Jakub Berman. Portret politycznego emeryta w materiałach SB (1966–1971)

The PRL leaderships’ private life was one of their best-kept secrets. Hardly had they retired (voluntarily or compulsorily) form being politicians, when deep silence fell over them. Jakub Berman, who between 1948–1956 was the closest aide, collaborator and adviser of the PZPR leader Bolesław Bierut was eventually treated in a way as mentioned above. After being dismissed from the party in 1957, he officially stopped existing in political circles. He simply vanished and in consequence, he never faced trial for crimes committed either with his agreement or on his own initiative. In the 1960s, Jakub Berman was under Security Service’s surveillance therefore, he was carefully watched and eavesdropped. He attracted this interest as a potential – which sounds bizarrely – party follower of the Revisionist Zionism. Berman used to “politicise” at his home so he was constantly visited by particular interlocutors. They altogether were provided with various subjects for those discussions. They were derived from newspapers, radio programmes (especially Radio Free Europe which was very often listened to in the Bergmans’ home), television and the latest editions of the journal “Le Monde” which the most interesting articles Berman used to read aloud. Regardless of the fact that almost nobody among his guests still kept political influence, their discussions – of the retired communist politician like Berman and of his friends – proved a long-lasting existence of an intellectual vitality and activity of their brains. Constant surveillance Berman was put under, was rather fruitless, however, between 1966–1971, the Security Service intensified its efforts. The operational files that the SB managed to gather, provided their readers with basic information on Berman’s and his guests’ personal opinions on many problems, such as: future of the World and Europe, perspectives on the development and transformation of the communist ideology and practice, political and social crisis in 1968 and 1970, assassination of Jan Gerhard, the Arab-Israeli conflict, personality of Władysław Gomułka and Edward Gierek. It was highly probable, that being aware of living in wired house, Jakub Berman practised a self-censorship. As a political retiree, Berman modernized his hitherto point of view – remaining communist, he stopped being a pragmatist. What is more and very interesting, all his family members along with himself, they used to talk about party leaders by using words “they” or “those”, thereby showing that it was no longer their party; yet, they – as communists – toed its line.