GLEE

ik CRUICKSHANK REPORTS FROM POLAND

_ Poland, USSR stand Mays to socialism ”
5 together as equals

By GORDON CRUICKSHANK

WARSAW

Hundreds of thousands of cheering people in the biggest mass meeting War-

saw has seen for many years

on Wednesday last week heard Wladislaw Gomulka

explain the relations between Poland and the Soviet Union.
Gomulka said the talks held when the Soviet delegation arrived in Warsaw
enabled them “‘to understand better the. political situation in Poland.

There was a great outburst
of applause when he added:
“We recently received from
Khrushchev an assurance that
he does not see any obstacle
between our two states and
parties arising from the eighth
plenum of our party.

“Tt only depends on us how
long the Soviet military spec-
ialists and advisers will remain
in this country. We have re-
ceived assurance from Khrush-
chev that the Soviet armies
in Poland will in two days
time return to their bases.”

Poland was threatened in
the west by the Atlantic Pact
and West German claims
against her frontiers.

The Soviet troops were there
under the Warsaw Pact, sign-
ed by all East European social-
ist countries.

In_ that situation, Poles
should resist any attempt at
agitation undertaken by forces
which were against the peo-
ple and wanted to weaken the
alliance between socialist coun-
tries.

He emphasised that rela-
tions between socialist coun-
tries should be based on in-
ternational workers’ solidari-
ty, mutual assistance and con-

fidence, equality of rights and
friendly criticism.

“Within the framework of
these relations every. country
should have full independence
and sovereignty, the right to
self-government and the right
to have full responsibility.”

The meeting was held in the
immense square about half a
mile long and 300 yards wide
in front of Warsaw’s Palace
of Culture and Science.

The square was packed from
end to end with people who
came to hear Gomulka make
his first public speech since
his political comeback.

Whole factories, schools and
institutions turned out and be-
gan marching on the square
from one o’clock, two hours
before the meeting was due
to start. Many carried red
flags and red and white flags
of Poland.

It has been said figuratively
that the Polish masses are
rallying around the United
Workers’ party and Gomulka;
in this meeting that expression
was a physical reality.

The meeting was very dis-
ciplined. There was no stew-

arding or organized control
except for one line of young
men and women stewards
wearing red and white arm-
bands who cordoned off the
tribune from which Gomulka

spoke. Tremendous applause
greeted his appearance.

His speech was brief and
realistic. He made no prom-
ises and offered hard work and
increased efficiency as a solu-
tion to Poland’s difficult eco-
nomic situation.

Speaking about the Soviet
Union, he said:

“The backbone of the alli-
ance of the socialist countries
is the socialist Soviet Union,
the oldest socialist country.”
Friendship based on indepen-
dence would be “friendship
from the hearts of the people”
and not by order of the gov-
ernment,

Offers of Polish people to
subscribe money and valuables
to a national loan or to accept
volunntary pay cuts to aid the
government’s economic plan
were rejected as unnecessary
by Gomulka.

On the immediate future, he
said: “Go-home, stop demon-
strating now, and work hard.”

WARSAW

In a two and a half hour
speech to the central com-
mittee of the United Workers
party, Wladislaw Gomulka,
newly elected first secretary,
declared that Poland would
find “the best model for so-
cialism in our conditions” by
taking the achievements and
experiences of the various
countries building socialism.

Reviewing relations between
Poland and other socialist
states and between the Polish
Workers party and the work-
ers’ parties of other countries,
he said:

“The fullest definition of
the social content of socialism
is that it cancels any exploita-
tion or oppression of man by
man.

“But the ways of achieving
that aim can be and are dif-
ferent. The model of social-
ism can vary. It can be the
model as creatéd in the Soviet
Union or as in Yugoslavia, or
it can be still different from
both of those:

“Only by taking achieve-
ments and experiences of vari-
ous countries building social-
ism can there be created the
best model for socialism in our
conditions.”

Dealing with the attitudes
of socialist states in their deal-
ings with each other, he said:

“Their relationship should
be based on_ international
working-class solidarity, on

mutual confidence and equal

MEETINGS HELD THROUGHOUT COUNTRY

People discuss Poland's

WARSAW
A great mass movement is
sweeping Poland — for de-

mocratization, friendship with
the Soviet Union on equal
terms, and the development
of a Polish road to socialism.
While the central committee
of the United Workers’ party
thrashed out policy at its re-
cent meeting, scores. of fac-
tories, institutions, mass or-
ganizations and students’ or-
ganizations held meetings
throughout the country.
Thousands of _ resolutions
poured into the central com-
mittee. They all specifically
and categorically support de-
mocratization and Gomulka.
From the Military Technical
Academy in Warsaw came a
resolution stating that the stu-
dents fully supported democ-

ratization and said that they
“strongly opposed any attempt
to drive a wedge between the
army and the people.” They
were against all attempts to
develop anti-intellectual ~ and
anti-Semitic feeling.

Warsaw Polytechnic students
were particularly active. In
a series of mass meetings to
which delegates and deputa-
tions from factories, student
and other organizations all
over Poland came, they pro-
vided a mass political forum
for the expression of ideas.

For six hours I sat in the
immense Polytechnic Hall. It
must be 70 yards long by 50
yards wide and is encircled
by four tiers of balconies;
every inch of space in the
hall and*on the balconies was
crammed with people.

At one stage they were even
crawling over the great, glass-

domed roof, prising off panes
of glass and poking their heads
through the apertures to hear
what was going on below.

Around the building; in
courtyards and streets, thous-
ands of people listened to the
speeches relayed over loud-
speakers.

The feeling was overwhelm-
ing and when speakers made
points that struck the meeting
favorably they threw caps,
hats, scarves and coats into
the air as they shouted, clap-
ped and whistled their ap-
proval.

Among the important
speeches was a_ report-back
from a deputation that had
been elected to attend on the
central committee for infor-
mation as to why the Soviet
delegation had come to” War-
saw. :

The deputation leader said

that Wladislaw Gomulka had
seen them, together with two
other members of the central
committee of the Polish Work-
ers’ party.

He had told them that the
Soviet delegation had come be-
cause they had feared that

steps dangerous to Polish-
Soviet solidarity might be
taken. The Soviet delegation

had been assured that there
was no danger of such steps
and had left Warsaw after
amicable discussions.

An outstanding feature of
every speech made to the Poly-
technic meeting was the em-
phasis laid on the genuine de-
sire and need of the Polish
people for friendship with the
Soviet Union.

Friendship, friendship,
friendship — but equality too.
“We cannot have interference
with the internal affairs of

NOVEMBER 2, 1956 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE ©

differ, says Gomulka

an
rights, Bnd on helping on
other, on mutual and frie

criticism.

“Within the framework
the above relations €4¢ ees
try should have full sove™”

ty and independence

“Unfortunately, in the
relations between us 2%

great friendly rani

Soviet Union, were 2°!

like that.’

Outlining -his views ©

“process of democratiza

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“We must tell the ¥

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Gomulka ae

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‘a
that the way to demoe

to the best model of

in our circumstances:
Reviewing the Poza

Gomulka said:

“The working class
taught a bitter lessot ae

id

an

re

party leadership and

ernment.

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part in the strike shou
a loud voice: ‘Enough:
not go on like this 4?

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path!’
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and the deep dissatis roo
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our party and inside

ernment circles.”

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our country,
from Lublin.

” said a

Lech Gozdzik, a

the Zeran motor wor
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said:

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Soviet Union, wh?
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Talking about the
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said:
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