Military Information Services
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Military Information Services - Wojskowe Służby Informacyjne or WSI was a common name for Polish military intelligence and counter intelligence agencies. That name was created after the fall of the communist regime in 1991.
WSI employed staff trained by warsaw pact and used aggressive and illegal operating methods. Officially this state was preserved until October, 2006, when WSI was dissolved. Some of the reduced staff (from 2,5 tyś. to 600) were approved to work in new services.
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[edit] Illegal activities
Testimonies and journalists' hypotheses point out cases of:
- acceptance of moles from former warsaw pact countries;
- corruption;
- illegal involvement in army tender orders and weapons trading;
- disclosure of secrets;
- obstruction of justice;
- whitewashing crimes;
- setting up classified co-operation with a businessman or a journalist;
- production of false evidence to prosecute innocent people;
- Some journalists highlighted cases of terrorism that may be linked to this services. Two such cases are connected with investigation of The Supreme Chamber of Control against illegal international financial operations (pl:FOZZ) of WSI (see also pl:Edward Mazur case) :
- the death of a direct supervisor of the investigation pl:Michał Falzman; just before the investigation was about to complete (17-07-1991 [1])
- the deadly car accident of professor pl:Walerian Pańko; the president of The Supreme Chamber of Control (07-10-1991 [2]).
[edit] Reforms
Because the agency skipped external reforms since its overtaking in 1991 and notoriuosly maintained illegal links and activities, Polish conservative Solidarity-rooted government of Prawo i Sprawiedliwość party declared dissolution of WSI and creation of new services (October 2005).
All candidates for new services, which replaced the former military intelligence were to submit verification statements.
[edit] Liquidation
In July 2006 Polish politician Antoni Macierewicz was nominated by the Polish Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński to the posts of the liquidator of WSI and vice-minister of defence. He is known to be anti-liberal and anti-left politician.
The dissolution report had to contain about 800 pages. Information published by journalists suggested that cases are connected with organized crime, some politicians, journalists-propagandists and VIPs of communist regime - a so-called Treaty.
However, according to Platforma Obywatelska, politician Marek Biernacki, who had allowance to read the report, there is no single thing in the report which couldn't have been predicted earlier - which is a strange statement when considering secret services.
The Sejm decided that the report will be published, the date of publication depends on decision of president Lech Kaczyński.
[edit] Military Intelligence Services report (WSI report) released
On 16 Feb 2007, the 374-pages document has been posted on the website of the Polish president’s office. Among its main conclusion is that former presidents Lech Walesa and Aleksander Kwasniewski were negligent during their time in office and failed to root out any collaborators of the former communist regime. According to the report’s author Antoni Macierewicz, during the sixteen years of its existence, the Military Intelligence Services did not manage to catch any Russian spies, even if it knew about their activities. Asked for comments on the report, PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski has admitted he had not to have yet had time to study it thoroughly. Deputy Prime Minister Andrzej Lepper has stated that the report does not contain 'anything shocking'. Comment to the report The WSI Report, authored by controversial Deputy Minister of Defense Antoni Macierewicz, released on 16 Feb 2007, charges a web of ex-communists and corrupt businessmen in the WSI controlled Polish public life and that WSI had put agents into political parties, the media and state-owned companies up for privatization. But analysts disagree. They have said the report fails to confirm the WSI had hijacked Polish public life. Leaders of opposition party SLD describe the report as completely un-objective. One of the reports main conclusions is that former Presidents Lech Walesa and Aleksander Kwasniewski were negligent during their time in office and failed to root out any collaborators of the former communist regime. Aside from the current verbal battles and accusations in Poland, there is more on the horizon. The report reveals a lot of information about how the Polish intelligence services work. That information is very useful to Russia. That will be looked at closely and there is likely to be some calls for prosecution for revealing state secrets. The story about this matter has legs. The storms that are about today are probably just the beginning of a major PR fiasco for the Polish Government.
[edit] Western critics of the Macierewicz raport
Publishing the names of serving spies is a huge taboo in the intelligence world. It endangers not only them, but anyone they have met. You might do it to your enemies on occasion, but never to your own side. Yet Poland's official report on the recently disbanded WSI (military intelligence service), has named dozens of current and former agents including some in highly sensitive places such as Afghanistan. That has provoked derision and alarm in equal measure, for at first sight the gains seem elusive and the costs high. Serving diplomats, their cover blown, have hurried home. They include the ambassadors to Austria, China, Kuwait and Turkey. At least ten of the names, including the military attaché in Moscow, are fiercely contested. The aim was to highlight the WSI's role in the cosy business and political arrangements that took root in Poland following the collapse of communism. The report does raise disturbing questions about both Russian penetration of the WSI, and its involvement—perhaps with Kremlin help—in the energy industry among others. It strongly suggests a past failure of political oversight. But the seemingly muddled and inconclusive material published so far falls far short of the “atom bomb”, proving conspiracy and subversion, promised by its author, Antoni Macierewicz. It is puzzling too that some scandals of past years are treated so sketchily. Mr Macierewicz is undaunted, as are his sponsors, Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twins who are respectively Poland's president and prime minister. “This was one of our most important goals and it was worth it,” said the prime minister. Government defenders say the criticism comes from those with a vested interest in maintaining the old order. No real secrets have been leaked, as the Russians already knew the WSI inside out. Mr Macierewicz, who—remarkably for a political appointee—runs the new military counter-intelligence service, insists the best is yet to come. Many leads remain to be chased; missing and destroyed documents have slowed things down. Maybe so—though it is hard to argue that Polish political life will benefit from yet more months of leaks, innuendo and suspicion.
[edit] History
In 1990, the 2nd Directorate of General Staff of the Polish Army (Zarzad II Sztabu Generalnego Wojska Polskiego) was joined with military counter-intelligence to form the Military Internal Service (Wojskowa Służba Wewnętrzna or WSW). That way Intelligence and Counter-intelligence was working under one structure which was Zarząd II Wywiadu i Kontrwywiadu - 2nd Directorate for Intelligence and Counter-intelligence. Then, in 1991, the 2nd Directorate for Intelligence and Counter-intelligence were transformed into their latest structure. They were responsible for military counter intelligence and security activities in Poland.
They protected of vital state information and were directly controlled and managed by the MON (Ministry of Defense - Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej), also cooperated with other intelligence services (NATO). WSI investigated and counteracted threats to the state defense system and vital defense information, also held control over arms, explosives, equipment, licences, etc.
