"Przystanek Historia" Podcast: The Augustów Roundup

When Soviet soldiers deported the last detainees to an unknown destination, contact with them ceased. Their distraught families were not provided with any information about their fate. Searches and attempts to establish contact began – relatives, as well as some workplaces and local governments, sent letters to Polish authorities and organizations asking for their whereabouts. To no avail. Over time, under pressure from Security Service officers, the victims' relatives stopped "bothering" the authorities, which doesn't mean they forgot. For years to come, the memory of the Soviet crime remained a family secret, unknown to the public.