Politburo. What to tell the leaders of Socialist countries about Poland after the introduction of martial law (3 pp). [R 13 dec 81, pb 40-26] [1] total 3 pp.

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[page one of three]

Workers of all Lands, Unite!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION. CENTRAL COMMITTEE

Top Secret
SPECIAL FILE

[vertical text along left-hand margin]
Return to CPSU Central Committee
(General Department, Sector 1) within 7 days

No. Pb 40/26

To Comrades

Brezhnev, Tikhonov, Andropov, Gromyko, Suslov,
Ustinov, Ponomaryov, Zamyation, Rusakov

Excerpt from Minutes No. 40 of the meeting of the Politburo
of the CPSU Central Committee, held on 13 December 1981

Information for the leadership of fraternal countries
about the Polish question

Confirm the draft instructions for Soviet ambassadors in the Bulgarian People’s Republic, the Hungarian People’s Republic, the German Democatic Republic, the Mongolian People’s Republic, the Czecho-Slovak Socialist Republic, the Republic of Cuba, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam  and the Laotian National-Democratic Republic.

SECRETARY OF THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE

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[page two]

To item 26, Minutes No 40

Secret

SOFIA, BUDAPEST, BERLIN, ULAN-BATOR, PRAGUE, HAVANA,
HANOI, VIENTIANE

To the SOVIET AMBASSADOR

Copy: Warsaw, Soviet ambassaodor

Pay a visit to T. Zhivkov (J. Kadar, E.Honnecker, Yu. Tsedenbal, G.Husak, F. Castro, Le Zuan and Phomvizan) and, referring to instructions from thE USSR, tell them the following:

“As our Friends know, the Polish leadership has introduced martial law, declared the formation of a Military Council for National Salvation, and isolated the most extremist elements from Solidarity, the Confederation of Independent Poland, and other anti-socialist groups.

“W. Jaruzelski’s Appeal to the Nation which, in our view, gave the right emphasis to the main issues, has made a good impression. In particular, and this is especially important, the leading role of the Polish United Workers Party, and the loyalty of the Polish People’s Republic to its treaty obligations under the Warsaw Pact have been confirmed.

“Polish comrades saw strict secrecy as the condition for the successful conduct of this operation. Only a narrow circle in the entourage of W. Jaruzelski knew about it. Thanks to this, our friends were able to catch the enemy off-guard and, so far, the operation is proceeding satisfactorily.

“On the very eve of the designated plan’s implementation W. Jaruzelski informed Moscow what would happen. He was told that the Soviet leadership regarded this decision by the Polish comrades with understanding.

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[page three]

“We proceed, moreover, from the position that the Polish friends will resolve these matters relying on their own forces.

“In our preliminary assessment, the actions of the Polish friends are an active step in repulsing the counter-revolution and in that sense follow the policies of the fraternal countries.

“In these conditions the question arose of political and moral support to the Polish comrades and also of additional economic aid. The Soviet leadership, as in the past, will act on the Polish issue in contact with fraternal parties.”

When you have done this, send a telegram.

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NOTES

[1] On page one this documents bears a stamp stating that it has been  declassified. “Special Archives Commission of the President of the Russian Federation. DOCUMENT DECLASSIFIED, Minute No 20 — 20 August 1993”.

General

1. Notes by translator and editor are bracketed, thus [ ];
2. text written by hand is indicated in italic script;
3. when a handwritten phrase, figure or word has been added
to a previously typed document this is indicated by underlined italic script.

Translation, John Crowfoot