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June 5, 1989

Transcript of the Central Committee Secretariat Meeting of the Polish United Workers Party (PZPR)

This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation

On the day after Solidarity had swept Poland’s first open elections, ultimately winning 99 of 100 Senate seats, the Polish Communists vent their shock and dismay ("a bitter lesson," "the party are not connected with the masses," "We trusted the Church and they turned out to be Jesuits" were typical comments). Comrade Kwasniewski (who was later elected President of Poland) remarks that "It’s well known that also party members were crossing out our candidates" (only two out of 35 Party candidates survived the epidemic of X’s). But they see no choice but to negotiate a coalition government, and specifically "[w]arn against attempts at destabilization, pointing at the situation in China" -- since the Tiananmen massacre occurred the same day as the Polish elections, the road not taken.


Document Information

Source

PZPR Secretariat files, copies obtained by the Institute for Political Studies, Polish Academy of Sciences and published in "Tajne dokumenty: Biura Politycznego i Sekretariatu KC, Ostatni rok wladzy 1988-1989" (London: Aneks Publishers, 1994) pp. 390-398. Translated by Jan Chowaniec for The National Security Archive. Published in National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 22.

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Original Uploaded Date

2013-01-18

Type

Meeting Minutes

Language

Record ID

116228

Donors

Leon Levy Foundation