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POLAND: Pivotal Meeting Today
lleithcr the regime nori ho" *hoan any sign ittory difficult and perhaps pivotaltoday. M
Party leader Kania yesterday said Solidarity's call for strikes created the "danger of self-destruction" andocal incident into an issue that "threatenscatastrophe."
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Deputy Premier Rakowski, who will meet with union leader Walesa today, warned that Solidarity's leaders are attempting to become the "new owners" of Poland. He also said "stubborn demands" will not break socialist power in the country but might lead itfratricidal"
A reliable report suggests theleasttoday'scontinue to stand by its story that the incident last week in Bydgoszcz was caused by Solidarity and that the police did not harm the three Solidarity functionaries who were injured. overnment investigating commission is still studying the matter.
Solidarity,ong and stormy meeting Monday night, yesterdayallarning strike on Fridayeneral strike next Tuesday unless themeets its demands. The union also hasmember strike committee headed by Walesa that willout of Gdansk, union leaders from the Warsaw area have moved into the largeactory to conduct their m
The union is waging an extensive and apparentlypropaganda campaign about the incident in Bydgoszcz. Posters and leaflets providing Solidarity's version of evonts have appearedumber of cities, and the populace apparently believes the union's story. Students in Krakow havetrike alert inof Solidarity.
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Economic I'roblerrs
Tho political tonblon has aggravated the food Radio Warsaw last night repo-ttd that long lines of people were waiting to buy food in three cities along the Baltic coast and that an "acute" food shortage exists. The governor of Gdansk has ordered all food rationed. Even before the latest politicalolitburosuggested that food riots could occur in Poland if supplies do not improve, inolish economist recommended immediate introduction of bread rationing.
Moscow has signaled approvalard line toward Solidarity by carrying in TASS the statement made by the Polish Politburo on Sunday essentially word for word. TASS, significantly, quoted from the original Warsaw Radio version of the statement and ignored changesubsequent Polish version that appeared to leave open the door for some compromise by the regime.
Moscow Radio commentator Yuri Shogylin yesterday echoed this tough stance and called Solidarity's plans for protest strikes "political" in nature. In aon Sunday, he had charged Solidarity's leadershi with attempting to establish "dual power" in Poland.
We have no indications the Soviets have begunpreparations to ready their forcesesult of the heightened tensions.
The Warsaw Pact exercises probablyBnnnl
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