Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-07-19

we HdNc lcdTneu curing the
German occupation and then
the Stalinist days that 1t is
useless to look ahead. We get
what We can out of today
of course, we hope things
will get better, and we hope
we don't lose our freedom. But
ut doesn't seem very important
to wonder what kind of govern
ment we will have a few years
from now"
Visitors who like to worry
about the future on behalf OF
the Poles generally conclude
that the party, itself, has no
real long-range plans-iust
plenty OF ideas wrapped UP in
the strange artificial language
of communism. and not even
the party officials can agree on
what the ideas will mean in
practice.
The people. on the other
hand, may be against COM
munism, but they don't seem
to know just what they would
like.
Some Keys to the Future
Actually. the future for
roland seems to rest on several
unanswered questions:
How long will the people re.
main patient under an I'M
popular government and a
llmping economic system?
II the party must some day
either reapply terror to main
tain its rule or sacrifice COM
munism In order to maintain
freedom, which will the party
chose?
Will the Soviet Union permit
the Polish people to lose
patience? Or will the Kremlin
permit the Polish Communist
Party to water down classic
Communist doctrine.
Poles both in and out OF the
party believe the recent changes
in Moscow-the custer of con
sentative" Communist officials
-widens the scope of choice in
Poland.
From the Polish point OF
view, the essence of the Krem-
lin change is that Russia now
affirms the right of all Com
munist states to have their own
independent brands OF COM
munism. The Polish party sees
1t as a green light to unlimited
fiexibility within the frame
work OF the Marx-Lenin- Engles
textbooks. And those textbooks
can be made to say almost any
thing one would like to hear.
Flexibility would not extend.
OF course. to the admission OF
opposition parties capable of
busting the Communists from
power.
Best Of What Is Necessary
The people would like free
dom OF choice to be extended
much farther. The Polish Com
munist regime Of Party Sec
rotary Gomulka is tolerated
only because today the Poles
must have a Communist gov
eminent, and his IL the best
they know Of. II the Poles had
their choice. 1t Ia quite prob
able they would throw out the
Communist government tomor-
row and substitute for Il
well. they don't seem TO know
just what.
But the desires OF party and
people combined with political
and economic realities in Po-
land seem TO be leading Poland
in one general direction. Addi-
ton OF more and more cap
italistic features to the Polish
economy and growth OF in
creasingly vocal opposition
groups preaching political lib
eralization within and without
the party.
No one. OF course. expects to
see Western-style political and
economic freedom in Poland as
long as communism remains
the way Of life in Russia. But at
the same time no one - even
Communist Party officials -
says a reversal OF the present
liberal trend is possible.
No one knows whether Poland
eventually can produce "a kind
OF socialism people can like"
But already Poland has pro-
duced something new under
the sun, and the country al
ready is vastly better of be-
cause OF it.
Subsequent articles in this
series will take up the question:
Of what's new in Polish eco
omics. foreign policy and civil
liberties and attempt above all,
TO show what II is like 70 be q
Pole living today in this new
kind OF Communist state.
Tomouov Blsekmoil helps keep 70.
Ioad csmmvan, end Tree.