Warsaw, 26 April 1946. Investigative Judge Halina Wereńko, delegated to the Commission for the Investigation of German Crimes, interviewed the person named below as a witness. Having advised the witness of the criminal liability for making false declarations and of the significance of the oath, the Judge took the oath according to Article 109 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, following which the witness testified:
| Name and surname | Marceli Porowski |
| Date of birth | 4 February 1894, in Wola Bystrzycka, Łuków district |
| Parents’ names | Marceli, Helena née Stypułkowska |
| Occupation | official in the Ministry of Public Administration |
| Education | Economics Department at St. Petersburg University of Technology |
| Place of residence | Warsaw, Rejtana Street 14, flat 12 |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Criminal record | none |
During the German occupation I was holding the following posts: director of the Municipal District Office Warsaw-Śródmieście, then vice-chief of the Allocation and Control Department (city supplies) and vice-chief of City Control.
I didn’t have any direct contact with German authorities throughout my tenure. I know from Mr. Iwanka that the municipal budget included special credits to sustain the post of the Stadthauptman, that is, Leist. How much it was, I do not recall. The whole file and all the documents from the Municipal Board placed in the city hall and arsenal were burned during the Warsaw Uprising, as far as I know. The Blank Palace, where Leist had been working, was also knocked down in the first half of August 1944.
Whether Leist took any documents with him upon his departure from Warsaw, I do not know.
During the Uprising, in the period of capitulation talks, I heard a rumor that von dem Bach and the German army demanded only the Powiśle population at first, due to war displacements. One day (I don’t recall the date), the Germans announced that the main inhabitants, janitors, and firemen could remain in Warsaw. Reportedly, under Fischer’s influence, the Germans backed out of that idea and around 4 or 5 October 1944 demanded that the whole population leave at once.
Mr. Podwiński, who – as far as I know – took part in some of the negotiations on the Polish side, could shed some more light on this matter.
The report was read out.