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103 Document No. 13: Protocol of PUWP CC Secretariat Meeting October 25, 1980 This wide-ranging discussion by the CC Secretariat reflects the leadership’s escalating concerns about the deteriorating position of the party, and the untenable state of the economy. The meeting took place against the background of a court ruling the previous day to delay Solidarity’s legal registration because its charter made no reference to the leading role of the party or to guarantees not to threaten Poland’s international alliances. Solidarity refused to make any changes and threatened a general strike if the registration process was not swiftly completed (see previous document). Within the Secretariat, there was general agreement that the party’s authority had suffered dramatically while Solidarity’s standing was steadily on the rise. Although no mention is made of a need to resort to force, two days earlier Defense Minister Jaruzelski, who did not attend this meeting, gave orders to update plans for martial law on a nationwide scale. […] AgENDA 1. The current socio-political and economic situation in the country. Cde. Stanisław Kania At today’s meeting of the CC Secretariat, I propose to discuss the following subjects: 1. Forecast of development of the political, social and economic situation in the most immediate period, precisely defining actions and decisions which should be undertaken; taking into account the complexity of this situation various aspects and elements of the forecast have to be recognized, e.g., the political situation, the activity of new trade unions, the activity of Solidarity . 2. The situation in the youth movement, with particular emphasis on the issue of universities and other circles. 3. Penetration of the countryside by anti-socialist forces. We are dealing with attempts by those forces to create political structures. Ways of counteracting these tendencies therefore have to be considered. 4. The situation among the intelligentsia, in artists’ circles, among journalists ; considering that the situation in these groups is complex, divisions are taking place within them, organizational-personal moves have to be considered . 5. The economic situation of the country, including the difficulties in agriculture and in the market, the supply of potatoes and coal. Our forthcoming activities in that domain have to be discussed. 104 6. The state of the party; evaluation of the processes and tasks executed by the party and those which lie ahead. Counteraction has to be applied against occurrences of demagogy and anarchy and the willingness of certain comrades to concede to proposed ideas of immediate party elections, which would be based on the free and impulsive choice of delegates in institutes and social circles. 7. Activity of hostile groupings. Cde. Władysław Kruczek: Comrade Brych identifies the direction in which the situation is evolving and what our enemies are threatening us with. We are accused of being in a defensive position. We said we were not going to step back and we are stepping back. Corrections will be forced upon us and they will move ahead. What kind of a situation is it where Wałęsa has to come and calm Ursus5 to make them work? This is anarchy. Our comrade did not go, but Wałęsa did. Cde. Andrzej Werblan: If you could calm Ursus, we would have sent you. Cde. Władysław Kruczek: This is already anarchy because it is hard to imagine the normal functioning of the institutions. An evaluation of the current situation needs to be attempted, where we are and where we are going. Anti-socialist forces are pressuring us, e.g. a group arrived and protested in front of a court and therefore they will come to the Supreme Court as well. They demand a meeting with Cde. Pińkowski. They are pressing us against the wall. We therefore have to say what the limits of our concessions are. We are only dealing with materials concerning comrades, although this is not the most important state matter. I perceive a danger in that they will peacefully come here as well. Cde. Stanisław Kania: I believe that it cannot be that some comrades are only asking questions while others are to respond. Cde. Mirosław Milewski: In a decisive way, it was recommended that amendments be introduced to the Solidarity statute. It is hard to say whether crews know what is going on; most workers do not know what introducing amendments is about or what the leading role of the party is about. Pressure to register Solidarity was enormous. At the last...

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