of the questionnaire. And if the registration had unpleasant consequences, they would have covered their tracks in that way. Anyhow, the people did not believe that registration could result in repatriation, particularly when they learned about the operation of the Soviet–German commission. However, most of the people who stood before that commission were either recalled from the territories occupied by the Germans and summoned to appear or they had managed to obtain a “number” saying zur Mutti.
Organisation of “hundreds” and “thousands” on Orzeszkowej Street. That was the reason for the spontaneous organisation of a citizens’ Committee led by a Polish engineer whose name was Bagiński, I think. The Committee contacted the Soviet–German Commission and undertook to properly organise groups of refugees willing to return to their homes. And indeed, [8] it commenced that organisation without a locale, office, or personnel, but it should be admitted that it went relatively smoothly. As it was summer (the turn of May and June) and the weather was pleasant, everything was done on the square adjacent to the palace where the Soviet–German Commission was operating and on the pavements of the adjacent streets, which were lined with trees. Aside from the refugees, the traffic there was very light, almost non-existent, as most of the attractive villas in the neighbourhood were occupied by Soviets – military men of higher rank. A random refugee would stand under a tree with a piece of paper and pencil, write down his name, surname, address in Lvov, and where he wanted to return to, and then he would loudly call on people to register with him. Others would then approach him, show [9] their IDs, and provide their personal data. When a hundred candidates were listed in that way, a 100 (hundred) was created, and ten “hundreds” formed a “thousand”. Each “hundred” and “thousand” chose a suitable codename such as “Ruda”, “Kamień”, or “Pewniak” to stand out and help its members find one another the next day. A plate was then put on the tree by which the people were assembled, stating the name of a given “thousand” and the names of the “hundreds” it consisted of. Some of the members had to stay and keep guard to inform the others from a given “thousand” or actually “hundred” about the course of the registration and take note of all the changes, as, for instance, people from the same town or close friends wanted to be not only in the same “thousand”, but even in the same “hundred”, and that was why people were looking for one another and changing the composition [10] of the “hundreds” and “thousands” accordingly. There were about a dozen such “thousands”.
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