Secretary of State Cable, Solidarity-Government Dialogue

In June 1989, Poland held its first semi-free elections since the inception of communism after World War II, in which the Communist Party was soundly defeated by the opposition. Following this historic election, ongoing negotiations took place between Communist officials and new leaders in an effort to create stability and ensure that the transition was smooth. In this confidential cable from August 1989, James Baker, the U.S. secretary of state, wrote to the American Embassy in Warsaw, indicating the importance of maintaining this dialogue between Communist leaders (represented by Czesław Kiszczak, minister of internal affairs) and their opposition (represented by Lech Walesa, Solidarity leader and eventually president of Poland). This document points to U.S. involvement in the process of democratization in Poland.