Keywords
industrial espionage
Poland
Cold War
Comecon
How to Cite
Number of views: 71
Number of downloads: 96
Abstract
Throughout the existence of the Polish People’s Republic (PPR), its scientific and technical intelligence (S&TI) supported Polish mining, energy, metallurgy, and machine industries. Cooperation with companies and research and development centers intensified in the first half of the 1970s, as a natural consequence of the experience accumulated by the intelligence service in the previous fifteen years.
The most crucial issues related to the improvement of secret methods of acquiring technologies for the Polish economy were defining the scope of the tasks, i.e. the types of technologies which can be acquired by intelligence or purchased in the black market, selecting objects, (i.e. institutions and organizations with the required knowledge), and recruiting personal sources of information in western facilities.
Apart from acquiring specific solutions S&TI also developed analyses related to specific countries, as well as to specific technologies in the global aspect or to international corporations that possessed the technologies. Furthermore, S&TI was engaged by the Polish government to provide information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of International Trade during trade negotiations with foreign contractors.
Author draws the history of Polish S&TI during the 70s and 80s, showcasing its operations, explaining its modus operandi and discussing the question about the efficiency of illicit transfer of know-how from OECD for the purposes technical progress in communist Poland. Article bases on recently declassified documents of Polish intelligence service from the pre-1990 period. There are moreover other archival records as well as secondary sources explored.
References
Archive of Modern Records, Ministry of Machinery Industry, sign. 9/10, sign. 9/1; The Ministry of Heavy Industry, sign. 37/36; The Ministry of Metallurgy: sign. 3/85.
Archive of the Institute of the National Remembrance, Ministry of Internal Affairs – I Department: sign. 003171/59; 01592/295; 01789/211; 02269/13; 02271/23; 02320/24; 02320/26; 02320/369; 02320/419; 02320/529; 02320/626; 02320/650.
Andrew Ch., Mitrochin W. (2001), Archiwum Mitrochina. KGB w Europie i na Zachodzie [The Mitrokhin Archive: the KGB in Europe and in the West], trans. M. M. Brzeska, R. Brzeski, Warszawa.
Bagieński W. (2011), Wkład wywiadu gospodarczego w rozwój przemysłowy w dekadzie Edwarda Gierka [Contribution of economic intelligence to industrial development in the decade of Gierek] [in:] Dekada Gierka. Wnioski dla obecnego okresu modernizacji Polski [The decade of Gierek. Conclusions from the point of view of current modernization of Poland], ed. K. Rybiński, Warszawa.
Bagieński W. (2017), Wywiad cywilny Polski Ludowej w latach 1945–1961 [Civilian intelligence in Socialist Poland in the years 1945–1961], vol. 2, Warszawa.
Cain F. (2005), Computers and the Cold War: United States Restrictions on the Export of Computers to the Soviet Union and Communist China, “Journal of Contemporary History”, vol. 40 (1).
Czertoprud S. (2002), Nauczno-techniczeskaja razwiedka ot Lenina do Gorbaczowa, Moskwa.
Grala D. T. (2005), Reformy gospodarcze w PRL (1982-1989). Próba ratowania socjalizmu [Economic reforms in the PPR (1982–1989). Attempts to save socialism], Warszawa.
Iwanek K., Burakowski A. (2013), Indie. Od kolonii do mocarstwa 1857-2013 [India. From colony to superpower, 1857–2013], Warszawa.
Janowski L. J. (2011), Bliżej Centrum czy na Peryferiach. Polskie kontakty gospodarcze z zagranicą w XX wiek [Center or periphery. Polish economic contacts with abroad in the 20th century], Warszawa.
Kaliński J. (2012), Gospodarka w PRL [The Economy in the PPR], Warszawa.
Katorin J. K., Kurienkow J. W., Łysow A. W. (2002), Bolszaja encykłopiedija promyszlennogo szpionaża, Moskwa.
Krasnowolska A. (2010), Historia Iranu. [The history of Iran], Wrocław.
Larecki J.(2007), Wielki leksykon służb specjalnych świata. Organizacje wywiadu, kontrwywiadu, policji politycznych świata, terminologia profesjonalna i żargon operacyjny [A great dictionary of global special services. Intelligence, counterintelligence, political police, professional terminology and operational jargon], Warszawa.
Lascelles D. (1976), Comecon to 1980, The Financial Times Limited, London.
Macrakis K. (2008), Seduced by Secrets. Inside the Stasi’s Spy-Tech World, Cambridge–New York.
Maddrell P., Spying on Science: Western Intelligence in Divided Germany 1945–1961, Oxford.
Martinet B., Marti Y. M. (1999), Wywiad gospodarczy. Pozyskiwanie i ochrona informacji [Economic intelligence. Acquisition and protection of information], trans. K. Bolesta-Kukułka, Warszawa.
Mastanduno M. (1992), Economic Containment. CoCom and the Politics of East-West Trade, Ithaca (New York).
Minkina M. (2014), Sztuka wywiadu w państwie współczesnym [Intelligence services in a contemporary state], Warszawa.
Paczkowski A. (2010), Rezydentura wywiadu MSW w Ministerstwie Przemysłu Maszynowego (1971–1983) [The stations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs intelligence in the Ministry of Machinery Industry] [in:] “Budujemy socjalizm”…Materiały pokonferencyjne” [Socialism in progress… Post-conference materials], ed. R. Klementowski, S. Ligarski, Warszawa.
Pawlikowicz L. (2013), Aparat centralny 1 Zarządu Głównego KGB jako instrument realizacji globalnej strategii Kremla 1954–1991 [Central system of the KGB’s First Chief Directorate as an instrument of implementing the Kremlin’s global strategy in the years 1954–1991], Warszawa.
Paździora J. (2011), Polska Miedź 1945-2010 [Polish Copper Industry 1945-2010], Wydawnictwo Chroma.
Siemiątkowski Z. (2009), Wywiad a władza. Wywiad cywilny PRL w systemie sprawowania władzy [Intelligence and government. Civilian intelligence of the PPR in the government system], Warszawa.
Sikora M. (2013), Koncesjonowany kapitalizm. Służba Bezpieczeństwa MSW a „spółki polonijne” w PRL (1976-1989) [Licensed capitalism. The Ministry of Internal Affairs Security Service and “Polish foreign companies” in the period of PPR (1976–1989], “Dzieje Najnowsze”, IH PAN, XLV 2013/2.
Sikora M. (2014a), Intelligence-interchange in the area of Science and Technology between Poland and Soviet Union, 1986-1990 [in:] Technology in Times of Transition. 41 ICOHTEC Symposium 2014, ed. E. Helerea, M. Cionca, M. Ivanoiu, Brasov.
Sikora M. (2014b), Wirtschaftliche Innovation durch Spionage. Forschung, Entwicklung und der Geheimdienst in der Volksrepublik Polen 1970-1990, “Jahrbücher für Geschichte Osteuropas“, Jg 62/Heft 4.
Sikora M. (2015a), Pro publico bono? Wywiad w służbie przemysłu farmaceutycznego PRL 1973-1989. szkic problemu [Pro publico bono? Intelligence at the service of pharmaceutical industry in the Polish People’s Republic in the years 1973–1989. An outline of the problem], Szczecin.
Sikora M. (2015b), Wywiad MSW PRL jako instrument przełamywania embarga i śledzenia globalnych trendów w mikroelektronice 1971-1990 [Intelligence service in the Polish People’s Republic Ministry of Internal Affairs as an instrument of bypassing economic sanctions and following global trends in microelectronics in the years 1971–1990], “Studia Polityczne”, ISP PAN, no. 4 (40).
Sikora M. (2017a), “Terapia czarnorynkowa”. Pomoc wywiadu MSW dla branży farmaceutycznej i biotechnologicznej w PRL 1960-1990 [“Black market therapy”. Support of the Ministry of Internal Affairs intelligence for pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries in the Polish People’s Republic in the years 1960–1990], “Kwartalnik Historii Nauki i Techniki”, IHN PAN, no. 4/2017.
Sikora M. (2017b), Clandestine Acquisition of Microelectronics and Information Technology by the Scientific-Technical Intelligence of Polish People’s Republic in 1970–1990 [in:] 2017 Forth International Conference “Computer Technology in Russia and in the Former Soviet Union” SoRuCom 2017, 3-5 October 2017 Zelenograd, Russia, ed. I. Krayneva, A. Tomilin, IEE.
Sikora, M. (2017c), Współpraca Departamentu I MSW z Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung MfS w zakresie tajnego pozyskiwania nowych technologii dla gospodarki PRL i NRD w latach 1980-1990 [Cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs Department I and Hauptverwaltung Aufklärung MfS in the secret acquisition of new technologies for the PPR and the GDR in the years 1980–1990], “Pamięć i Sprawiedliwość”, IPN, no. 2 (29).
Szirokow О. N. (2013), Istoriczeskij opyt sotrudniczestwa stran sowieta ekonomiczeskoi wzaimopoczy w 1949-1991 godach, Czerkasy.
Taubman J. (2012), Węgiel i alternatywne źródła energii. Prognozy na przyszłość [Coal and alternative energy sources. Forecasts for the future], PWN.
Weyhrauch B. B. (1986), Operation Exodus: The United States Government’s Program to Intercept Illegal Exports of High Technology, “Computer/Law Journal”, No. 203, vol. 7, article 2.
Zloch-Christy I. (2011), Debt problems of Eastern Europe, Cambridge University Press, New York - New Rochelle – Melbourne – Sydney.
U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2015, in http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/tin/mcs-2015-tin.pdf (log. August 11, 2015).
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Mirosław Sikora
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.