ROMANIA:Thousands of Romanian children as young as 10 were recruited by the Securitate secret police of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu to spy on friends, parents and teachers, declassified archives have revealed.
A series of strange and shocking documents now on display in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, includes children's handwritten pledges to work for the Securitate and denunciations of schoolmates for "suspicious" activity such as buying chewing gum from foreigners and receiving a birthday card from a friend in America.
"Thousands of children all over the country were recruited by Securitate officers who wanted informers in all the main schools in each area," said Germina Nagat, director of investigations at Romania's National Council for Studying the Securitate Archives.
"Most kids did not grasp the implications of what they were doing, and some may have incriminated their own parents. They were told that the nation needed their help and they were both scared and flattered to be asked to do something for their country."
In a handwritten letter, one 16- year-old with the code name "Serban" writes to his secret police handler: "I volunteer to co-operate with the Securitate to inform about problems and various aspects of school life, which if not known could undermine the security of the state."
Another child spy writes: "I pledge to be full of initiative in gathering and supplying information and pledge not to tell anyone the secret of my collaboration, no matter who they are, whether a family member or someone else."
The Securitate's web of informers grew rapidly as Ceausescu's fear of revolt deepened and Romania became even poorer.
By the time public anger exploded in a 1989 revolution that saw Ceausescu toppled and executed, hundreds of thousands of people were listed as informers in Securitate files that officials say would stretch for more than 20km (12½ miles) if placed end-to-end.
Access to these files has increased since former communists were ousted from government in 2004.
"Children made very good informers for the Securitate," said Ms Nagat. "They were very honest and often couldn't detect the deviousness of what they were asked to do."
The children's reports highlight both the Securitate's obsessive desire for information and the depth of deception and mistrust in Romania as pressure mounted on Ceausescu and communism across eastern Europe.
In one neatly written letter, agent "Dragu" informs on schoolmate Vasile for buying chewing gum and pens from visiting Poles; in another, "Enescu" tells his handler that he heard the Paraliuc brothers discussing how to flee across the border with Hungary and head for Italy.
In a third report, "Cristian" reveals that fellow pupil Alina has received a musical greetings card from a friend in New York. A note at the bottom of the letter, in the adult hand of a Securitate officer, says Alina would be brought in for an interview about her relationships with foreigners.