, and presidential advisor. A trusted deputy to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Hopkins directed New Deal relief programs before servi ...

, was told by Joseph Stalin that "there is no point in linking the case of the Trial of the Sixteen with the support for the Soviet-backed government of Poland because the sentences will not be high." Both British and American governments shared this view.

People involved

# Lt. General

Vasili Ulrikh Vasiliy Vasilievich Ulrikh (russian: Василий Васильевич Ульрих, 13 July 1889 – 7 May 1951) was a senior judge of the Soviet Union during most of the regime of Joseph Stalin. Ulrikh served as the presiding judge at man ...

, notable for playing a major role in the

Great Purge The Great Purge or the Great Terror (russian: Большой террор), also known as the Year of '37 (russian: 37-й год, translit=Tridtsat sedmoi god, label=none) and the Yezhovshchina ('period of Yezhov'), was Soviet General Secreta ...

trials, served as the main

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

and issued the following sentences: #Commander in Chief of the

, Leopold Okulicki (''Niedźwiadek'') – 10 years in prison,Mikolajczyk, S. (1948) ''The pattern of Soviet domination'' Sampson Low, Marston & Co p. 145 may have been murdered on Christmas Eve of 1946 but may have died due to complications caused by hunger strike. #Deputy Prime Minister of Poland and the Government Delegate,

Jan Stanisław Jankowski Jan Stanisław Jankowski (6 May 1882 – 13 March 1953; noms de guerre ''Doktor'', ''Jan'', ''Klonowski'', ''Sobolewski'', ''Soból'') was a Polish politician, an important figure in the Polish civil resistance during World War II and a ...

– 8 years in prison, never released, died in a Soviet prison on 13 March 1953, two weeks before the end of his sentence; probably murdered. #Minister of Internal Affairs, Adam Bień – 5 years #Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs,

Stanislaw Jasiukowicz Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav (Village), Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Sta ...

– 5 years #Head of the

and PPS-WRN socialist party –

Kazimierz Pużak Kazimierz Pużak (1883–1950) was a Polish socialist politician of the interwar period. Active in the Polish Socialist Party, he was one of the leaders of the Polish Secret State and Polish resistance, sentenced by the Soviets in the infamou ...

– 1.5 years, released in November 1945 and returned to Poland. Refused to emigrate, Pużak was again arrested by the Urząd Bezpieczeństwa in 1947 and sentenced to 10 years in prison; died 30 April 1950 #Deputy head of the Council of National Unity and head of the Labor Party, Aleksander Zwierzyński – 8 months #Member of the Council of National Unity, Kazimierz Bagiński – 1 year, later released and forced to emigrate to the United States #Member of the Council of National Unity, Head of ''Zjednoczenie Demokratyczne'', Eugeniusz Czarnowski – 6 months #Member of the Council of National Unity, Head of the Labor Party, Józef Chaciński – 4 months #Member of the Council of National Unity, Stanisław Mierzwa – 4 months #Member of the Council of National Unity, Zbigniew Stypułkowski – 4 months, later released and forced to emigrate to the United Kingdom #Member of the Council of National Unity, Franciszek Urbański – 4 months #Member of the Council of National Unity, Stanisław Michałowski – acquitted of all the charges #Member of the Council of National Unity, Kazimierz Kobylański – acquitted of all the charges #Member of the Council of National Unity, interpreter for the group, Józef Stemler – acquitted of all the charges #Deputy Government Delegate –

Antoni Pajdak Antoni is a Catalan, Polish, and Slovene given name and a surname used in the eastern part of Spain, Poland and Slovenia. As a Catalan given name it is a variant of the male names Anton and Antonio. As a Polish given name it is a variant of the f ...

was sentenced to 5 years in prison in a

secret trial A secret trial is a trial that is not open to the public or generally reported in the news, especially any in-trial proceedings. Generally, no official record of the case or the judge's verdict is made available. Often there is no indictment. ...

in November; he was not released until 1955.

Aftermath

In his book, '' Europe at War'',

Norman Davies Ivor Norman Richard Davies (born 8 June 1939) is a Welsh-Polish historian, known for his publications on the history of Europe, Poland and the United Kingdom. He has a special interest in Central and Eastern Europe and is UNESCO Professor a ...

described it as "obscene", that there was no official protest abroad. As a result of the trial, the

Polish Secret State The Polish Underground State ( pl, Polskie Państwo Podziemne, also known as the Polish Secret State) was a single political and military entity formed by the union of resistance organizations in occupied Poland that were loyal to the Gover ...

was deprived of most of its leaders. Its structures were soon rebuilt, but were never able to fully recover. On 6 July 1945 the United Kingdom and the United States withdrew support for the legitimate

,Hope, M. (2005) ''The Abandoned Legion'' Veritas p. 76 and all its agendas in Poland. Soviet and Polish Communist repressions aimed at former members of the Polish Secret State and the

lasted well into the 1960s, corporal

Józef Franczak Józef Franczak (17 March 1918 – 21 October 1963) was a soldier of the Polish Army, Armia Krajowa World War II resistance, and last of the cursed soldiers – members of the militant anti-communist resistance in Poland. He used co ...

being killed in a shootout with paramilitary-police in 1963.

References

External links

*
The Moscow Trial of the 16 Polish Leaders.
' Liberty Publications,

, 1945, 24 pages, 2 ill. Electronic version, via Internet Archive. *

Michael Sayers Michael Sayers (19 December 1911 – 2 May 2010) was an Irish poet, playwright, and writer whose books co-authored with Albert E. Kahn made him a target of US blacklisting during the McCarthyism era of the 1950s. He wrote scripts for TV in the 1 ...

and

Albert E. Kahn Albert Eugene Kahn (May 11, 1912 – September 15, 1979) was an American journalist, photographer, and author. He is known chiefly for his books ''Sabotage! The Secret War Against America'' (1944), related to Nazi and German-American subversive ...

"The Case of the Sixteen"
Chapter 24 of ''The Great Conspiracy: The Secret War Against Soviet Union'', a pro-Soviet view of the trial. Excerpt archived 4 January 2013. {{DEFAULTSORT:Trial Of The Sixteen 1945 in the Soviet Union Political repression in the Soviet Union 1945 in Poland Political and cultural purges Poland–Soviet Union relations Soviet show trials Soviet military occupations Stalinism in Poland 1945 in international relations 1945 in case law Anti-communism in Poland

History

People involved

Aftermath

See also

References

Further reading

English language

Polish language

External links