Niektóre aspekty współpracy KGB Litewskiej SRR i Służby Bezpieczeństwa MSW PRL skierowane przeciwko Kościołowi katolickiemu w latach 60
SOME ASPECTS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN LITHUANIAN SR KGB AND THE POLISH PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC INTERIOR MINISTRY SECURITY SERVICE, AIMED AGAINST THE CATHOLIC

Summary/Abstract: The article focuses on the characteristic features of cooperation between Lithuanian SR KGB and the Polish People's Republic Interior Ministry Security service applied for the Church persecution in the 60s. Lithuanian Catholic Church, especially the archdiocese of Vilnius, as well as some priests and lay people from other dioceses were in rather close contacts with Polish Catholics. Therefore, the cooperation between the security service institutions of both countries was strengthened in order to watch over the Catholic environment and prevent contacts between Lithuanian and Polish Catholics. Lithuanian Catholic Church was ideologically opposed to the government and an independent institution, therefore, exceptional KGB invigilation was applied. Lithuania was the only USSR Republic where Catholicism prevailed. The main aim of security service institutions was the invigilation of clergy, forcing priests to cooperate with security service. As Lithuania borders with Poland, the country where the position of Catholic Church was very strong, KGB paid a lot of attention to Polish Church and the contacts between Lithuanian and Polish priests. The contacts between the Catholics of both countries were under extreme surveillance and control because of the existing strong relations between Lithuanian and Polish Catholic Churches. Recent years have witnessed a lot of research dealing with soviet policy in connection to Lithuanian Catholic Church. Still, there is no research in either Poland or Lithuania on the role of PPR Security service and Lithuanian KGB cooperation in persecution of Lithuanian Catholics. The aim of this article is to disclose certain aspects of cooperation between KGB and PPR Security service aimed against the Lithuanian Catholics of the 60s. The cooperation between the USSR and the so-called socialist countries became livelier in the period under the research (the second half of the 50s - the beginning of the 60s) and intensified the contacts between KGB and security services of these countries. The USSR KGB and PPR IM Security service cooperation, starting with the 60s, acquired a form of regular consultations between the executives of these services and collaboration of departments, administering invigilation of emigration and the Catholic Church. These two spheres often intermingled as Poles and Lithuanians in the West established contacts with the Catholic Church in Lithuania or Poland. In addition, Polish and Lithuanian Catholic organizations were active in emigration. After the 2nd World War evacuation from Lithuania to PPR, a lot of clergy, members of religious communities and lay people left Lithuania. After Stalin's death, the liberalization of regime encouraged these people to renew the contacts with the relatives in Lithuania, as well as with the members of religious communities. They also started collecting information about the situation of religion in Lithuania, tried to supply with prayer books and religious literatur

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