USSR: LEADERSHIP VIEWS ON POLAND

Created: 7/30/1981

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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USSR: Leadership views on Poland

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Soviet leader* are frustratedir the situation in foler'i, tlj.iv it i'itle haso any deep divisions in the Politburo.

statements on Poland appear to have been carefully coordinated, and any differences in tone seen more related to the changing situation there than to individual policy preferences. The consensus remains intact, although perhaps more fragile than it has been at times in the past.

One recent report suggests, however, that there have been at least varying degrees of enthusiasm for the current "wait-and-see" approach the Politburo has adopted. According to the report. President Breihnevore moderate group that includes Premier Tikhonov, party officials Xirllenko and Grishin, and KGB chief Andropov. This group has prevailed thus far, arguing just before the recent Polish party congress that the dangers of reform do not yet outweigh the adverse consequences of Intervention. BHHBs^HS

The moderates favored deferring further action until the congress had ended, settinginimum condition foremonstration that the Polish Com-nunist Party was firmly in control and that Poland wouldember of the Warsaw Pact. roup ofreportedly was led by Suslov and Included all other member* of the Politburo, except DefenseUstinov, who straddled the issue, and Porelgn Ministerposition was not explained.

umber of aspects of the report seem questionable, the identification of positions held by Brezhnev, Tikhonov, and Suslov is generally consistent with the few other reports available that describe shades of opinion in the Politburo. The paucity of such reports, or even rumors, about leadership differences, however, suggests that this crisis has not yet produced the kind of polarity that existed8 before the invasion of Czechoslovakia. On the other hand, this latest report does suggest that the Soviet leadership is not of one mind on Poland and is constantly reassessing the highly volatile situation there.