He expressed some mild criticisms of Mikolajczyk's personality and policies. " Mikolajczyk is no eagle, but he is the symbol of Polish peasant democracy. He is loved and trusted by nearly 100 per cent. of the peasants, as Witos was before he died. He was absolutely right in rejecting the repeated offers of the Government bloc of 2 5 per cent of Cabinet posts and Sejm deputies if he would agree to one list of candidates. But unlike Sikorski, he was not strong enough to resist completely the terrific pressure put upon him and the Communists have found it possible to push him into the background. He is a thoroughly honest and democratic leader, and never has aided the underground in any way. Acceptance of the Government's offer would have given his approbation to a totalitarian and alien regime." I argued that in my opinion the intimidation of PSL followers between the July referendum and the Jan. 19 elections had succeeded to some degree in reducing Mikolajczyk's influence. Zulawski shook his gray, leonine head, insisting that an honest count would have given the PSL 80 per cent of the ballots. 1 ' The Polish people are not easily cowed." I answered that some Polish patriots have swallowed the Government's propaganda that Mikolajczyk, depending for aid upon Britain and America, would agree to changing the new Western frontier in favour of Germany. "No, he has consistently opposed surrendering an inch of the recovered territory," Zulawski replied, "and Poles know that fact. Nor do our people believe the propaganda about Britain and America as Poland's enemies. We are not against Britain and America any more than we are against Soviet Russia. We want cordial relations with all of them, but we insist on Polish sovereignty." He related a story about an interview with a pro~inent Communist in a high government post. Zulawski said that he figured that the PPR-PPS bloc got about 12 per cent. of the votes in the June referendum. "Yes, but the Russian Bolsheviks got less than that in the voting for the Constituent Assembly in 1917," the Communist cynically replied. "You are sick and I have tired you," I said. "But just one final question. What can the United States do now to help the democratic forces in Poland ? " 29 BibliotecaGino Bianco
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