Exchange of Opinions on the Polish Question

In September 1981, Solidarity held its first Congress in which it adopted a document, "An Appeal to the Peoples of Eastern Europe," a message geared toward working-class people in other Soviet bloc countries. Leaders in the Soviet Union, not surprisingly, viewed this message as dangerous, having the potential to spread the Polish unrest throughout the region. During a meeting of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union [CPSU], Soviet officials discussed possible responses, including the use of their own workers in large factories to issue a rebuff in the media with the intent of discrediting the statements made by Solidarity. These meeting notes also reveal the continued frustration that Soviet leaders displayed regarding Polish leaders' lack of decisive action against Solidarity and their disregard for advice from Soviet officials. Brezhnev used "An Appeal to the Peoples of Eastern Europe" as a reason to put pressure on Polish leaders to introduce martial law, which was eventually introduced three months later in December 1981.