Koleje pod specjalnym nadzorem. Służba Bezpieczeństwa jako instrument nadzoru państwowego nad koleją w latach 1957–1980, cz. 2 (1975–1980)
The railways under close surveillance. Security Service as an instrument of state supervision of the railways in 1957-1980. Part II (1975–1980)

Summary/Abstract: Due to their strategic importance, the railways were subject to particular surveillance by the state security apparatus of the Polish People’s Republic. Since 1957, the related tasks were carried out by department III of the Security Service (Służba Bezpieczeństwa), which centered its operations on broadly understood economy issues. In the years 1975–1979, the III “A” department, specializing in economic issues, particularly concerning railways and other means of transport and communication, was established. In the border zone, tasks analogous to those fulfilled by the Security Service were carried out by the intelligence service of the Border Protection Troops (Wojska Ochrony Pogranicza – WOP). The security apparatus not only counteracted the oppositional activities among the railway workers; broad range of its tasks encompassed also counter-intelligence protection of the railways, combating economic irregularities, investigating the causes of rail accidents and catastrophes, as well as actively reacting on unwanted phenomena occurring within the state railways. All activities listed above were described with an umbrella term of “railway protection”.

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