Evening star., 1948-09-05
Reds in Poland
Purgiing Party
In Split Over Tito
Thousands Reported
Dropped to Close
Breoch in Ranks
By the Associofsd Press

BY the Associated Press
WARSAW, Sept. Polish
Communists pushed a purge of
their ranks today in an attempt
to heal a split stemming from
the Cominform attack against
YugoSlavia.
The purge was directed against
members accused of rightist and
nationalist deviation from the pro-
Soviet and strictly Marxist policies
set forth by the Cominform-the
Soviet-led propaganda association
of European Communist countries.
Just how many Communist Party
members have been dropped already
is not known, but reliable estimates
say the figure runs into the thou
sands.
Many reports were heard that
Vice Premier Wladyslaw Gomulka,
regarded as a nationalist" Com
munist, had quit the party as sec
retary-general. This was denied by
Communist Party headquarters.
Political Role Urged on Beirut.
However, it was announced that
President Boleslaw Beirut has been
summoned to return to a political
role of party leadership to heal the
breach.
From Budapest came dis
patches that Hungarian Com
munists would undergo a similar
purge. The political committee
of the Hungarian workers party
a merger of Communists and
Socialists - announced it was
closing ranks for the next six
months in order to supervise
the party membership and to
remove corrupt elements" No
new member will be admitted
from September s to March 6.
1949)
Beirut went into conference with
top-ranking party officials in order
to speed a merger of the Communist
workers party and left-wing So
cialistS.
This merger, which has been i'm
pending since last spring, was en-
dangered by Communists who were
straying from the path set forth by
the Cominform. Leftwing Social
lists were said to be suddenly wary
of the merger in view of the crack
in the supposedly solid Communist
front.
Thousands Dropped BY Party.
Partial reports from Workers
Party sources indicated that thous-
ands of Communist members have
been dropped because they favored
the nationalist brand of Commu-
nism as against the international
variety.
Approval several weeks ago by the
executive committee of the Work.
ers' Party Of all Cominform actions,
including the demand for socializa-
ton of peasant production and
virtual expulsion of Yugoslav Com
munist Party leader Marshal Tito,
was credited with starting the break
in party ranks.
The statement of approval was
issued when Gomulka was i'll in
health resort in Southern Poland.
He now has returned to Warsaw.
Polands 100000 peasants were
Informed recently that their pro-
duction must be socialized for the
good of the nation and to protect
poorer peasants from exploitation of
the weather. elements among them.
This caused much disaffection
among the peasants, who have never
been supporters of the Communists.
All peasants are affected by the
plan to socialize production and
uniform prices for sale of
their products.
Party Split on Yugoslavia.
The divergence of views toward
Yugoslavia also was widespread
among the ranks of the Communist
Party itself. Poland has strong
treaty links with the Yugoslavs-
militarily. commercial and economic.
Another factor in the Polish pic
ture is the strained relations be-
tween the Communicated govern
ment and the Catholic Church.
In this connection the government
announced today the release of
Msgr. Zygmunt Kaszynski, chief
press spokesman for the Catholic
hierarchy In Poland, after he had
been held for u hours by security
police. He returned to his post In
All Saints Church, but refused to
say anything about his arrest.
He had been accused of anti
state" activities. His quick release
set a postwar record for speed. Sc
curity police detentions in the past
have often lasted year or more.