REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

136
Remembrance in Time
In conclusion, we underline that the interrogation strategies of the Securitate were
influenced by its centralized way of functioning. In practice, this meant that the lower
echelons of the Securitate gathered the information and sent it further to the higher
echelons that centralized it at the regional or national level, took the important decisions
concerning ongoing investigations, and offered guidelines on the manner in which these
decisions had to be implemented at the local level. Although the evolution of
interrogations varied from case to case, we can use three stages as a theoretical model in
the analysis of an interrogation: a first stage when the accumulation of information was
achieved horizontally (this stage began before the arrest), a second stage when, following
certain options, the interrogation focused on certain suspects and issues, and a third stage
when the investigating officers synthesized the obtained data and gave them coherence.
For the obtaining of self-incriminating statements, physical and psychological pressures
were used. Although physical torture is the most recurrent method mentioned in memoirs,
there are many cases in which manipulation and blackmail proved sufficient. When
comparing the methods of the Securitate with those of other security agencies from the
Communist Bloc, we note the similarity among them. The creation of the Securitate
according to the Soviet model and with the assistance of Soviet councilors is the
explanation for the existence of these similarities.
(translated from Romanian by Leonard Ciocan)