continuity and evolution of operational methods of underground

continuity and evolution of operational methods of underground

POLISH POLITICAL SCIENCE
VOL XXXIII 2004
PL ISSN 0208-7375
ISBN 83-7322-481-5
CONTINUITY AND EVOLUTION OF OPERATIONAL
METHODS OF UNDERGROUND SOLIDARITY IN
TORUŃ AND THE REGION UNDER THE MARTIAL
LAW AND IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS
(13 December 1981 – 4 June 1989)
by Wojciech Polak
Plans to impose the martial law in the region of Toruń have been prepared since
autumn 1980. Already in February a list of people to be interned was completed,
it was, however, successively actualized. On the night of 12 December 1981 the
militia and army troops seized some works in Toruń, the seat of Toruń Solidarity
was also demolished. The leading activists of Solidarity, Solidarity of Individual
Farmers and Independent Students’ Association (the NZS) have been interned.
Further arrestments of individual activists have continued till autumn 1982. Strikes
proclaimed in the works of Toruń within the very first days of martial law were
suppressed quickly. The longest, one-day protest, took place on 13 December 1981
at Nicolaus Copernicus University. In the first days of the martial law Solidarity
and Independent Students’ Association activists, who have managed so far to escape
internments, took steps to rescue and secure the organizations’ property, which
later turned out to be extremely useful at underground work¹.
Already in December 1981 the underground authorities of Toruń Solidarity were
being established, adopting in February 1982 the name of Temporary Presidium of
the Region’s Board (the TPZR), presided by Kazimierz Noga. At the turn of 1981
and 1982 the first issue of Toruński Informator Solidarności (TIS – The News Bulletin of Toruń Solidarity) was published. During the 1980s it was coming out on
average every two weeks (later on more seldom). That underground paper, mainly
¹ W. Polak, Czas ludzi niepokornych. Niezależny Samorządny Związek Zawodowy”Solidarność”
i inne ugrupowania niezależne w Toruniu i Regionie Toruńskim (13 XII 1981 – 4 VII 1989), Toruń
2003, p. 35–129.
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Wojciech POLAK
of informative character, was considered one of the crucial newspapers in the
region. Every two weeks, starting from January 1982 to 1986, the second fundamental paper of Toruń Solidarity – a publicist “Kontra” – was brought out.
Apart from Toruń, the underground press was also printed in Grudziądz. Since
the spring of 1982, at the suggestion of Janusz Bucholc, the editor-in-chief, Biuletyn
Informacyjny Podregionu Grudziądz „Iskra” (Informative Bulletin of the Sub-region
Grudziądz “Iskra”) was put out there. By September 1988 the number of its issues
reached eighty-seven².
Within the first months of the martial law an efficient system of newspaper
distribution among the works and various circles of the Region was established.
A great number of books and underground publications were delivered to Toruń
from other cities, mainly from Warsaw. In many works of Toruń Region more or
less formal structures of underground Solidarity were operating. They organized
various protest actions, distributed underground press and ran underground libraries of independent publications. Furthermore, underground works’ papers came
out, with Pogłos (published in Apator), Geofon (Geofizyka), Elana (Elana) or Motor
Odmowy (Polmozbyt) counting as the most important ones³.
Solidarity activists as well as the members of other independent associations in
the region of Toruń have undergone significant repressions. Already in 1982 a few
dozen of people were sentenced to imprisonment, others were dismissed. At the
end of April 1982 some members of the TPZR with Kazimierz Noga, as well as
a group of people connected with that structure was arrested, most of them were
sentenced to imprisonment. The trials for underground work continued until 1986.
In 1984 four Solidarity activists - Piotr Hryniewicz, Antoni Mężydło, Zofia
Jastrzębska and Gerard Zakrzewski – were abducted in the street, later on physically
and psychically tortured. Toruń was also a place of the „passion” of Father Jerzy
Popiełuszko. That fact had an enormous influence on spreading of the cult of that
martyr in Toruń. It manifested itself, among other things, in annual pilgrimages to
Górsk – the place of the abduction of the Father by officers of the Security Service.
At the beginning of May 1982 the leadership of the Region was taken over by
the people, who from the very beginning of the martial law played a key role in
arranging print and distribution of the bibuła in Toruń. The leader of that group
was Jan Hanasz, to its members belonged – Jerzy Komocki, Grzegorz Drozdowski,
² R. Poznański, To była prawdziwa, ludzka solidarność, „Gazeta Grudziądzka”, 42, 19 X 2000; informations of Janusz Bucholc, Ryszard Konikiewicz, Marek Konikiewicz, Jan Hanasz, Kazimierz Noga,
Michał Wojtczak, Andrzej Kaczor, Henryk Mrówczyński, Krzysztof Obremski, Marian Lisowiec; [Ewa
Czarnecka], „Zarys działalności związku po 13 grudnia 1981 r. do chwili obecnej w Podregionie
Grudziądz – Łasin”, typescript, private archives of Piotr Borek
³ Informations of Marek Konikiewicz, Henryk Mrówczyński, Krzysztof Żabiński, Stanisław
Śmigiel, Karol Wakarecy, Stefan Hoga, Stanisław Wiśniewski, Włodzimierz Sawicki.
Continuity and Evolution of Operational Methodsy…
61
Michał Wojtczak – and probably the others as well. That body, having no name, was
in fact coordinating the entire underground work in the Region. Moreover, thanks
to the efforts of Jerzy Komocki and Bogusław Perczak, Temporary Presidium of the
Region’s Board, which served as a representation of the leading works, was created.
Its foundation resulted from the prevailing belief, that underground Solidarity
should be mainly an agreement between the employees of significant works. It
should be added, that throughout the 1980s, especially in large companies in Toruń
and the region, as well as at Nicolaus Copernicus University, workers of health
service as well as teachers, collected union fees and underground works committees
paid even statutory benefits.
Apart from the union bodies mentioned above in the year 1982 the Secret Convent of Region’s Consultants (Tajny Konwent Doradców Regionu) was formed.
Members of that consulting body met once a week in private flats in order to put
forward some political instructions for the Association as well as debate over
documents and programme texts.
In the winter of 1983 underground authorities of Toruń Solidarity decided to
carry out a significant re-organization. At the meeting held in January or February
1983, it was decided that Jan Hanasz („Piotr”) should still keep the post of the
underground leader of the Region, while Ryszard Musielak („Paweł”) was appointed
his assistant. Formally the TPZR still remained the superior authority in the Region
and on its behalf statements were issued. In May 1983 another re-organisation of
the authorities of Toruń Solidarity followed, resulting in the foundation of InterFactory Agreement Committee (Międzyzakładowa Komisja Porozumiewawcza –
MKP) - formally the supreme authority in the Region. Its executive body was
Regional Executive Committee (Regionalna Komisja Wykonawcza – RKW). Unfortunately, the dualism of power turned out to be not the best idea as it made the
process of decision making too formalized and posed a higher risk of unmasking.
For that reason at the turn of November and December 1983 another reform of
regional authorities was carried out. The RKW and MKP reached a collective decision to dissolve the latter. Since then the only authority of the regional Solidarity
was Regional Executive Committee (that was the final name of that executive body),
presided by Jan Hanasz, who, however, resigned at the beginning of 1984 due to
the newly proclaimed principle of working tenure within the RKW. He was replaced
with Ryszard Musielak (pseudonim „Konrad”). Debates of the RKW have been also
attended by the president of the Region – Antoni Stawikowski – elected in 1981.
His authority remained immense throughout the whole period of underground
Toruń Solidarity and all crucial decisions depended on his consent. In the spring
of 1985, according to the principle of working tenure, the post of the chairman of
the RKW was taken up by Krzysztof Żabiński (pseudonym „Stefan”). Maria Anna
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Karwowska was appointed the leader of the RKW in 1986 and Krzysztof Dekowski
was the last person to hold that post⁴.
Toruń Solidarity fully accepted the authority of the Temporary Coordinating
Committee (Tymczasowa Komisja Koordynacyjna), set up on 22 April 1982 as the
body coordinating work of underground Solidarity. On its appeals street protests
were organized in Toruń. On 1 May 1982 a few thousand people took part in the
„walk” in Bulwar Filadelfijski, which served as a demonstration against the declaration of the martial law. From Bulwar the demonstrators headed for the statue of
Nicolaus Copernicus, where after some time they were dispersed by the militia. On
that day 94 people were sentenced to a few-month arrest or fine at College of
Public Offence. Larger rioting took place on 3 May 1982. At first, the militia troops
surrounded the Holy Spirit Church on the Old Market, where the solemn mass was
being celebrated. Then, as the service ended, they attacked the people coming out
of the church. Some students trapped inside the building were led out by rector
Stanisław Dembiński, vice-rector Jan Kopcewicz and the dean of the Faculty of
Law Jan Łopuski. On that day 223 people were arrested, many of them were fined
or sentenced to arrest. The militia operations on 1 and 3 May 1982 were characterized by outrageous brutality to be little short of bestiality⁵.
On 31 August 1982, on the appeal of „Solidarity”, the protest action attended by
a few thousand people was held at the University aula. Moreover, as a reaction to
delegalization of “Solidarity”, on 10 November 1982 Toruń „Solidarity” joined the
protest action set by Temporary Coordinating Committee of Solidarity (Tymczasowa
Komisja Koordynacyjna „Solidarności”). On that day the workers from the district
Toruń – Mokre made their demonstrative way back home on foot. On 10 November and the other day, as the reaction to the news of the death of the Soviet Union
leader – Leonid Breżniew - anti-regime demonstrations were also organized in the
University dormitories⁶.
On 20 October 1982 the TKK made a decision to join a general strike in the
spring of 1983. That action has, however, never taken place. Nevertheless, it became
a symbol of hope for subversion of communist regime of the martial law. As hopes
seemed at that time rather vain, underground press coined a term “the myth of the
general strike”. That is why already on 22 January 1983 the TKK issued a statement
entitled Solidarity today. It set long-term goals for the Associations’ work in underground. It referred to the programme of Self-governing Republic of Poland
(Samorządna Rzeczpospolita), emphasizing at the same time the need for a settle⁴ W. Polak, Czas ludzi niepokornych, p. 129–132, 399–409, 136–143,180–184, 297–303.
⁵ See: W. Polak, Dni protestu. Wydarzenia 1 i 3 Maja 1982 r. w Toruniu, Toruń 2004.
⁶ See: W. Polak, Najtrudniejsze egzaminy. Niezależne Zrzeszenie Studentów Uniwersytetu Mikołaja
Kopernika na tle wydarzeń w kraju i regionie (1980–1982), Toruń 2001, p. 303–305, 307–316.
Continuity and Evolution of Operational Methodsy…
63
ment with the authorities, which could lead to the legalization of Solidarity and
reforms of the state. The implementation of the following methods was suggested:
– “refusal front” (boycotting window-dressing institutions of public life)
– formulating „circle codices of acting”, which defined acceptable framework of
participation of a decent man in the official public life
– opposing thriftlessness and wrong administration of the works (among other
things by means of strikes)
– creating independent thought, breaking down the règie on information and
cultural activities⁷.
The program was aimed at the creation of the „underground society”, alternative
to the state and its institutions. It resulted from the principle of „self-limiting
revolution”, however, in further documents and statements Solidarity did not
abandon the long-term programme, taking for granted a strive for full independence of Poland in the future. Similar principles were included in the programme
Building readiness (Budować gotowość), formulated by the Regional Executive Committee of Toruń and published in a form of a brochure in January 1985.
A lot was done in Toruń to form the „underground society”. As mentioned above,
throughout the 1980s the underground papers were issued, the system of distributing the bulletins and leaflets was operating, networks of distribution of books and
newspapers brought outside the region were created. Irena Biała ran the InterFactory Library of Solidarity, whose collection came from the saved library of
Regional Board of Solidarity. Its framework was in turn the underground library of
Antoni Stawikowski, dating before 1980. In 1983 at the suggestion of Stanisław
Śmigiel underground “Press Kwadrat”, strongly linked to Toruń Solidarity, was
founded. It published books as well as some underground papers for various illegal
assemblies (Fighting Solidarity – Solidarność Walcząca, movement Freedom and
Peace – Ruch “Wolność i Pokój”, Independent Students’ Association – Niezależne
Zrzeszenie Studentów and others). The press had also its own paper – Przegląd
Pomorski – with the circulation at about a few thousand copies. Regional Executive
Committee ran also its own press. Its great editorial success was the publication, in
1988, of the book Solidarity in the Region of Toruń. 13 December 1981 – 31 July
1984 by profesor Ryszard Kozłowski from the Institute of History and Archival
Sciences at Nicolaus Copernicus University, written under a pen name Narcyz
Szutnik.
Andrzej Sobkowiak was the founder and main coordinator of the Association
University (Wszechnica Związkowa) of Toruń Solidarity. The lectures were held by
university scholars in private flats, mainly in Toruń and surrounding towns. Similar meetings, attended also by groups of students, were organized by Dr Roman
⁷ J. Karpiński, Wykres gorączki. Polska pod rządami komunistycznymi, Lublin 2001, p. 472–473.
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Kiełpiński from the Institute of Mathematics at his own house as well as at Dorota
Zawacka – Wakarecy’s. In the years 1986–1988, at the suggestion of Krystyna
Sienkiewicz and Stanisław Śmigiel, the meetings of the Club of Political Thought,
attended usually by crowds of people, were arranged at Krystyna Sienkiewicz’s. The
lecturers, representing various outlooks on life and different political options, came
from all over Poland.
Moreover, with the aid of the RKW, a group of the youth was publishing and
distributing among high-schools a paper Grześ. Another group of young people
(known later as Solidarity – Brzask) was taking self-educational initiatives, distributed leaflets, hung up posters.
Underground Solidarity in Toruń assisted also the Scouts teams – the ones staying only formally within the structures of the Union of the Polish Scouts as well as
the ones totally independent from them⁸.
A very spectacular operational method of Toruń Solidarity were transmissions
of Radio Solidarity – four of which successfully took place in Toruń. They were
broadcast by means of a transmitter attached to six balloons made of beach balls’
bladders filled with hydrogen. The whole construction, being the idea of the two
scholars from the Institute of Physics – Dr Andrzej Jeśmanowicz and Dr Jerzy
Wieczorek, soared freely in the air. The transmitting device itself has been built by
Dr Andrzej Jeśmanowicz and an astronomer from the Polish Academy of Sciences
in Toruń – Zygmunt Turło. The supervisor of the whole undertaking was assistantprofessor Jan Hanasz.
Moreover, it happened twice, that anti-regime slogans were broadcast on TV
picture. During the second one – on 26 September 1985 – the people in charge of
it – Jan Hanasz, Zygmunt Turło, Piotr Łukaszewski and Leszek Zaleski – were
arrested⁹.
Solidarity gained also a very significant support from the Catholic Church in
Toruń and the diocese of Chełmno. Throughout the 1980s solemn services attended
by Solidarity activists as well as regular monthly Masses for Homeland were held
in some Toruń churches. The most famous were the ones celebrated by father
Stanisław Kardasz at Victorious Mary’s Church (Kościół Matki Boskiej Zwycięskiej)
on 16 of each month. After the services lectures, performances, presentations of
forbidden films were organized, the latter, taking place at father Kardasz’s, were
presented regularly by Krystyna Sienkiewicz. Masses for Homeland were also said
⁸ W. Polak, Czas ludzi niepokornych, p. 239–242, 350–356, 421–477.
⁹ Relations of: Jan Hanasz (recording in Registry of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń,
call number: S- 9); Jerzy Tomaszewski (ibidem, S-1); Jerzy Wieczorek (ibidem, S- 3), Leszek Zaleski
(ibidem, S-4), Zygmunt Turło (ibidem, S-3), Dorota Zawacka – Wakarecy (ibidem, S – 10); informations of Anna Stawikowska.
Continuity and Evolution of Operational Methodsy…
65
at the academic church of Holy Spirit by the Jesuit – p. Władysław Wołoszyn, thanks
to whom regular lectures on religion, political sciences, history, politics, art history
and sociology were held. Furthermore, other Jesuits – p. Przemysław Nagórski and
p. Jacek Pleskaczyński showed great activity in Solidarity circles. Masses for Homeland and works of Toruń were also celebrated in St. Joseph’s Church (the Redeemers). Furthermore, in 1985 at the Victorious Mary’s Church father Stanisław Kardasz
founded the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński Christian Workers’ University (ChUR),
modeled to some extent on the University (Wszechnica) organized some time
earlier by father Kazimierz Jancarz at St. Maximilian Kolbe’s Church in Kraków –
Miestrzejowice.
After brutal suppression of the demonstrations on 1 and 3 May 1982 Toruń
Solidarity avoided street protests, which were resumed in the years 1988 – 1989.
From the mid 1980s a lot of activities of open character took place in Toruń. In
1985 Civic Movement for the Defense of Human Rights was founded, which took
steps to avoid breaking the rules of law and order. One of the people particularly
involved in its activity was assistant professor Alicja Grześkowiak¹⁰.
Workers` self-governments of some factories, with a significant role of Elana,
were also actively linked to Solidarity’s activities. What is more, during the 1980s
underground Solidarity gave a strong support to the teams of the Union of the
Polish Scouts operating within or outside its structures, adhering however to traditional scouts values.
Another important point to be made are the activities of Diocesan CharitableSocial Center at St. Mary’s Assumption Church (Kościół Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej
Marii Panny) in Toruń. Its parish-priest – Józef Nowakowski – granted the Center
the rooms in parochial buildings and provided indispensable help crucial for its
effective functioning. Essential work was, however, carried out by a group of laymen
with Gertruda Przybylska as the leader. A similar center operated also at Victorious
Mary’s Church (Kościół Matki Boskiej Zwycięskiej)¹¹.
The number of open or half-open initiatives has increased significantly in the
period of political liberalization, starting in 1987. In that year Independent Social
Movement „Ziemia Chełmińska” (Niezależny Ruch Społeczny „Ziemia Chełmińska”
– NRS), undertaking various regional initiatives and publishing the paper Dlaczego,
was created. At the same time Confederation of Independent Poland (KPN) started
to operate in the province of Toruń. In spite of few members the party remained
very active - it organized various patriotic manifestations, protest actions and issued
underground papers (Viktoria, Impuls, Zgrzyt). Since 1987 Toruń witnessed the
¹⁰ W. Polak, Czas ludzi niepokornych, p. 364–385, 394–399, 456–460.
¹¹ Relations of Zbigniew Bobiński (recording in Registry of Nicolaus Copernicus University in
Toruń, call number: S- 4), informations of Gertruda Przybylska.
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Wojciech POLAK
activities of a pacifist movement Freedom and Peace. The Polish Peasant Party
(Polska Partia Chłopska) on the other hand gained a support of farmers. Another
legal organization was Kaszuby-Pomorze Association (Zrzeszenie Kaszubsko –
Pomorskie) with its active Historic Club, especially the Social Club of Pomorze
(Pomorski Klub Społeczny), carrying out a great number of local initiatives.
Since the turn of 1987 and 1988 a re-born Independent Students’ Association
resumed its activity at Nicolaus Copernicus University. It dealt with students’
problems, distributed independent publications and published a paper Immunitet.
All the initiatives mentioned above have been in favour with Solidarity of Toruń,
however, it was also impossible to avoid some conflicts.
In the years 1986 and 1987 consecutive liberalization led to the creation of open
bodies of Solidarity. On 30 December 1987 Antoni Stawikowski set up the Regional
Coordinating Committee (Regionalna Komisja Koordynacyjna – RKK). In the statement issued, all the members of the Committee laid their addresses open. In 1987
in works of Toruń other open Solidarity committees were formed, whose members
strived in vain for their legalization. In the year 1988 Solidarity committees were
already operating in a few thousand of works in Toruń. As a result of the debates
of the Round Table, lasting until 5 April 1989, it was agreed that parliamentary
elections would be held, with 35% mandates in the Sejm and 100% in the Senate
to be taken by non-party candidates. The government gave consent to the legalization of Solidarity, which took place on 17 April 1989. On 18 April 1989 Antoni
Stawikowski established in Toruń the Civic Committee Solidarity (Komitet Obywatelski „Solidarność”), aiming at the organization of the election campaign for Solidarity candidates to the Sejm. As a result, three candidates of Toruń Solidarity – Jan
Wyrowiński, Krzysztof Żabiński and Wiktor Kulerski – were elected to the Sejm
and Alicja Grześkowiak with Stanisław Dembiński to the Senate. The success of
Solidarity has also turned out to be enormous on state scale. All the non-party
mandates in the Sejm and 99 out of 100 places in the Senate were filled by Solidarity. Those enthusiastic results led in a very short time to other transformations and
taking the authority over by Solidarity camp¹².
Underground Solidarity of Toruń Region was an efficient and successful structure. Although there were probably about 1000 people involved directly in its
operations, definitely more inhabitants of the Region stayed within the spectrum
of its influence. During the whole period - from the imposition of the martial law
to the year 1989 – the elements of the underground society – independent press,
publications, self-educational meetings, libraries, structures of independent youth
etc. – were actively operating in the Region of Toruń. However, since the events of
the year 1982, large street protests have been avoided for fear of excessive repres¹² W. Polak, Czas ludzi niepokornych, p. 477–559; idem, Najtrudniejsze egzaminy, p. 334–337.
Continuity and Evolution of Operational Methodsy…
67
sions on the authorities’ side. The turn of the 1980s was the period of creating
openly operating structures of Solidarity, as well as of various associations and
political parties, which were in favour with Solidarity. Flexible and deliberate
operational methods of Toruń Solidarity made it one of the most effectively operating regions of the Association in underground.