REPORT BASED ON INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM MEDIA SOURCES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84B00049R000601440005-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 14, 2008
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: December 27, 1981
• Content Type: CABLE

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STATE
1PAGE 001
TOR: 271949Z DEC 81
00 RUEAIIB
ZNY SSSSS ZOC STATE ZZH
STU9059
00 RUEHC
DE RUDKR W 02559/01 361 1900
ZNY SSSSS ZZH ZZK
0 271836Z DEC 81 ZFF?4
FM AMEMBASSY WARSAW
TO SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 5122
ST
S E C R E T WARSAW 12559 COMBINED SECTION
E,0. 12065: RDS 12/27/01 (WILGIS, BERBERT) ORwM
TAGS: MPOL, BGOV, PINT, PINS9 PL
SUBJECTS REPORT BASED ON INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM MEDIA SOURCES
1. EMBASSY HAS RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION FROM
MEDIA SOURCES. EMBASSY CANNOT CONFIRM THE ACCURACY OF THE REPORT.
2. POLES ARE ADAPTING TO WHAT IS SHAPING UP AS A LONG, REPRESSIVE
PERIOD OF MARTIAL LAW WITH BITTER JOKES, BITS OF GRAFFITI ON THE WALLS,
AND TALK OF AN UNDERGROUND STRUGGLE TO KEEP THE IDEAS OF SOLIDARITY ALIVE.
TWO WEEKS AFTER THE IMPOSITION OF MARTIAL LAW, THE SITUATION IN THE
COUNTRY WAS FAR FROM CLEAR. AFTER A FOUR DAY BREAK FOR THE CHRISTAMS
HOLIDAY, WORK WAS DUE TO RESUME MONDAY AT FOCTORIES AND COAL MINES
WHICH HAD BEEN THE FOCUS OF EARLY OPEN RESISTANCE TO THE MILITARY
AUTHORITIES.THE AUTHORITIES ARE LOOKING AT HIS WEEK AS A MAJOR TEST
OF WHETHER THEY CAN SAFELY RELAX SOMEWHAT THE UNPRECEDENTED RESTRICTIONS
ON PERSONAL FREEDOM THAT HAVE SO FAR KEPT THE OPPOSITION FROM MOUNTING
A COORDINATED ANTIGOVERNMENT CAMPAIGN. AMONG THE POTENTIAL TROUBLE
SPOTS ARE THE LENIN SHIPYARD IN GDANSK, WHERE SOLIDARITY WAS BONR 16
MONTHS AGO, THE GIANT KATOWICE STEEL MILL WHERE THE SECURITY FORCES
HAVE ALREADY PUT DOWN TWO STRIKES IN AS MANY WEEKS,AND THE COAL MINES
State Dept. review completed
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OF SILESIA, WHERE AT LEAST SEVEN WORKERS HAVE ALREADY DIED.
OBSERVERS FOUND IT SIGNIFICANT THAT WORKERS RESIS-
STANCE HAD CENTERED IN TWO VITAL ECONOMIC SECTORS IN
WIDELY DISTANT REGIONS--THE BALTIC SHIPYARDS
AND THE SOUTHERN COAL MINES. ANY LONG TERM DISTRUBANCE
IN EITHER OF THESE SECTORS THREATENS TO BRING POLAND'S
VIRTUALLY BANKRUPT ECONOMY TO A TOTAL COLLAPSE.
THE AUTHORITIES SAY THE ONLY HOLDOUTS AGAINST MILITARY
RULE ARE THE 1100 MINERS AT THE BTOOM OF THE PIAST
MINE NEAR KATOWICE. BUT POLES ARE BEGINNING TO EXPRESS
THEIR OPPOSITION IN DOZENS OF WAYS, SOME OPEN AND
DEFIANT, OTHERS CLANDESTINE AND MILD.
SOME POLES MADE VISITS TO THEIR FAMILIES DURING THE
HOLIDAYS WEARING BLACK MOURNING RIBBONS ON THEIR LAPELS
-A FORM OF PROTEST THAT WAS USED AFTER THE 1863
UPRISING WAS PUT DOWN BY THE CZAR. TODAY A CAR
WITH SOLIDARITY STICKER DISPLAYED BOLDLY ON THE
REAR WINDOW DROVE DOWN ONE OF WARSAW'S ICY THOROUGHFARES.
BUT MOST WORE THEIR BUTTONS LESS CONSPICUOUSLY -- ON
THE INSIDES OF LAPELS, FOR EXAMPLE.
ONE RESIDENT IN THE MOKOTOW SECTIONS SOUTH OF
DOWNTOWN, PUT A SOLIDARITY BUTTON ON THE CHRISTMAS
WREATH ADORNING HIS FRONT DOOR, BUT THEN TOOK IT DOWN
AFTER AN HOUR.
"WHAT'S THE QUICKEST WAY TO GET AN AMBULANCE?" ASKS
ONE OF THE BITTER MARTIAL LAW JOKES CIRCULATING WIDELY
THROUGH THE CAPITAL, WHERE TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS
HAVE BEEN CUT SINCE DEC. 12. "GO OUTSIDE TO
A TELEPHONE BOOTH AFTER CURFEW AND YELL'SOLIDARITY"".
"ADOLF JARUZELSKI" GRAFFITI HAS APPEARED IN SOME
PARTS OF TOWN -- A BITING COMPARISON OF ADOLF HITLER
WITH POLAND'S MARTIAL LAW SHIEF, GEN. WOJCIECH JARUSELSKI.
POLES HAVE TAKEN TO CALLING THE NEW MILITARY
COUNCIL "THE CROW" AFTER ITS POLISH ACRONYM. "THE
CROW WILL NOT CONQUER THE EAGLE" -- POLAND'S NATIONAL SYMBOL.
ALL THEATERS, MOVIE HOUSES, AND SPORTS EVENTS HAVE
BEEN CLOSED OR CANCELLED SINCE MARTIAL LAW BEGAN.
AFTER A STEADY DIET OF MILITARY CONCERTS AND WAR FILMSI
POLISH TELEVISION IS NOW LIGHTENING ITS FARE, WITH
"THE FLINTSTONESs""THE MUPPETSs" A SEXY SCANDAVIAN
REVIEW, AND OLD LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT FILMS.
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.BUT MOSTLY POLES ARE REVIVING THE OLD CUSTOM OF DROP-IN VISIT,
THEY BRING FLOWERS. A BIT OF VODKA IF THERE IS ANY. AND LOTS OF
PRIMARILY MARTIAL LAW GOSSIP. THEY EXPECT THE SAME IN RETURN. BUT AT
10145 PM. DOORS UP AND DOWN THE BLOCK OPEN. AND PEOPLE TRUDGE THROUGH
THE SNOW IN A MAD DASH TO BEAT THE 11 PM CURFEW. DURING THEIR VISITS.
SOME POLES ENGAGE IN A
NEW PASTIME--DREAMING UP WAYS TO FOIL THE AUTHORITIES.
ONE STUDENT DESCRIBED A SERIES OF INVENTIVE TECHNIQUES
FOR SPREADING LEAFLETS. HE SAID STUDENTS AT WARSAW
POLYTECHNIC HAD DEVISED A BOX. CHARGED WITH FLARES AND
CONTAINING A STACK OF LEAFLETS. WHICH WOULD EXPLODE
MINUTES AFTER BEING SET. SCATTERING THE CONTENTSCIDELY.
HE ALSO SAID CHEMICAL STUDENTS HAD COME UP WITH AN
INVISIBLE INK-TYPE PAINT USED TO DESECRATE OFFICIAL
POSTERS. THIRTY MINUTES AFTER IT IS APPLIED--AND LONG
AFTER THE PERPETRATORS HAVE DISAPPEARED INTO THE CROWDS.
THE PAINT BLOTS OUT THE OFFICIAL PROPAGANDE.
THE EXISTENCE OF THESE INVENTIONS COULD NOT BE INDEPENDENTLY
CONFIRMED. THERE ARE ALSO NUMEROUS STORIES OF OLD POLISH SOL-
DIERS FROM THE WARTIME RESISTANCE MOVEMENT GIVING LESSONS TO
YOUNGSTERS IN HOW TO TAKE ON THE MARTIAL LAW AUTHORITIES.
THERE APPEARS TO BE NO SUBSTANCE TO REPORTS THAT
TWO OF POLAND'S BEST KNOWN POLITICAL DISSIDENTSw-
JACEK KURON AND ADAM MICHNIK--HAVE BEEN TREATED
BRUTALLY IN PRISON. MICHNIK
WAS REPORTED BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE VISITED THE
BIALOLENKA PRISON WHERE HE IS HELD TO BE
ENGAGING IN POLITICAL DISCUSSIONS WITH PRISON OFFICIALS.
THE VISITORS SAID THE CELL DOORS OF MANY
DETAINEES WERE OPEN SO THEY COULD CONGREGATE.
KVRON WAS REPORTED TO HAVE ORGANIZED A POLITICAL
STUDY GROUP FOR WORKERS WITH WHOM ME IS BEING
HELD.IN A PRISON NEAR GDANSK.
AT A MAJOR INTERSECTION IN A WARSAW SUBURB: THERE
WAS ONE SIGN OF A MORE RELAXED ATMOSPHERE. THREE
SOLDIERS IN FULL BATTLE DRESS HAD GIVEN VP THEIR NORMAL
DUTIES OF CHECKING THE IDENTIFICATIONS OF PASSING
MOTORISTS. INSTEAD THEY BUILT A SNOWMAN IN THE SHADOW
OF THEIR ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIER.
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