More Alarming News from Poland

Deeply concerned about the ongoing economic and political crisis in Poland in the early 1980s, Soviet leaders regularly communicated with Polish officials, providing advice, support, and criticism. These meeting notes from April 2, 1981, of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in the Soviet Union convey Soviet leaders' dissatisfaction, frustration, and even anger with Polish leaders' lack of concrete action against and leniency toward the Solidarity movement. Polish officials, according to these notes, were not following the recommendations provided by Soviet leaders. As this document shows, some Soviet officials called for "extraordinary" measures, including the introduction of martial law, which was eventually introduced in December 1981 in Poland. Notably, these notes also point to the Soviet leaders' concern about the spread of Solidarity to parts of the Soviet Union.