COMMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS ABOUT NEW PARTY SECRETARY IN KALISZ

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A058300300001-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: April 8, 1961
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person is prohibited by law.
SUBJECT Comments and 0bservatiors out
New Party Secretary in Kalisz
INFO.
PLACE &
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
NO. PAGES
REFERENCES
X ARMY X NAVY X AIR NSA
Boar* MMAMMINIMMO :>a.73
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SUBJECT . Comments and Observations About
New Party Secretary in Kalisz
DATE DISTR.20 Mar. 1961
NO. OF PAGES 3
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OUA I -riUIvi
Assignment of New Party Secretariat to Kalisz
was ass gn to
Kalisz in March 1960. a sz ong had a reputation
of being one of the two most reactionary and religious cities in Poland
(the other tg Krako?), and it was generally understood that one of the
principal tasks of the new secretary was to clean up this situation. The
previous party secretary, (fnu) SMIIDWSKI, had been ?olerant and permissive
and had run a relaxed PZPR organization. Originally from Kalisz, Smilowski
had become Secretary of the PZPR City Committee when GOMUIKA came to power
in October 1956,- he had replaced in that position a Stalinist by the name
of (fnu) WAROCH,
2. Almost as soon as the new seore ry came to Kalisz, the local communists split
into two groups, the younger 20-35 year age group.??supporting him, and the older
members strongly opposed. In general, the new seeretnryls Stalinist and
activist temperament appealed to the younger element, whereas the older group
did not like the strong, hard approach. The more conservative older communists
were also deeply resentful that an outsider (i.e., someone from outside Kalisz)
had been brought in to head their PZPR organization. Shortly after the new
man arrived, a pro forma election was held in the City Party Executive Committee
for First Secretary. The new man won, of course, but the discussions and
election stirred up much bitterness within the Kalisz City PZPR Organization.
including the Executi nmmittan. and the split between the two camps was 50X1-HUM
further, exacerbated,
in August 1960, these arguments and bitterness were still con n ng. e
leader of the opposition group, or the pro-Gomulka faction, was Tadeusz IWANICKI,
Director of the Kalisz-Ceramic Building
Materials Plant (Kaliskie Zaklady Ceramiki Budowlane,j - KZCB), and member of 50X1-HUM
the Kalisz PZPR Executive Committee. The new secretary put considerable pressure
on Iwanicki in the Executive Committee, but the latter had strong support 50X1-HUM
somewhere in the Central Committee in Warsaw Iwanicki
made several trips to the capital during this period).', and also had an excellent
reputation in industry as an executive and administrator. As a result of the
tense situation, however, he changed his approach somewhat. Whereas formerly,
under Smilowski, he had paid, little attention to his factory and devoted most
of his time to PZPR affairs,.now he reversed this and concentrated almost
exclusively on the factory to-ensure that nothing in its direction and operation
could be open to criticism.
the new PZPR secretary instigated a number
of changes in the local communist organization. Most of these concerned the
placement in appropriate positions of persons favorable to him; a new chief
was named for the Propaganda Section.
Anti-Religious Measures Taken by New Secretary
p 5
4. During his first few months in office the new secretary took a number of
stems in line with his general task oftcracking down on religion. Some of
these were as follows:
a. The Catholic order of Nazareth nuns conducts a convent school (Gimnazjum
Zenskie S.S. Nazaretanek) in Kalisz. This is one of the two remaining
schools of this type in Poland (the other is In Czestochowa). Of a
t' kotal student body of some 360 girls, approximately one-sixth, or about
60, were daughters of party members. One of the first orders issued by
the new secretary was that PZPR members were no longer to send their
daughters to this school. Most of the children from communist families
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were daughters of workers whose positions were secure enough to enable
them to ignore safely the secretary's directive. Some PZPR parents,
however, did become concerned, and about eight girls were withdrawn as
a result of the order.
b. It is common practice in Kalisz, as elsewhere in Poland, for Catholics
to display crosses in stores and shops and at their places of work. Thg
new secretary wanted these crosses removed, but implementing such a move
was a delicate matter. Attempts to do this in 1948-49 resulted in open
fights and riots, and although the number of crosses was eventually reduced
considerably, they all reappeared in 1956 when Gomulka-came to'-power.
The new Kalisz secretary accordingly moved cautiously and. was able to
achieve only a partial measure of success. It was relatively easy to
bring about the removal of crosses from stores and smaller factories,
but most of the workers in the larger factories refused to take down `Their
crosses and it was impossible to force them to do so. The women were
particularly adamant in this regard, and almost all of their crosses,
stayed in place. In cases where an individual felt he was helpless to
oppose PZPR pressure too strongly, a common reply to the communist official
was, "If you don't like the cross, you take it down yourself; I won't
touch it."
c. In Poland the August 15 religious holiday of the Ascension of the Virgin
Mary is by tradition the occasion for pilgrimages from all parts of the
country to the famous monastery at Jasna Gora in Czestochowa. Irrespective
of whether the pilgrims travel by vehicle or traditionally make the whole
Journey on foot, all of the groups which officially represent specific
localities are headed by the local parish priests. Kalisz, always a
strong religious center, regularly participated in this annual pilgrimage
by arranging to send anywhere from 600 to 1000 persons by foot. The new
party secretary, as part of his anti-religious campaign, in 1960 prohibited
the formation of an'official pilgrimage from Kalisz. Although he was not
in a position to prevent people from going individually to Czestochowa,
his order did effectively prevent the priests from leading an official
Kalisz pilgrimage. Despite the secretary's order-, however, when time
for the pilgrimage arrived, some 200 persons assembled at the main church
and, led by a woman carrying a cross, began their trek on.foot to Czestochowa.
Most of the pilgrims were women and students (boys and girls under 18 years
of age). The day before the holiday additional persons left for Czestochowa
by vehicle. When the latter group returned to Kalisz on August 16, they
brought with them a large wooden cross one meter and a half high, and
proudly paraded around the city with it. After the foot pilgrims returned
a few days later, virtually the whole city turned out to greet them and
to stage a demonstration in their honor.
d. It has been the custom in Kalisz for a number of local musicians to prepare
a festive musical program on the occasion of Ascension Day of Virgin Mary.
One individual in particular had always been the prime organizer and
moving spirit for this affair. Some two to three months before the 1960
holiday the new PZPR secretary arranged to have this man put in jail under
some pretext. Even though he was imprisoned without trial, the musician
was resourceful enough to successfully organize and stage a complete
holiday musical program for this occasion.
Comac nt 50X1-HUM
Piotr Korbik was appointed Kalisz Party First 6ccretary in 1arch 1960.
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