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246 Document No. 41: East german Report of Discussion with Marshal Viktor Kulikov April 7, 1981 Warsaw Pact Commander-in-Chief Viktor Kulikov acted as one of the main Soviet points of contact with the Polish leadership during 1980–1981. He visited Poland many times and held innumerable meetings with political and military officials alike, overseeing general military planning and a possible intervention, as well as applying sustained pressure on Kania and Jaruzelski to crush the “counter-revolution.” Kulikov had strong opinions about the crisis and about the many personalities he confronted in Poland. In confidential conversations such as this with his East German counterparts he felt comparatively free to discuss his views. Perhaps the most significant passage below is Kulikov’s strong insinuation that while the goal should not be to use military force because “considerable international complications would result,” the Poles might secure military assistance if they cannot resolve the crisis themselves. “[T]he Polish comrades… have to try first… If they cannot do so alone and then ask for help, the situation is different from one in which troops had been deployed from the outset.” Report regarding a confidential discussion with the Supreme Commander of the Combined Military Forces of the Warsaw Pact countries on April 7, 1981, in Legnica (PPR) following the evaluation meeting of the joint operative-strategic command staff exercise “Soyuz-81” In accordance with the instructions of the general Secretary of the SED Central Committee and the Chairman of the National Defense Council of the gDR, Comrade Erich Honecker, and on the basis of the tasks as given by the Minister for National Defense, Comrade Army general [Heinz] Hoffmann, Comrade Lieutenant general [Heinz] Kessler, and Comrade Lieutenant general [Fritz] Streletz, had a confidential discussion with the Supreme Commander of the United Military Forces of the Warsaw Pact countries Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union Kulikov on April 7, 1981, following the evaluation meeting by the joint operative-strategic Command Staff Exercise “Soyuz-81.” Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union Kulikov began with thanks for the greetings communicated from Comrade Erich Honecker and Comrade Minister Hoffmann and emphasized that he had obtained authorization for the discussion from Politburo member and Minister for Defense of the Soviet Union, Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union Ustinov. Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union Kulikov continued: 247 He had been in the PPR now for a month already and, due to personal cooperation from the leadership of the Polish party and government was able to obtain a picture of the situation in the PPR. For the duration of his stay, he had been in constant contact with First Secretary of the Central Committee of the PUWP Comrade Kania, as well as Chairman of the Council of Ministers and Minister for National Defense of the PPR Comrade Army general Jaruzelski. Usually, the bilateral meetings took place without witnesses in an open, party-minded atmosphere. Due to this it was possible to explain openly and directly the point of view of the Soviet comrades to the leadership of the party and government as well as to the army leadership of the PPR. For the past four weeks, the Soviet side has placed an array of specialists in Warsaw, e.g. members of the State Planning Commission, the organs of committees for State Security, the general Staff of the Armed Forces and of the Department of Rearward Services [Bereich Ruckwartige Dienste] of the Soviet Army. They have all received instructions from Comrade Brezhnev to help the Polish comrades. All of the work that Marshal of the Soviet Union Kulikov and the other Soviet comrades in Warsaw have conducted in the past weeks is based strictly on the results of the consultations with the general and first secretaries of the fraternal parties in Moscow.5 Marshal of the Soviet Union Kulikov has continually reported on the activities and the situation in the PPR to Comrade Marshal of the Soviet Union Ustinov , who in turn periodically has informed general Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee and Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet Comrade L. I. Brezhnev. The extension of the Soyuz-81 exercise came about explicitly as a result of the requests of Comrades Jaruzelski and Kania. They wanted to utilize the exercises to strengthen their position. Simultaneously they hoped to exert a positive influence on the progressive forces in Poland and to show Solidarity and KOR that the Warsaw Pact countries are prepared to render Poland help all around. Thereby...

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