October 30, 1956
Protocol No. 58 of the Meeting of the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP Which Adopted Some Measures to Ensure Order in Romania Given the Events Taking Place in Hungary
Protocol No. 58
October 30, 1956. Bucharest
Participants: Gh. Apostol, E. Bodnaras, P. Borila, N. Ceausescu, Chivu Stoica, Al. Draghici, Gh. Gheorghiu-Dej, Al. Moghioros, C. Pârvulescu.
Presides: Comrade Gh. Gheorghiu-Dej.
Agenda: On certain measures able to secure order in the country.
Following discussions, the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP decides as follows:
Taking into account that, in the wake of the worsening situation in the Hungarian People's Republic, certain reactionary elements are agitating themselves and given the hostile manifestations of some groups of students in the city of Timisoara, the following measures are necessary:
1. Political activity in the ranks of the working class should be intensified to strengthen its spirit of combativeness against the schemes of the class enemy.
The working class that has built up the people's democratic system should scrupulously defend its conquests against the attempts made by certain alien elements to deliver a blow to the people's democratic régime.
Special attention should be paid to political activity in the ranks of the youth, of the intelligentsia, and particularly, in the ranks of the students, a mass more susceptible to be influenced by hostile elements.
2. Measures should be taken to strengthen the defense of regional and town Party and people's councils' headquarters.
Moreover, measures should be taken to strengthen and seriously organize the enterprise guards.
Wherever necessary, special groups should be organized to provide support to the Militia.
The guards groups shall be formed of the best members of the Party, the UWY and of the trade unions, comrades devoted body and soul to the cause of the Party and the people's democratic régime.
The guards of regional, district and town committees shall be armed immediately. At the same time, the factory guards shall be gradually armed according to approval of the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP.
3. Immediate steps should be taken for the organization of the protection of central institutions and of institutions functioning in the main cities in Romania. The State Security bodies, strengthened, wherever necessary, by troops of the Armed Forces shall make such protection.
4. Immediate steps shall be taken to strengthen the defense of the frontier with Hungary.
5. As for the things that occurred at the Timisoara Polytechnic School, steps shall be taken to apprehend the persons gathered at the Polytechnic School and to escort them to a special place, where the Security bodies shall sort out the hostile elements.
6. As of October 30, 1956, 10: 00 p.m., a General Command shall be organized, formed of Comrades Emil Bodnaras, Nicolae Ceausescu, Alexandru Draghici, Leontin Salajan, in order to coordinate the above-mentioned actions and to take efficient measures on the basis of the decisions of the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP.
7. The General Command shall function under the leadership of Comrade Emil Bodnaras and shall be subordinated to the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP and to the Council of Ministers of the Romanian People's republic. The General Command shall be permanently in touch with Comrade Gh. Gheorghiu-Dej, First-Secretary of the CC of the RWP and with Comrade Chivu Stoica, Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
8. The General Command shall be entitled to take any measures - wherever necessary to secure order - including the right to give the order to open fire if necessary.
When difficult situations are obtaining in certain places, the General Command may declare the state of emergency in the respective zones, to be established according to the gravity of the situation, such measures having to be submitted then for approval to the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP.
9. The General Command may take measures to suspend courses in some higher education institutes if imposed by circumstances.
10. All reports on the situation obtaining in the country shall be sent to the General Command.
11. All measures aimed at securing order in regions and districts shall be taken under the leadership of the respective Party bodies.
12. The Propaganda and Culture Directorate of the CC of the RWP shall submit to the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP the list of persons receiving Agerpres special information bulletins, in order to reduce their number.
13. Suggestions shall be made concerning measures to be taken in connection with the former Legionaries, Nyilasist, Szalasist leaders and with the leaders of the former bourgeois parties in this country.
14. Special attention shall be paid to the Romanian Railways Company and the Post, Telegraph and Telephone Services. The Presidium of the Council of Ministers will examine the question of raising the wages of the Railways and Post Office personnel.
15. During the coming days, the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP shall gather daily to hear the report of the General Command on the situation obtaining in the country and establish the relevant measures to be taken.
16. Meetings shall be organized in enterprises to explain and discuss the decision of the CC of the RWP, the Council of Ministers and the Central Council of the Trade Unions concerning the improvement of the current wage and pension system. These meetings shall send telegrams to the CC of the RWP and the Council of Ministers.
(ss) Gheorghiu-Dej
###
October 30, 1956. Bucharest
Participants: Gh. Apostol, E. Bodnaras, P. Borila, N. Ceausescu, Chivu Stoica, Al. Draghici, Gh. Gheorghiu-Dej, Al. Moghioros, C. Pârvulescu.
Presides: Comrade Gh. Gheorghiu-Dej.
Agenda: On certain measures able to secure order in the country.
Following discussions, the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP decides as follows:
Taking into account that, in the wake of the worsening situation in the Hungarian People's Republic, certain reactionary elements are agitating themselves and given the hostile manifestations of some groups of students in the city of Timisoara, the following measures are necessary:
1. Political activity in the ranks of the working class should be intensified to strengthen its spirit of combativeness against the schemes of the class enemy.
The working class that has built up the people's democratic system should scrupulously defend its conquests against the attempts made by certain alien elements to deliver a blow to the people's democratic régime.
Special attention should be paid to political activity in the ranks of the youth, of the intelligentsia, and particularly, in the ranks of the students, a mass more susceptible to be influenced by hostile elements.
2. Measures should be taken to strengthen the defense of regional and town Party and people's councils' headquarters.
Moreover, measures should be taken to strengthen and seriously organize the enterprise guards.
Wherever necessary, special groups should be organized to provide support to the Militia.
The guards groups shall be formed of the best members of the Party, the UWY and of the trade unions, comrades devoted body and soul to the cause of the Party and the people's democratic régime.
The guards of regional, district and town committees shall be armed immediately. At the same time, the factory guards shall be gradually armed according to approval of the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP.
3. Immediate steps should be taken for the organization of the protection of central institutions and of institutions functioning in the main cities in Romania. The State Security bodies, strengthened, wherever necessary, by troops of the Armed Forces shall make such protection.
4. Immediate steps shall be taken to strengthen the defense of the frontier with Hungary.
5. As for the things that occurred at the Timisoara Polytechnic School, steps shall be taken to apprehend the persons gathered at the Polytechnic School and to escort them to a special place, where the Security bodies shall sort out the hostile elements.
6. As of October 30, 1956, 10: 00 p.m., a General Command shall be organized, formed of Comrades Emil Bodnaras, Nicolae Ceausescu, Alexandru Draghici, Leontin Salajan, in order to coordinate the above-mentioned actions and to take efficient measures on the basis of the decisions of the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP.
7. The General Command shall function under the leadership of Comrade Emil Bodnaras and shall be subordinated to the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP and to the Council of Ministers of the Romanian People's republic. The General Command shall be permanently in touch with Comrade Gh. Gheorghiu-Dej, First-Secretary of the CC of the RWP and with Comrade Chivu Stoica, Chairman of the Council of Ministers.
8. The General Command shall be entitled to take any measures - wherever necessary to secure order - including the right to give the order to open fire if necessary.
When difficult situations are obtaining in certain places, the General Command may declare the state of emergency in the respective zones, to be established according to the gravity of the situation, such measures having to be submitted then for approval to the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP.
9. The General Command may take measures to suspend courses in some higher education institutes if imposed by circumstances.
10. All reports on the situation obtaining in the country shall be sent to the General Command.
11. All measures aimed at securing order in regions and districts shall be taken under the leadership of the respective Party bodies.
12. The Propaganda and Culture Directorate of the CC of the RWP shall submit to the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP the list of persons receiving Agerpres special information bulletins, in order to reduce their number.
13. Suggestions shall be made concerning measures to be taken in connection with the former Legionaries, Nyilasist, Szalasist leaders and with the leaders of the former bourgeois parties in this country.
14. Special attention shall be paid to the Romanian Railways Company and the Post, Telegraph and Telephone Services. The Presidium of the Council of Ministers will examine the question of raising the wages of the Railways and Post Office personnel.
15. During the coming days, the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP shall gather daily to hear the report of the General Command on the situation obtaining in the country and establish the relevant measures to be taken.
16. Meetings shall be organized in enterprises to explain and discuss the decision of the CC of the RWP, the Council of Ministers and the Central Council of the Trade Unions concerning the improvement of the current wage and pension system. These meetings shall send telegrams to the CC of the RWP and the Council of Ministers.
(ss) Gheorghiu-Dej
###
Summary of the decisions taken at the meeting of the RWP Politburo concerning actions to be taken in conjunction with the developments in Hungary.
Author(s):
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Source
ANIC, CC RCP Chancellery, File No. 124/1956, pp.1-5. See also 1956. Explozia, Perceptii române, iugoslave si sovietice asupra evenimentelor din Polonia si Ungaria [1956. The Explosion. Romanian, Yugoslav and Soviet Perceptions of the Events in Poland and Hungary], Editura Univers Enciclopedic, Bucharest 1996 (eds. Mihai Lungu, Mihai Retegan; postface by Florin Constantiniu), pp. 143-145. Translated by Delia Razdolescu
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