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499 Document No. 93: Report to HSWP CC Politburo on Hungarian Delegation’s Talks with Wojciech Jaruzelski December 30, 1981 As part of the effort to rebuild after martial law, Jaruzelski asked Hungarian leader János Kádár to help by offering Hungary’s experiences following the 1956 Soviet-led invasion, which placed Kádár into power. Earlier in the fall, Polish party propagandists ordered the showing of a special documentary film on the so-called Hungarian counter-revolution which featured scenes of hangings of Hungarian security troops and damage wreaked upon Budapest during the fighting. The point of the special showing had been to raise concerns in the population about a possibly violent confrontation in Poland. Thus, the Hungarian “experience” was already on Jaruzelski’s mind. The discussions below with the Hungarians, as described by the leaders of their delegation, offer in-depth remarks by Jaruzelski about the current situation—a fascinating insight into his thinking as relayed to a like-minded and sympathetic audience . Jaruzelski’s bitterness towards both Solidarity and members of his own party shows through. He acknowledges the union is a unique organization with several million adherents but disparages it as a source of “indescribable destructive power” whose real goals are shrouded in “myths.” He also expresses resentment at local party leaders for not being “active”—an irony given the heavy Soviet criticisms of his own passive behavior. Report for the Politburo At the invitation of Comrade Jaruzelski, the first secretary of the PUWP CC and the leader of the Military Council for National Salvation, and following the decision of the HSWP Politburo, a delegation of the HSWP was sent to Warsaw between December 27–29. The delegation was led by györgy Aczél, member of the Politburo. He was accompanied by Jenő Fock and János Berecz, members of the HSWP CC. István Pataki, associate of the Department of Foreign Affairs and József garamvölgyi, our ambassador in Warsaw, took part in the discussions. At the request of the Polish comrades, the Hungarian delegation went to Warsaw in order to provide information on our experiences in our fight against counter-revolutionary forces and our experience in socialist consolidation and the building of socialism. The exchange of opinions also offered an opportunity to assess the political situation in Poland that has arisen since the introduction of martial law. In the framework of a plenary meeting, our delegation met the members of an operational committee of 10 which comprised representatives of the Military Council for National Defense, the PUWP Politburo and the Polish government. The talks were led by Comrade W. Jaruzelski who analyzed the Polish situation 500 thoroughly and pointed out those areas where they particularly needed Hungarian experience. The delegation held talks with Deputy Prime Minister M. Rakowski, member of the PUWP Politburo and Secretary of the CC Stefan Olszowski, and with Secretary of the PUWP CC Marian Orzechowski. Comrade Jenő Fock had a talk with Deputy Prime Ministers Janusz Obodowski and Zbigniew Madej, furthermore with Secretary of the PUWP CC Marian Woźniak. There were talks also between Comrade János Berecz and Włodzimierz Natorf, leader of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the PUWP CC. At PUWP CC headquarters, Comrade györgy Aczél took part in a nearly three-hour party assembly where 120 people were present. At the dinner party hosted by Comrade Ambassador garamvölgyi, we had an informal talk with Kazimierz Barcikowski and Józef Czyrek, members of the PUWP Politburo and CC secretaries, furthermore with Deputy Prime Minister Mieczysław Rakowski. At the end of the visit, Comrade W. Jaruzelski and györgy Aczél had a one-hour discussion. This took place after the all-day meeting of first secretaries of the voivodeships and military representatives , where, as Comrade Jaruzelski bitterly remarked, again only the military representatives were active. I. Comrade W. Jaruzelski expressed his thanks to the leadership of the HSWP and above all to Comrade János Kádár for the opportunity that the Hungarian party delegation’s visit to Warsaw provided them. He said that although he was aware of the significant difference between Hungarian circumstances 25 years earlier and the present Polish situation, as regards political progress he recognized quite a number of similarities and for that reason the Hungarian experiences, proven by developments since then, were of great value to them. He spoke of the situation that came about after the introduction of martial...

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