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499 Document No. 75: Notes of Meeting of Warsaw Treaty Member-States July 8, 1989 These notes of Gorbachev’s meeting with the “fraternal” party leaders in Warsaw present an extraordinary contrast—in their shallowness, superficiality, and lack of specifics—with the candor seen earlier in his talks with Kohl and Mitterrand. Gorbachev cannot seem to stop talking, and his remarks are filled with generalities about perestroika in the USSR with almost no attention paid to the crises in Eastern Europe. There is only a single paragraph in which the Soviet leader comments that “[a] number of countries are experiencing crises” and “[o]nly an objective, precise analysis of the causes will allow us to map out a way to overcome them. We have come to the conclusion that deep reforms are necessary.” But what reforms? This is what Grósz described to Yakovlev as the “dialogue of the deaf.” Here, Gorbachev appears to be just as hard of hearing as his colleagues, perhaps having been “deafened ” by the quadruple shock of the Soviet elections, Tbilisi violence, Baltic vote, and the ongoing Polish transition. (Record of main content of conversation) […] Gorbachev remarked in his speech that the conversation about topical problems of socialist construction had already begun at the PCC conference. gorbachev joked: N. Ceauşescu spoke especially prolifically about this—he may have even exhausted his time limit for today. It is evident that the need to exchange information and opinions on internal development issues in the socialist countries is great for everybody. However, right now we cannot explore this subject in depth because of time restrictions. A detailed conversation can take place at the general secretaries’ and fraternal parties’ working meeting, which was prearranged to be held in Czechoslovakia. That meeting is being prepared; M. Jakeš will be the team leader. Although questions of economic collaboration were to be at the center of attention, everything is concentrated in this realm of cooperation. In a word, the most important conversation is still ahead of us. Today I will only touch upon what concerns us all the most. The interest in questions of domestic policy development in our countries is natural. No one is indifferent to each other’s state of affairs, because this is our fate. And considering socialism’s international role, the fate of the entire world is concerned. We are hearing about our friends’ concerns in relation to the processes of socialist renewal in the Soviet Union. Melyakova book.indb 499 2010.04.12. 16:20 500 The changes taking place are neither of a tactical nor opportunistic nature. It is not some kind of short-term election campaign that aims only at temporarily relieving the acuteness of the situation. It is a process of deep, fundamental changes. Our friends’ wish to comprehend what is going on in the Soviet Union is understandable . Regrettably, in some of the concerns that arise in this connection a note can be heard that is not in proportion to the problem. Sometimes not only anxiety crops up, but fear, even with a trace of panic. It is in consideration of these kinds of attitudes that I would like to speak about our affairs right now. Every day life presents problems that acutely concern the broadest social spheres. It is as if we are under their press. Because of routine it is not always possible to evaluate the stage and context in which events develop. But without understanding this, one can only get tangled in details. That is why when evaluating what is happening in the Soviet Union it is necessary to get up from our familiar seats and look at events from higher historical and philosophical positions. It is very important to approach reality from this point of view—then the theory and policies of the changes can be understood. For a long time we have been thinking carefully about the processes going on in the world. And we came to the conclusion that it is time to shift from the international order that has taken shape over the decades to a new one. And the nature of this new order largely depends on the process of development in the socialist countries. The context of our internal development is also essential. We feel acutely that the goal of advancing to new boundaries requires an elevation of the productivity of social labor by the strictest standards. That is why we believe that in all areas of our collaboration—in the Council for...

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