POLAND: REGIME'S TOUGH STANCE

Created: 7/10/1981

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

July1

POLAND; Regime's Tough Stance

The government took eeveral aotione yesterday to ehcvtoughneve before the Central CommitteeImm today andzcnarvoe

The Ministry of Transportation appointed an Air Force general to head the nation's airline, thusSolidarity's demand that employees have the final voice in the selection process. Airline employees, whoour-hour warning strike yesterday totheir demands, will be angered by the government move and may decide to advance the dateonger strike, now threatened foruly.

The Supreme Court decision to jeil three dissidents until their trial reaumes later this month may pleaae the Sovleta but willtrong outcry from some of the dissidents* supporters. The action responds to thecontention that the accused wora engaging in illegal political activity during the numerous trialit overturned the decision of the court whloh has been handling the trial since it began ln mid-June. The defendants, who are membersmall extremist group accused of aubveraion, had earlier been allowed their freedom largely because of public protests. fwj

These action* may have been intended to head off any criticisms from party conservatives at the Centralplenum. Party chief Kania has been under pressure to stand first againat Solidarity's demands and the dissi-dents and probably felt that he could not compromise at this time.

In addition to approving final preparations for the congreas, the plenum is slated toeportto account members of the Gierek leadership for their faulty political and economic decisions. Kania hopes to prevent this politically delicate issue from dominating discussion at the congress.

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xi fcr Release

1

Soviets Praise Hardline Publication

The Soviets have departed from their recent tactic of avoiding public alignment with Polish hardliners. Izvaatic on Wednesday commended an ultraconservative weekly newspaper in Warsaw for continuing to voice its views, despite anonymous threats to burr, down its officer.. wmj

Moscow's action may be meant to improve the morale of its conservative allies, whose position is almostto suffer at the party congress, it also seemsto keep pressure on the Polish regime to tighten controls over more liberal newspapers. The government has already tnadeoves in this direction. MW

Original document.

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