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SEGREGATOR MATERIAŁÓW WSTĘPNYCH (SMW) | PRELIMINARY MATERIAL BINDER

Segregator Materiałów Wstępnych (Preliminary Material Binder) (SMW) a category of the preliminary operative case in Department I of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs (Security Service (SB) intelligence) and the manner in which the files pertaining to it were kept; an SMW was set up when there were insufficient documents or grounds to open any other operative case. The SMWs were kept and registered by the secretariats of the relevant divisions of Department I of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs; operative material was included in the SMW based on the decision of the head or deputy head of the division, labelled with the registration number of the SMW, and then handed over to an operative officer whose duty was to "operatively check and further work on" them; after checking, the appropriate operative case was opened; if it was not possible to reclassify material included in the SMW into another category of operative case, such material was deposited back in the SMW or destroyed; within the SMW, documents concerning the planned recruitment of an agent, information contact (kontakt informacyjny, KI) or operative contact (kontakt operacyjny, KO), corresponding in part to the documentation of candidate for secret collaborator (KTW) in other SB divisions, were sometimes collected. If recruitment failed or the case was not reclassified into another operative category, the file was kept in the archives of Department I of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs as an SMW.

SKRZYNKA ADRESOWA (SA) | LETTER BOX

Skrzynka adresowa (letter box) (SA) a form of cooperation with the Security Service (SB), involving the provision of an address for SB correspondence. The SA owner was recruited and registered according to the rules applicable to SB collaborators; before registration, the flat owner was checked in the thematic (address) card-index to see if an active secret collaborator (TW) lived in the area of the planned SA, to exclude potential unmasking of the TW or the planned SA.

SPECJALNY PUNKT ZAKRYTY (SPZ) | SPECIAL CONCEALED POINT

Specjalny Punkt Zakryty (Special Concealed Point) (SPZ) a room or place from which surveilled persons, buildings and flats were secretly observed and photographed (an SPZ was set up in secret flats, safehouses [see lokal kontaktowy, mieszkanie konspiracyjne] or a specially arranged room/location). Photographs taken from the SPZ were forwarded to the SB operative unit, which placed them in the relevant operative case files; the negatives were kept in the photographic unit of the "B" division for five years, after which they were weeded.

SPRAWA AGENTURALNA GRUPOWA | AGENT CASE-FILE ON GROUP

Sprawa agenturalna grupowa (Agent case-file on group) a category of operative case and files relating to it, a form of "agent case-file". The agent case-file on group was formally defined in 1955; it was initiated against "[...] a group of persons bound together by common hostile views, conducting or suspected of conducting organized criminal activities". The predecessor of the operative case-file.

SPRAWA AGENTURALNA NA OSOBĘ | AGENT CASE-FILE ON SINGLE PERSON

Sprawa agenturalna na osobę (Agent case-file on single person) a category of operative case and files relating to it, a form of "agent case-file". The agent case-file on single person was formally defined in 1955; it was initiated against "[...] one person conducting or suspected of conducting active hostile activities". The predecessor of the operative case-file.

SPRAWA AGENTURALNO-POSZUKIWAWCZA | AGENT SEARCH CASE-FILE

Sprawa agenturalno-poszukiwawcza (Agent search case-file) a category of operative case and files relating to it, a form of "agent case-file". The agent search case was formally defined in 1955; it was initiated against "[...] one person conducting or suspected of conducting hostile activities, whose whereabouts are unknown to the public security authorities".

SPRAWA AGENTURALNEGO SPRAWDZENIA | AGENT CHECK CASE-FILE

Sprawa agenturalnego sprawdzenia (Agent check case-file) a category of operative case and files relating to it. The agent check case-file was formally defined in 1955; it was initiated "[...] to check the reliability and objectivity of incoming preliminary material" or "signals", i.e. information (reports) not substantiated enough to initiate an "operative case-file" immediately. The agent check case-file was intended to lead to the arrest of suspects or to open one of the "operative case-files" procedures. The predecessor of the operative check case-file.

SPRAWA AGENTURALNO-ŚLEDCZA | AGENT INVESTIGATION CASE-FILE

Sprawa agenturalno-śledcza (Agent investigation case-file) a category of operative case and files relating to it, a form of "agent examination", formally defined in 1955. Persons suspected of committing the acts recorded in the case were registered as persons of interest of the case, and if they fled, agent search case-files were initiated against them. Agent investigation case-files were to be closed with the arrest of those found guilty of the acts targeted by the case. The predecessor of the operative check case-file.

SPRAWA EWIDENCYJNO-OBSERWACYJNA | REGISTRY AND OBSERVATION CASE-FILE

Sprawa ewidencyjno-obserwacyjna (Registry and observation case-file) (SEO) a category of operative case and files relating to it, formally defined in 1955; it was initiated for the surveillance of persons suspected of being hostile to the regime and who could "initiate or resume hostile activity at any time". The predecessor of the operative observation case-file and record questionnaire (see kwestionariusz ewidencyjny).

SPRAWA OBIEKTOWA | OBJECT CASE-FILE

Sprawa obiektowa (Object case-file) a category of operative case and files relating to it. Object case-files were launched against institutions, groups and organizations operating at home and abroad that were considered hostile or in need of secret oversight. Object cases were opened against church institutions, industrial plants, social organizations, diplomatic missions, as well as newspaper editorial offices, illegal opposition organizations, and congresses, conventions and conferences of social organizations, including political parties satellite to the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). The aim of launching the object case-file was to extend permanent and systematic surveillance of institutions, establishments and organizations of importance to the state and circles deemed to be "hostile" or creating conditions for opposition activity. By definition, surveillance was carried out as part of object case-files targeting workplaces covered by the nomenclature of the Central Committee and the provincial committees of the PZPR. Object case-files were archived at Bureau "C" of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs or "C" divisions of SB field units and recorded in the archival log with reference IV. Unlike the object case-files conducted by the SB's domestic divisions, the units of Department I of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs (SB foreign intelligence unit) conducted object case-files with the help of foreign agents – not only against "objects" considered to be "hostile" but also against institutions and circles that were subject to classic intelligence activities.

SPRAWA OBSERWACJI OPERACYJNEJ | OPERATIVE OBSERVATION CASE-FILE

Sprawa obserwacji operacyjnej (Operative observation case-file) a category of operative case and files relating to it; introduced in 1960, it replaced the registry and observation case-file (see sprawa ewidencyjno-obserwacyjna). The operative observation case was launched against people known to be "hostile" who might start opposition activities. The operative observation case-file could be transformed into an operative case-file as soon as specific information on opposition activities was obtained. The predecessor of kwestionariusz ewidencyjny (see; record questionnaire).

SPRAWA OPERACYJNEGO ROZPRACOWANIA (SOR) | OPERATIVE CASE-FILE (SOR)

Sprawa operacyjnego rozpracowania (Operative case-file) (SOR) a category of the operative case and files relating to it, with the highest degree of operative involvement of the Security Service (SB) unit conducting it. A SOR was initiated when the relevant SB unit received certain information about the "anti-state", "anti-party", "criminal" etc. activities of a person or group of persons or the category of previously conducted operative case-files (sprawa operacyjnego sprawdzenia, operative check case – SOS, kwestionariusz ewidencyjny, record questionnaire – KE) against the mentioned person(s) was changed if such activities were discovered in the course of the case. The SOR was also initiated when the SB found that "a criminal act was committed with hostile motives", the perpetrators of such an act are unknown, and the matter requires a comprehensive investigation due to the gravity of the act. The purpose of running the SOR was to obtain accurate information about the "hostile activity" (and the individuals conducting it) and to hinder or stop it. Setting up and conducting the SOR required the use of all operative means available to the SB unit running it, in particular the use of collaborators of all categories, correspondence inspection, telephone and room wiretapping, as well as covert archive searches, the use of archival record and operative SB material, employee files of persons under surveillance, passport records, files on the issue of identity cards, student files, etc.

SPRAWA OPERACYJNEGO SPRAWDZENIA (SOS) | OPERATIVE CHECK CASE (SOS)

Sprawa operacyjnego sprawdzenia (Operative check case) (SOS) a category of operative case and files relating to it. An SOS was initiated when the relevant SB unit received unconfirmed information about the conduct of "anti-state" etc. activities or preparations for such by a person or group of persons, or information about a crime or disturbing phenomenon that needed to be investigated to determine whether they were the result of "anti-state" activities. Conducting the SOS required using available means of operative work (agent reports, correspondence inspection, wiretapping, covert entries and searches). Still, there was a reluctance to seek new collaborators specially recruited for this purpose. The purpose of the SOS was to confirm or establish the politically "hostile" nature of the activity under examination and the persons conducting it. Depending on the case outcome, the category was changed to sprawa operacyjnego rozpracowania (operative case-file) (SOR) or kwestionariusz ewidencyjny (record questionnaire) (KE), or a decision was taken to discontinue the case. After archiving, SOS files were recorded in the archival log of Bureau "C" of the Ministry of the Internal Affairs or the relevant "C" division with reference II (operative files).

SZYFROGRAM | CRYPTOGRAM

Szyfrogram (Cryptogram) an encrypted telegram or telex message used by the Security Service (SB) operative units to exchange secret information requiring rapid transmission among themselves or with higher-level units (Ministry of the Internal Affairs, Cabinet of the Minister of the Internal Affairs, command posts) and the "C" division units. Cryptograms were employed to transmit daily reports on events and the state of security from local units to the Ministry of the Internal Affairs and to notify (instead of the usual registration procedure) the "C" division units of arrests to be made in the short term, ambushes and concealed observation points (zakryty punkt obserwacyjny, ZPO) to be arranged. The SB operative units used cryptograms to ask the "C" division units to carry out a quick check in card-indexes (instead of sending an E-15 index card, what took more time to be carried out).