Before the revisionist narratives began to refine, before they gained momentum, and before they became consolidated, there were certain facts about what had happened in December 1989 that even those with institutional and personal interests to deny them, could not and did not do so. This is why from late December through the early months of 1990, you had even Securitate linked individuals, propagandists, and former members willing to acknowledge either a) the existence of the terrorists and/or b) the role of the Securitate as the terrorists and in the pre-22 December repression. It was a short and small window that one could see already beginning to close in March 1990…not unsurprisingly, as Ion Iliescu’s National Salvation Front (under Voican Voiculescu, Magureanu, et. al.) was directly and indirectly in the process of reincorporating and rehabilitating much of the former Securitate–or at the very least, giving license to, or doing nothing even when it actually discredited them, Securitate-inspired revisionism about what had happened in December 1989.
For a surprising case from February 1990, see my last post:
In today’s example, we have none other than a member of the Cimpina M.I. unit who was shot in the infamous Otopeni case…matter-of-factly admitting that indeed on the evening of 21/22 December in Bucharest’s Piata Universitatii/Intercontinental area, where demonstrators were mowed down in cold blood, Securitate had been among those who opened fire. It is hard to imagine, by the end of 1990/early 1991, a similar individual admitting such stuff.
Ion Rusu, “Naufragiu pe o banchiza a durerii,” Dreptatea, 9 martie 1990, p. 2.
Click to access dreptatea-nr29-1990-0309.pdf
Significantly, Eugen Ciurescu’s revelation matches what Army soliders and others have said about these events, according to other sources: (none of this, of course, shows up in the Rechzitoriu of Dosarul Revolutiei from aprilie 2019…)
Interestingly, almost four years later, in December 1993, Bacanu appeared to reconsider his earlier unquestioning claims about the role of the USLA on the basis of “new” information brought forth by Army soldiers who had been in University Square on the night of 21/22 December. According to Bacanu:
Very many officers talk about these “civilians” in long raincoats or sheepskin coats [cojoace], who arrested demonstrators from within the crowd and then beat them brutally….No one has been interested until now in these tens of “civilians” with hats who shot through the pockets of their clothes….For a time we gave credence to the claims of the USLA troops that they were not present in University Square. We have now entered into the possession of information which shows that 20 USLA officers, under the command of Colonel Florin Bejan, were located…among the demonstrators. [Emphasis added]
8. Extras din Jurnalul grupei operative a unitatii militare 01315 Bucuresti. (ANEXA 10)
– “In seara zilei de 21.12.1989 in jurul orelor 18:30 B. Tc. a fost alarmat, a primit misiunea de a se deplasa pe itinerariul Cazarma, Calea 13 Septembrie, Academia Militara, str. Stirbei Voda, Sala Palatului, Hotel Intercontinental si a executa ordinele M.Ap.N (…).
– Ajuns in zona Salii Dalles, m-am prezentat Ministrului Apararii Nationale care era insotit de domnul general Ortopan, domnul col. Oana Marin, care mi-a ordonat sa trec cu tancurile prin baricada ridicata de demonstranti din diferite automobile, alte obiecte care toate ardeau. (…)
– In timp ce incercam sa iau legatura radio cu tancurile am vazut 4 civili, langa Sala Dalles cum executau foc cu arme automate, de sub pardesiile cu care erau imbracati. (…)
Roland O. Thomasson, PHD 