New Developments in the Pitesti Re-Education Experiment File in the Communist Romania (1949-1951). Case of Constantin Botez

Abstract

Recently, I have edited the memoirs of Nicolae Stroescu-Sovarna, a former political prisoner, who also got acquainted with the Pitești reeducation experiment. Apart from countless details, the author provides some surprising information, mainly about an obscure and almost unidentified figure, a so-called Chief Commissioner from the Securitate, named Constantin Botez. By conducting research in the C.N.S.A.S. archives, I managed to partly document the case, thus validating much of Stroescu’s inkling and intuition. This refers to circumstances in which the topic of the re-education still holds grey areas, if not black spots, even though the topic has been extensively dealt with in memoirs and has been rigorously studied by historians. Some questions got clear answers, while others are even more complicated. What type of missions Botez had, how he accomplished them, the results of his activities and the role he played within this phenomenon – these are things that can only be guessed until future research bring further clarifications.