Evening star., 1948-09-06
Polish Red Party
Begins Purge
To Halt Split
Liquidation Slated
For Those Ignoring
Murxist-Lenin Line
pictures on Page A-2.)
BY the Assoeioted Press

WARSAW, Sept. 6.-The Polish
Communist Workers Party today
embarked on purge of nation
aliSt members and called for a
class war" in farm villages
throughout the nation.
Party leaders and organizers from
all Poland assembled in Warsaw at
the summons of President Boleslaw
Beirut for a council of war on a
party split which endangers the
Communist grip on Poland.
The party members were told in
a public communique of the party
executive committee that there
must be full liquidation" of all
members who fail to follow the
Marxist-Leninist line as handed
down by Moscow.
Specialization Pushed.
The communique also made clear
that the Communists intended to
push through socialization of pro-
duction in villages, one of the issues
which caused the party split. The
party organizers got orders to sell
the socialization plan to the peas
ants.
The President acted shortly after
the announcement that Vice Pre-
mier Wladyslaw Gomulka, who
backed the rebellious Yugoslav Com
munists against the Moscow-led
Cominform, had been "unani-
mously freed" from his duties as
secretary general of the party.
The party's Executive Committee
gave Gomulka's job to President
Beirut. He was authorized to take
all necessary steps to halt "rightist
and nationalist deviations" in
party ranks.
The committee said Gomulka ad-
mitted he had made more mistakes
in opposing the Cominform exclu-
sion of the Yugoslav Communists
and socialization of production in
Polish peasant villages.
Gomulka Called Repentant.
Gomulka will attend today's party
meeting. The committee indicated
he was repentant for his errors and
would remain in the party and try
to see things more clearly along the
Moscow line. There was no mention
of whether Gomulka would lose his
jobs as First Vice Premier and Min
lister for Recovered Territories.
Gomulka has a huge following IN
Poland. The fact that he has oeen
replaced as party leader may further
deepen the party split, although he
has Confessed his errors.
The far-reaching effect of the
Cominform- Yugoslavia quarrel was
strikingly demonstrated in the
wording of the Polish party resolu-
ton. 1t frequently blamed the
"Yugoslav incident" for causing
widespread dissension among Polish
Communists and thereby precipitat-
ing the split
The committees resolution left no
doubt that big cleavage exists in
the party's ranks and that the issue
POoolOiy Oollo OO"ll W JllOSt WHO
favor nationalist communism as op-
posed to international communism.
Depends on Quick Action.
What should be done to close the
gap is up to Beirut. To chart his
course he has behind him 40 years
work as Communist Party organ
izer.
But the president has a big job
ahead. AS high as so per cent of the
party's 100000 members are re-
ported in open revolt against doing
anything along lines dictated by
the Cominform. The whole future of
the Polish Communist Party ap-
peared to rest on whether Beirut
could pull his membership together
quickly on a unified plan of action
If he fails, it is almost certain
that the impending merger with
| the left-Wing Polish Socialists
headed by Premier josef Cyran-
kiewicz, never will be realized.
Far more important is the ques-
ton of power in the government
The Communists now hold the tor
positions in the Warsaw govern.
ment and dictate its policies. But
| that grip is regarded as certain tt
loosen If the present split develops
further.