POLAND: ANOTHER TEST FOR THE REGIME

Created: 12/28/1981

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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POLAND: Another Teat for the Regime

The regime's attempt to impose order vitt be testedtoday as most of the work ferae ende its holiday. Stricteasures will not be sufficient to preclude widespread passiveThe Church may have secured tne release of some people detained by the government. The status of Soviet and other WarsawPact military forces remaine substantially unchanged, with SovietPoland probably still oneemBBBBamemmeBBmemmB

.The reduced holiday work schedule likely hasi an.important'factor in defusing potentialovernment probably hopes .that its strong show of force

. and its success at breaking strikes have convincedera that-new resistance would be futile. The regime also may believe that the..imposition of strict discipline

"on factories and mines that have been militarizedeterrent. .v. '

To intimidate would-be strikers, the militaryyesterday announcedumber of Solidarity activists, have been givenix months to threealftrying; to' organize strikes since the imposition of martial

ittle hard evidence is available to gauge theworkers, but discontent'is likely to bethe coal mines of Silesia and along the Balticeomo workers in Gdansk will not returnweek. Some workers probably will try tosit-in striken, but the predominant response may bepassive-resistance in the form .of* :

The regime may be losing patience with strikers athe Plant coal mine In Silesia/ apparently the only major strike still under way. TASSember of Warsaw's martial lav council as stating that the "responsibilityfor this senseless action will be borne by those who resorted to violence, who terrorized theirhis couldoughening of tactics to end the strike. The government earlier had broadcast appeals of wives and moth ere to Induce striking miners to end their holdout. faem^

^proved for

CIACO NID aiest]1

A government, announcement yesterday that meat rations will be smaller next month for all except manual laborersrop in procurements fuel private fermers and the inadequacy of recent deliveries from other Communist countries. Polish television on Sunday blamed the US suspension of grain deliveries for reduced poultry 4emes*

. If deliveriee from private farmers continue at low levels, the regime will come under strong pressure toa system of compulsory deliveries. Thewould be reluctant to establishystem, how-ever, because it would embitter relations with farmersfor years and would be Interpretedign that the regime is not really interested in reform, "earns*

Church Activities -;

Papal envoy Poggi, back in Rome yesterday,ublicly that ha still has "hopesialogue between the authorities and the social forces" of Poland. 'The French press agency, meanwhile, reports that its Vatican sources claim the Church has secured the releaseeople detained by the Polish Government. Thedds that Polish churchmen In Rome believe that the regime hashan ie being reported in many Western media but more thandmitted by Warnaw. easBB|

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Moscow's

Soviet media coverage yeeterday focused heevily on allaoed US efforts to -internationalize- ths Polish oviet commentator charged that the US was try- na torisis to pursue its own "egotisticforce the Western Allies into line, to wreckthe Geneva IhT talks, and to provide cover for an -adventure" In Libya, Nicaragua, or Iran. eammV

The thrust of the commentaryajor effort by the USSR to Isolate the US from Its Allies on this

Western sanction* and its long-termedge between the US and Its Allies ensure that the effort will continue. 4bbV

issue. Moscow's interest in avoiding any coordinated

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Original document.

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