“Father Enache Graur, one of the former political prisoners of high moral standing and anti-communist attitude”
Fr. Enache Graur remains for me one of the former political prisoners of great moral standing and anti-communist attitude.
He served 15 years in prison and never gave up his democratic convictions and his dignity as a political prisoner, being an example to follow in all the prisons he passed through.
Although he was 20 years older than me, he gave me all his trust and friendship.
We had our first contacts in November 1959, in Galati prison, where, as cellmates, we kept in touch by Morse code. We met and got to know each other only one year later, in the “cattle wagon” that took us to another prison (November 1960), to Botoșani.
In 1963 we met for a “walk” in the prison yard, after the re-education campaign had begun.
He was one of those who appreciated my uncompromising attitude and was very concerned when I became seriously ill with liver disease.
Father Graur was one of my great prison friends whom I visited after my release in 1964, and we had all sorts of discussions without reservation. (Although, after my release in 1964, I limited the number of my relations and confined myself to the most trusted friends).
I had the satisfaction of studying the Securitate archives at the CNSAS and finding out that the Securitate knew nothing about our meetings, which began immediately after my arrival in Vrancea (1965) and continued until 1989 (just as they knew nothing about the meetings with Remus Radina and others).
Contrary to most cases, many of the Securitate documents have been preserved in the “tracking files” of Father Graur, so his files are quite voluminous and contain original “pieces”.
Very interesting is the fact that the Vrancea Securitate contacted the Securitate in 4-5 counties, as well as the prison authorities of Gherla, Oradea, Botoșani, etc., asking them to communicate – no more, no less – the cell numbers he had passed through, or the real names of some of the cell informers, especially from Botoșani.
All this just to find a former political prisoner who had become a tool of the Securitate, whom the priest Graur, who knew him from prison, would trust so that the Securitate could be informed about what he was doing and how he was thinking.
It is proof that Father Graur was very clever and discreet, not trusting those whom the Vrancea Securitate kept sending to spy on him.
Besides, the calls to many divisions of the “Securitate” in the country did not solve the problem. I say this because it was only after 5 years that the Directorate told him that they had talked to Voștinaru (“Veniamin”) who, in order to be successful, suggested going to the priest Graur during the holidays (July-August).
I am enclosing some documents which show the extent to which the Securitate is interested in what people are thinking and doing. Also those that show us the character and attitude of this great friend.
To give just one example, I quote what the agent “Ionescu Ștefan” wrote about the priest Graur in an “informative note”: “Of all the political prisoners I have known so far, I have never met one more hardened against the regime”.
Father Graur had the same anti-communist attitude until December ’89 and was “warned” by the Securitate both in 1988 and 1989.
(Constrantin Ticu Dumitrescu – Testimony and Document, Vol. II, Part III, Polirom Publishing House, Iași, 2008, pp. 423-424)