Note of the informer “Adrian Cozmescu” on the knowledge of Nicu Steinhardt (December 30, 1970)
1970 December 30.
Note of the informer “Adrian Cozmescu” on Nicu Steinhardt’s knowledge.
State Security Council
ISMB
Top Secret
Unique spec.
126/I.A./30.XII.1970
Note
Nicu Steinhardt was ill on 26-28 December 1970, he had a bowel attack which came back after a relatively long time, apparently a recurrence of the old intestinal tuberculosis. He did not consult a doctor this time, but gave himself strong painkillers, which proved effective. He fears that the Godhead has turned His face away from him because of his alleged serious sins, leaving him prey to periodic illnesses and sufferings, either in the form of serious prostate, kidney and intestinal ailments, or accidents like the one he suffered a few years ago. For the time being, he is rather pessimistic about his transition to monasticism because of the obstacles that stand in his way, especially the ban on the admission of lay people like him to monasteries, which he learned about from the Bishop of Roman and Huși.
However, he continued to correspond with the priest Mina Dobzeu from the monastery of Huși.
He received congratulations from Sanda and Vlad Stolojan from Paris, as well as from Virgil Ierunca and his wife, also from Paris. Stolojan assured him that he could accommodate him if he could travel to Paris.
After visiting the tomb of the brother of Archimandrite Haralambie Vasilache from Boston (USA) in the Cernica Monastery, as mentioned in the previous note, he wrote to him and received a reply with several holiday greetings.
He continues to give private English lessons. He was deeply affected by the death of the critic Vladimir Streinu, his former prison cellmate and then his great supporter, thanks to whom he also received a pension of 700 lei from the Literary Fund, which supplemented the modest pension of 800 lei he received as a former state employee.
He shows no interest in political discussions, which he avoids because of his incompetence in this field. However, he continues to approve of the policies of the Ceaușescu regime[1] , which he considers to be much more liberal and to have had great merits, especially in foreign relations, thanks to which he has achieved a high degree of prestige and popularity abroad.
He believes that there is no reason to believe that the current regime is weak or in danger of collapse. He is convinced that God is watching over Ceaușescu to bring great benefits to the Romanian people, even if they do not know it.
“Adrian Cozmescu”
Ob[servations]: Nicu Steinhardt, formerly convicted of enemy activity, is under the attention of the 126/D.N. area code, where the note will be kept.
Lieutenant Ionescu Alex
(ss./olograf)
(ACNSAS Information Fund, file no. 207, volume 5, pp. 34-35; document reproduced in Nicu Steinhardt in the Securitate files (1959-1989), edited by Clara Cosmineanu, Nemira Publishing House, Bucharest, 2005, pp. 156-157).
[1] Actually a disinformation of the informer. Father Nicolae had no affinity with Nicolae Ceaușescu, let alone with his dictatorship.