ROST Magazine - English version

ROST no 89, July 2010

The beginning of the ordeal

Nicolae Margineanu

Nicolae Margineanu

The psychologist punished for patriotism

an article by Horia Brad 

On the 13th of June we commemorate  the death of a great Romanian psychologist, Nicolae Margineanu, 30 years back. About him, as about many other important Romanian figures that suffered in the communist prisons and were submitted to a life of  social isolation afterwards, we know very few things. A memories book written by him in the 70’s and published after the Romanian Revolution, another biographical volume, based on documents from the Security archive (Nicolae Margineanu. A psychologist in the communist prisons. Documents taken from the CNSAS archive, by Cristina Anisescu) and a few press articles is  insufficient in order to retrieve the memory of a top Romanian intellectual  and a pioneer in labour psychology, appreciated, at that time, in the western academic environment.

Born the 22nd of June 1905 from a greek-catholic peasant family in the county of Alba. Nicolae Margineanu pursued his secondary studies at Blaj and Orastie. In 1927 he took his degree in psychology and in 1929 he became a Magna cum laude PhD at the Babes Bolyai in Cluj.

He did post-graduate specialization internships in Leipzig, Berlin, Hamburg in 1929, Paris in 1930 and London in  1935. He was also a scientific researcher and a scholar of the Rockefeller Foundation at Harvard, Duke, Yale, Columbia and Chicago Universities from 1932 to 1934. He came back to the country and he became a psychology professor at The Cluj University, The Letters and Philosophy Department (1927-1947) and head of the Psychology Institute. 

He studied the psychology of the individual, psichometry, mathematical psychology, psychology of science, psychology applied in the industrial field, and the  relation between psychology and literature. Nicolae Margineanu is the organizer of the professional education system in Romania, of the apprentice schools, the forerunners of the vocational high schools of today. He corresponded with great psychologists of the 20th century like Gordon Allport, who was his professor in the US.

In 1948 he is arrested and condemned to 25 years of prison, after a deceitful lawsuit, under the accusation of  high treason, espionage and conspiracy. His “guilt” was that of having connections among Americans as the  vice president of the Romanian-American Association. And so, at the request of the prime minister Petru Groza, he pleaded for Transilvania’s cause with the Americans after the war. The fact that Transilvania is part of Romania is mostly his accomplishment. His retribution meant 16 years of sufferings in the communist prisons in Malmaison, Jilava, Pitesti, Aiud and Gherla.

After the liberation of 1964, together with all the political prisoners, Nicolae Margineanu was hired as a librarian at the Cluj Academy local branch, like Lucian Blaga before him. Between 1971-1980 he was allowed to be the substitute professor at his old department. In 1971 he was invited as a professor at Bonn University and in 1972 at Hamburg University. Each time he came back to Romania, tormented by the thought of his family being hurt by his exile. In 1980 he was invited in the US by the Rockefeller Foundation. The communist authorities allowed him to leave. In the US he was diagnosed with cancer and he urgently returned to Cluj, where he died the 13th of June 1980.

Bibliography

He published for The Psychological Institute of Cluj University Publishing:

“Psychology of the exercise” 1929,158p;

“Psychotechnique in Germany” 1929, 88p;

“German contemporary psychology” 1930, 350 p;

“Learning psychology” 1931,180p;

“French contemporary psychology” 1932, 320p;

“Psychology of configuration” (in collaboration with I.Rusu, A. Rosca, D.Tudoran) 1929, 176p;

“Elements of the psychometrics” 1938, 376p;

“Analysis of the psychic factors” 1938, 216p;

“Psychology of the individual” 1st  Edition: 1940, 570p; 2nd Edition: 1943, 504p;

“Psychotechnique and the industry” 1942, 156p;

“Psychotechnique” 1943, 504p;

Other publishings:

“The problem of evolution”, "Societatea de Maine" Publishing, Cluj, 1931, 84p;

“The nature of science” The Scientific Publishing, Bucharest, 1969, 504p;

“Under the sign of humanity”, The Publishing for Literature, Bucharest, 1970, 304p;

“Psychology and literature”,Dacia Publishing, Cluj, 1971, 350p;

“Scholar and professional orientation” - scientific coordinator and author of 5 chapters comprising 100p, Didactic and Pedagogical Publishing, Bucharest, 1972, 350p;

“Human condition” - it’s bio-psycho-social and cultural aspect”, Scientific Publishing, Bucharest, 1973, 650p;

“Logical and mathematical psychology”, Dacia Publishing, 1975, 350p (The work expands the sessions held at Bonn University as a guest professor);

“Amphitheatres and prisons”, Dacia publishing, Cluj, 1991, 260p;

“Psychology of the individual”, 3rd edition, Scientific Publishing, Bucharest, 1999, 600p;

“Depth and height psychology”, Cluj University Publishing, 1999, 215p;

A number of approximately 35 articles in specialty magazines and general knowledge ones, plus more than 25 tests, questionaries and observation files applied in schools and factories.

PAG. 28-29, ROST 89 - JULY 2010

We don’t want revenge, but justice

interview taken by Claudiu Tarziu

Nicolae Margineanu (b. 25th of September 1938, Cluj), is a Romanian camera operator, screenwriter, producer and film director. He is married, since 1976 with the actress Maria Ploae. His father,  the great psychologist Nicolae Margineanu, endured 16 years of communist prison. Nicolae Margineanu - the son, had a rich experience as a film operator in the 70’s and from the 80’s he has been dedicated to film directing. He is a top director, many of his films having received awards at national and international film festivals. He produces fiction films, but also documentary and utility films. Since 1990 he is also a film producer. In June, this year, he finished a documentary film about his father.

-Your father was arrested at the beginning of the communist rule, in 1948. What was he accused of?

-In 1948 USA accused USSR of meddling in the internal affairs of Romania. For this, Visinski, the USSR soviet commissary  for external affairs asked for a law suit that can prove the contrary, that the USA is meddling in Romania’s internal affairs. 12 people were incriminated: Max Auschmitt (great jewish industrialist), Alexandru Bals (ex-minister), Ion Bujoiu (professor and Minister of Economy), Gheorghe Bontila, Nistor Chioreanu (legionary commander), Dimitrie Gheorghiu, Horia Macelariu (admiral), Gheorghe Manu (legionary commander), Nicolae Margineanu, Nicolae Patrascu (general secretary of the Legionary Movement), Alexandru Popp (executive of the Resita  Factories) ,Eugen Teodorescu (legionary). The lawsuit was in progress between the 27th of October and the 2nd of November 1948. The judges assembly comprised the general-major magistrate Alexandru Petrescu, Lt. colonel magistrate Simion Stanescu, Colonel S.Colceag, Colonel Eremia Sarbu, Lt. colonel Zanescu. The accusation papers have been prepared by the military prime-magister Dumitru, and the indictment was presented in front of the court by the colonel prosecutor Constantin Stanciu, who, at the end, asked for the death penalty, according to the legal classification of the offence made by the second prosecutor, Lt. colonel Calin Eftimie. It was a  brutish judicial setup, presented by the newspapers with proletarian rage: The trial of  “the subversive organisation The National Resistance Movement, leaded by Popp Alexandru and Bujoiu Ioan”.

During the process, all the accused admitted the testimonies given during the investigation, having been physically exhausted and psychically devastated by the tortures they had been put through. They received heavy punishments: Max Auschmitt (in absentia), Alexandru Popp, I. Bujoiu, Gh.Manu, H.Macelariu, N.Patrascu, E.Teodorescu – hard labour for life, and Alexandru Bals and Gh.Bontila - 15 years of hard labour each. Most of them died in the communist prisons.

-Why do you think they put your father together with these people, though he hadn’t been part of the government, he wasn’t an industrialist nor the leader of an opposition party?

-Probably because he received the Rockefeller scholarship, because he was the vicepresident of the Romanian-American Association and because the prime-minister of the time, Petru Groza, had asked him to plead the cause of Transilvania with the American Allied Control Commission. My father had many acquaintances in the USA and a member of the Commission had been his colleague while studying in the US. He did this favor to the country and later it came back against him. He was accused of espionage and high treason.

He was in the Astra Wagons and Resita Factories Administration Council. My father had opened the psychology laboratories in all the big industries and so he made close friends among some factory executives. This must have weighted a lot, apart from the connection with the Americans. Even in the Security investigation he declared that the USA is his second homeland because there he perfected his skills.

Among the other group  comrades, my dad only new four. Only before the trial, after a harsh investigation, did he find out who the others were. He was surprised to have been accused of conspiracy in order to turn out the government along with four legionaries he didn’t even know. Actually he had been an adversay of the legionaries. He thought he was on the black list of the legionaries because he saved the rector Stefanescu Goanga - who had been shot by them. My father gave him first aid and transported him to the hospital and so the professor survived the murder attempt.

After a series of atrocious beatings, received at the Malmaison investigation, he realized that he wouldn’t be able to abide physically by saying the truth, that he is not guilty. So he signed the testimonies that the security officers forced him to.

-When he got out of prison, did he tell you what he had been through?

-Slightly. Still, it wasn’t difficult to imagine, particularly since I found out a few things from others that had been released from jail before him. The majority was afraid to talk about the prison but some talked about hunger, misery and beatings. My father got out of the prison surprisingly well. Maybe because he was such an optimistic person. Nevertheless, after being released he lived another hell: the fear of being arrested again or of being forced to live under house arrest. Having felt  the taste of freedom, as much as one could, during communist rule, after 16 years and 2 months of jail, he knew he couldn’t go back there. He even told us that he wouldn’t make it if they took him again. That’s what he was afraid of. So he spoke very little. He would rather talk about funny moments from the prison. He even told us how he met Petrache Lupu from Maglavit. But sometimes his reactions betrayed his feelings. There was this once when my mother cleaned the breadcrumbs on the table and threw them in the bin. He was so angry, saying that we didn’t have the right to do that because we didn’t know the worth of those breadcrumbs when you can only dream about them.

-Which was the most traumatic moment from jail he told you about?

-The Malmaison investigation was extremely tough - it’s described in his book. He was badly beaten. Also he was on hunger strike at some point.

But, beyond the brutality, seing in the Security file the declarations of those who have stayed with him - some of them informers - I believe every moment he spent with his comrades was truly difficult. This is because, after a while, they had nothing more to say to each other. I reckon that must have been tormenting, having to be near people you had nothing to share with. This could be the reason why they organized debates on certain subjects.

-When did he write his prison memoirs?

-Around the 70’s. He went to the USA in 1975 and he already had the book, but he didn’t take it with him. They would have discovered it, because they carefully searched him. He hide it at home and we edited it after 1990.

From his CNSAS file it seems like the Security knew he had written his memoirs, but, strangely they didn’t want to confiscate them. Someone must have betrayed him. We kind of know who, but we don’t want to give names, even suspicion can be a sin.

-How did he manage to go to the USA?

-He contacted his teacher, Higgins, his former teacher Gordon Allport with who he corresponded a long time. They invited him to the States. He had a book project and he had to do research there, ”Depth and height psychology”. Probably, at the Americans persistent demand, they let him go. He had been invited before to Germany and had come back so this was a guarantee for the Security that he wouldn’t stay there. In the US he was diagnosed with cancer and he quickly came back, though they offered him immediate surgery. He was afraid to die on American land and the Security might think he wanted to stay, thus causing great suffering to his family.

-When you grew up and you understood what had happened to your father and the times you were living, did you feel any vengeance desire?

-I was a 10 year old child when he was arrested. Almost all of my neighbourhood friends had parents under arrest. And when we turned 12-13 years old we thought we should do something against the regime. It wasn’t about vengeance, but about the obligation to fight that we felt. We found 2 pistols and , we hide them somewhere and, from time to time, we would get them out, clean them and plan a resistance movement. I think we weren’t the only ones to have tried this. Lucky that our parents found out and not the Security. My mom opened my eyes. She told me that if the Security found out, they would arrest her and send me and my sister to the orphanage. She also told me that she wouldn’t make it in prison and my dad would suffer a lot. ”Isn’t it enough the pain your father has to endure?” Then is when I felt I became an adult. Later on, of course that the thought of doing something against the regime came back to me, but every time I tried to ignore it. I thought about what would my father do and this kept me going, but then I thought about my mother’s warning.

There was a feeling of a pending rebellion in every young person at the time, but we tried to control it.

-What else did your family have to go through besides the pain of not having your father close?

-My father’s brother, Petru, was, various times, the mayor of the Obreja village  in Alba county, where they were born. He was an imposing man, he had great authority in the village. He was arrested in 1949, because he had helped the anticommunist fighters, led by colonel Dabija, with food. He had a resolute attitude in the prison. Though he was convicted for 20 years of prison, he was shot, together with 6 other villagers from the surrounding villages, who had a dignified attitude and who were considered bad examples for the other prisoners. The family received 3 death certificates with different causes of death: heart failure, natural death. The socialist bureaucracy! Only a few years ago, the historian Ciupe from Cluj discovered the document through which the security colonel Patriciu from Cluj  gave the order for the 6 men to be shot. We still don’t know where they were buried.

This was another tragedy my family had to go through.

Then, because of my father’s situation, my mother, a Letter and Philosophy graduate, was only accepted as a teacher at a foster home for children with tuberculosis, outside of Cluj. I was kicked out of school several times, first time in the 7th grade.

My mom found out from other political prisoners wives that, if they get divorced, it will be easier for the children to finish school. The Securit must have spread this rumor. Many women divorced their imprisoned husbands, and so did my mother. For a while I carried her name, Aarvanitis - for my mother was greek - and they lost my trace, but then I took back the name Margineanu and they discovered me.

-Have you ever seen your father in all these detention years?

-Only once, during a trial. My dad received 2 packages from us in 16 years, he wasn’t allowed to receive more. He also wasn’t allowed to receive visits from family members. We got 2 or 3 postcards as from my father, but they weren’t written by him, but, probably, by people that had come out that were asked by my father to tell us he’s healthy. This is what it said on the postcards, no details.

In 1953, someone wrote in a postcard  that my dad will participate in a trial involving the Resita Factories.Then, my mom sold a painting so that we could have money for the trip, and we went to see him. He saw us too, though he wasn’t allowed to look towards the audience. He was looking fine, stong and he heartened with his look. It was a very emotional moment that helped us a lot spiritually. On the other side, my father was quite saddened - he told us after he was released - by the fact that my sister, Daniela, was wearing one of my mom’s jackets. He thought: ”After 5 years in prison, my children have no clothes to wear”. But that wasn’t the case, it was the simple desire of a 16 years old girl to look more mature by wearing her mother’s clothes.

-Have you ever felt like the son of a “jailbird”, of a man convicted for a real guilt?

-There were moments when I thought that it was impossible for everything to be a lie, that he must have done something. But only for short moments. I knew my father wouldn’t have done anything to bring shame upon us. Still, I didn’t think he would get out of the prison. I censored this thought also, and then I felt ashamed towards him. But for years we wouldn’t hear of him and there were many people that had died there… The communism seamed everlasting… And suddenly they started to come out. I remember that, if you went to the train station you could see many people just freed from the prison. You knew it was them by the physical appearance: they were weak, pale an most of all, they had saint eyes, filled with kindness and love for the world. They tasted fully the freedom.

-You didn’t see hate or fear?

-Not even a trace. Neither did my father say anything hateful, only this: ”May God bring justice to the ones that judged us wrongly”.

-How was the reunion with your father?

-I was in Bucharest, studying at a technical metrology  school. I had been,a C a driver for 3 years, a chemistry student for 2 years - they kicked me out because of my file. Someone adviced me to go to metrology, that they wouldn’t pay to much attention at files and it was a clean job.

I knew he was going to be freed, many had already been. So I set up a password together with my sister: if my father came home, she would send me a telegram to tell me she’s badly ill. One day I received the telegram and, before I reached a telephone, I got really worried that my sister could really be sick. I called home and my father answered. I thought that was amazing… (he’s tearing - redactor’s note)

I immediately left to Cluj and we met. He looked surprisingly well. Before being released, they gave them better food so that they wouldn’t appear mistreated . He was also admiring me, as I was a grown man, I was 27 years old at the time. He was very cheerful and lively. I don’t even remember what he told me, words didn’t matter anymore, only the embrace…

Later, of course, we talked more. He said he prays to God to let him live another 16 years and 2 months, the time spent in prison. And that is exactly how much he lived.

-How did you manage to continue with your studies?

-There was a time of political relaxation, in the second half of the 60’s, so I was taken back as a Chemistry student, but I gave up, as I couldn’t do what I liked the most: research. In the research field there was an unbearable atmosphere, the political rulers were taking the credits for other people’s work. My father was dreaming of a university related career for me. But he didn’t know how the university system had changed. Meanwhile I fell in love with photography. And I asked for his permission to study as a film operator. It was the only time in my life when I got in on the first place, though the competition was strong. Seeing  me  so passionate, he let me do it (he laughs - redactor’s note).

-Did your father’s file still haunt you in your career?

-At the time I didn’t realize it, but I found out from my Security file that there were 5 informers following us and our telephone conversations were being listened to.I made photocopies after the correspondence between my parets while my father was in the US.

At Buftea, the Security officers warned us that they knew about me, they even tried my temper. Still, I was respected professionally so they didn’t give me much trouble.

-Do you remember any learning from your father that was of great help in your life?

-Yes, he often repeated what his mother, a peasant, told him when he went to a school in Blaj. ”My child, know you are on your own, but don’t forget one thing: keep your soul as clean as your Sunday shirt”. I think this is the most important thing in life: having a clean soul and a clean conscience. He said this helped hi a lot while he was imprisoned.

-Do you think that the suffering of the former political prisoners and their family’s could ever be paid back?

-God knows! Anyhow, their sacrifice has a spiritual value. I believe that this country goes on also for the sufferings endured by these Romanian people. I think that the affluence of people coming to the church in the last few years and the building of  so many churches and monasteries are the fruit of their sacrifice. They showed us a way and it seems like many Romanians have followed it.

On the other side, it would be extraordinary for those murderers to receive their rightful punishment, as my father said.

Traian Basescu condemned the communism - and I felt very proud. But I was honestly hoping that it would have practical consequences. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. There are still torturers that sleep at ease at night and still get their fat pensions.

-How could we fulfill a moral debt towards these martyrs of our country?

-I am thinking of the things I could do, rather than the things others could… I am struggling to be able get this troubled past  out of the dark, to make it into a documentary, a testimony… I have filmed some extremely interesting testimonies. Often, a detail means more, it has more expressivity than a whole history, it makes you understand better an age. A confession filled with emotion and something else beyond words, it’s more convincing.

I made 2 artistic films, ”Bless you,prison!” and “Somewhere in the East” and a documentary about my father. I also hope I will be able to make a full-length film about the sufferings during the communism.

PAG. 30-35, ROST 89 - JULY 2010