Jerzy Braun and the Communist Secret Police : on the writer’s plight in exile

The article describes the contacts of the philosopher, writer, publicist and Christian Democrat activist Jerzy Braun with the Communist Secret Police (Służba Bezpieczeństwa, SB) of the People's Republic of Poland, throughout the last 10 years of his life, when he lived in Italy. Braun made his mark on the history of Poland, particularly during World War II, as head of the underground organisation "Unia", the last head of the Council of National Unity (Rada Jedności Narodowej, RJN) and the de facto last delegate of the government of Poland to the country. However, several years ago, accusations were levelled in the media, that in the 1960s and 70s, the writer cooperated with the Secret Police. They gave rise to disputes between historians and journalists and discord between members of his family. The author of the article examined the matter and attempts to explain it as thoroughly as possible. The events described indicate that while in Italy, Braun knowingly maintained contacts with officers of the civilian intelligence agency (the so-called Department 1 of the Ministry of the Interior) and had been taking money from them for many years. They treated him as a source of information, although they emphasised that the cooperation was not easy, as Braun often gave evasive answers. Nevertheless, he got himself involved in the game and profited from it. Although the money he received was neither substantial nor regular, it saved him many times, when he found himself in dire straits. Additionally, thanks to his relations with the Secret Police, he did not have any trouble prolonging his stay abroad.