EASTERN EUROPEAN INTELLIGENCER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79B00864A001400010120-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 12, 2006
• Sequence Number: 120
• Publication Date: January 7, 1974
• Content Type: NOTES

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#4 EASTERN EUROPEAN INThLLIGENCER OCI #0548/74
7 Jan. 1974
State Dept. review completed
Belgrade University Dissidence Sprads to Zagreb
The Zagreb Student Federation last week condemned a student
organization within the philosophy faculty at Zagreb University
for supporting dissident students and professors at Belgrade
University. 25X1
A Tan!= commentary condemned the student support in Zagreb
and hinted that the students there may have initiated a Otablic
demonstration. Labelling the student action as "politically
thoughtless," Zagreb authorities have reportedly called on the
philosophy students to elect new leaders.
This is both the first indication of support for the
Belgrade dissidents from another university and the only recent
indication of problems within the philosophy faculty in
Zagreb. Party organization in all faculties will now be tasked
with preventing the further spread of dissidence, including
demonstrations. The party is attefltpting to isolate the bslgrade
dissidents prior to their expected purge from the university
rolls. The purge is in line with Tito's drive to cut adrift
all those who oppose the party's will.
The party organization at Belgrade University has struggled
for nearly a year to remove eight controversial, leftist oriented 25X1
professors. Their removal has been publicly opposed by Some
Belgrade philosophy students, but a recent reorgahization of the
university now gives the party this power.
Prague Assails Solzhenitsyn
A commentator on Prague television claims that in the
case of Solzhenitsyn "we are dealing with a man who has lost
his reason." The commentator further claims that the SoViet
author has also: lost his way as far as art is concerned.
In an interview on 4 January, Jan Kliment, a reporter
for the party paper Rude Pravo, said that Solzhenitsyn, whom
he called "the former Soviet writer," evidently has, come to
regard himself as something of a savior. Actually, he is
inviting the "most terrible fate man can imagine--loneliness
and condemnation." Kliment apparently feels that he has
exposed Solzhenitsyn by attributing to him the views that
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"Tsarism was a system liberal and full of love for the people
in comparison with the Soviet system," that Vlasov was the
sole hero among Soviet generals, and that the Nazis were
"merciful and lenient toward the Russians and the East European
nations."
Although the commentator admits that the appearance of
Gulag Archipelago is a "sensation," he attempts to discredit
the author by showing that he has misguided supporters and
repellent opinions. Kliment alleges that the first Western
publications to seize on the story were right-wing papers that
back the regimes in Chile, Spain, and Greece. This claim was
buttressed by an article in Rude Pravo on 5 January that
alleged Solzhenitsyn's new book will serve the interests of
those in the US who oppose detente with the Soviet Union.
Migrant Labor and the Yugoslav Economy
A high-level West German labor ministry delegation arrives
in Belgrade today to discuss employment prospects for foreign
workers in the Federal Republic in 1974. These discussions
assume considerable significance, because Germany is the
largest foreign employer of Yugoslav migrant labor.
An expected economic recession in Europe and the recent
decision of several countries, including the FRG, to discontinue
accepting foreign guest workers have contributed to recent
concern that Yugoslav migrant workers and the Yugoslav economy
might suffer. For years, Yugoslavia has counted on foreign
markets for its labor force to alleviate unemployment problems.
In addition, cash remittances from the approximately one million
Yugoslav workers abroad have significantly helped the balance
of payments. As a result, the loss of this source of hard
currency income and the potential return of a substantial number
of workers to a labor market already experiencing unemployment
could further complicate problems in the Yugoslav economy.
Yugoslav officials have told US diplomats in Belgrade
that they expect the European recession to be shortlived and
not exceptionally severe. The Yugoslavs thus have expressed
confidence that their economy will be able to absorb the
returnees and to provide jobs for those who would have sought
employment abroad in 1974. If their assessment of the
duration and severity of the recession is accurate, there may
be cause for optimism. Such optimism is, however, tied to
how many migrant workers will be affected by the recession,
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and how many will return to seek employment in their native
Yugoslavia.
US-Polish Relations: Improving and Improvable
In its annual yearend assessment, US Embassy Warsaw
finds US-Polish relations to be on the upswing and sees good
prospects that this trend will continue. The Embassy then
goes on to portray the Gierek regime as one with whom the US
can deal. It is well entrenched, stable, and "on line" with
Moscow. Yet, it also is detente-minded, consumer-oriented
and interested in dealing commercially with the West. Its
primary goal is to improve, the standard of living of the
Polish people. Therefore, the regime is somewhat open to US
economic, technological and: perhaps even political enticement. 25X1
As a result, says the Embassy, Poland could well wind up
"playing the role of an attractive and influential East European
window on the West."
Crime in the Hungarian Streets
In moves reminiscent more of large Western cities,
Budapest will soon adopt some measures to protect taxi cab
drivers against robberies and assaults. Impetus for the
actions came from the Christmas slaying of a cabbie. Safety
measures envisaged include the use of script to pay fares,
the installation of flashing or audio alarm in taxis, and
police checks at the Budapest city boundaries.
In traditional New York style, cabbies have also become
more discriminating in their choice of passengers. A
Hungarian journalist reports that he was turned down by one
idle cabbie, and secured a ride from another only after he
explained that he was going to the taxi enterprise for a
press briefing on the cabbies' difficulties.
GDR Raises Price of Coal for West Berlin
East Germany is asking a 17 percent increase in the
price of coal that it sells to West Berlin. As of January 1,
the price has gone from $28 a ton to $34, according to the
West German press service. Because the West Berlin author-
ities will not pay the new price, there have been no coal
deliveries so far in the new year. West Berlin officials
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say that negotiations on the coal price will begin soon.
Meanwhile, the city has sufficient stocks.
NOTE: THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ABOVE REPRESENT
ONLY THE ANALYSIS OF THE EE BRANCH.
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