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307 Document No. 53: Transcript of CPSU CC Politburo Meeting on Brezhnev–Kania Conversation June 18, 1981 Brezhnev’s mounting exasperation with Kania comes across clearly in this report from the Soviet leader to the Politburo.28 Brezhnev admits that he avoided speaking with Kania for several days but finally could no longer put him off. It did not take long for him to lose patience with Kania’s descriptions of his attempts to parry the opposition, and he proceeded to lecture the Pole repeatedly on the need for more decisive action. If he failed to move swiftly, Brezhnev warned, “you will destroy… the Party itself.” After each point, Kania’s response was essentially the same, to agree completely and promise to do better. […] 12. On Information from Cde. Brezhnev concerning a conversation with Cde. S. Kania. Brezhnev: As you know, for a long time I have not wanted to speak with Kania, but he has tried intensively to have such a conversation: from Friday all the way to Monday he telephoned daily. Therefore, by Tuesday, June 16, it was no longer proper to avoid a conversation, and I contacted him as specified with the members of the Politburo. I conducted the conversation in accordance with the issues that were discussed with the members of the Politburo. After mutual greetings, Kania began with an expression of thanks for the letter from the CPSU CC that was sent to the PUWP CC. He said that they considered the letter a new manifestation of the CPSU CC’s concern for the fate of socialism in Poland, and for our mutual relations. The impact of this letter, in Kania’s words, was great and useful. Kania spoke further about the plenum29 and the decisions taken there. And again he underscored the impact of our letter on the mood of the participants at the plenum. Kania himself declared at the plenum that the CPSU CC has the right to react in this way and there are sufficient reasons for reacting exactly so. As far as the course of the plenum, Kania said, there was much criticism. The discussion at the plenum was sharp and principled. All the speakers at the plenum approved the CPSU CC letter. Criticism of the Politburo and the PUWP 28 For Kania’s version of the conversation, see the PUWP CC Politburo transcript for June 18, 1981, in Tajne Dokumenty, pp. 406–414. 29 The PUWP CC Eleventh Plenum held on June 9–10, 1981. See, for example, Document No. 51. 308 leadership as a whole was also considerable. The question was even posed of a vote of confidence. The plenum by a majority vote decided not to permit changes to the composition of the leadership before the party congress. Kania affirmed that he and the comrades who spoke at the plenum were disposed to conducting the congress as a congress of a Marxist party. Additional mobilization and activation of PUWP members is continuing in the struggle with anti-socialist forces. Kania also recounted briefly Jaruzelski’s presentation at the Sejm. He stressed that the issue there was about a firmer rebuff of the counter-revolution. Here I could not abide this and I said to him: Comrade Kania, how many times have I talked to you about this from the very beginning of all this delay? I have said to you all along that it is necessary to respond with deeds, not words, to counter-revolutionary actions. Kania agreed with this. He noted that after the plenum there were fewer enemy actions and fewer provocations. Even Wałęsa said they will have to make their case differently. In a word, Kania believes that conditions for the party struggle have improved and that now the important thing is to bring order to the mass media. They have decided to remove the director of the CC department of press, radio and television , Klyass, from his post. The decision has been made to release the chairman of the television committee and several editors. There will be other such decisions as well. And they have begun the trial of Leszek Moczulski.30 On the subject of Moczulski, I said to him: Comrade Kania, how long are you going to mess around with this Moczulski? At one point he was under arrest, then you let him go. Now you are beginning another trial. What next? Next, said Kania, we will try him according to the law and put him in prison once again. He...

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