political activity. Continued guerrilla warfare against Communism only gives the secret police a pretext for terror and the suppression of legal opposition. In February, 1945, President Bierut asked Zulawski to come to see him in a Cracow hotel. Bierut assured him that it was his intention to form a broad provisional government of all democratic politica~ parties, including PSL and Zulawski's group. Bierut emphasized the idea that they must depend upon Russian aid and accept the Kremlin's advice-otherwise Poland would lose her independence. On returning home, Zulawski was arrested by UB men as a 'reactionary, for refusing Bierut's offer to participate in the government on terms dictated by Moscow. After a few days he was released with a warningf This seems to be a favourite device of the government-to arrest opponents for 48 hours and let them go. If they persist in opposition activities they are again arrested. This has happened to countless thousands. Zulawski recapitulated the two years of intimidation of oppositionists which culminated in the electoral campaign terrorism. As he described what has happened I thought, how parallel to the methods used by both Stalin and Hitler to crush all freedom of thought and action. The only real difference I could perceive was that the Polish and Soviet Governments do not exterminate Jews by the millions, and they operate in the name of democracy, under progressive slogans and deceptive programs. Zulawski denied the frequent charge that a victory of the PSL would "open the way for black reaction." The Fascists and anti-Semites who for Machiavellian purposes support Mikolajczyk have no influence whatever in or upon the Peasant Party. If there had been an honest counting of the ballots, the PSL would have won despite all the terrorism, and would have then moved swiftly and decisively to wipe out banditry and to suppress the Fascists. Nor would a government in which the PSL was in a majority be anti-Soviet, Zulawski assured me; every Pole recognizes the necessity of friendly co-operation with East as well as West. 28 BibliotecaGino Bianco
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