Polski rok 1956 z perspektywy Poselstwa Kanady
The Polish year 1956 from the perspective of the Canadian embassy

Summary/Abstract: The article describes the reactions of the Embassy of Canada to the changing political situation in the Polish People’s Republic in 1956. The views, opinions and comments of the Canadians about the changes in the internal politics of the PRL were reconstructed on the basis of documents contained in the Library and Archives Canada in Ottawa: reports, analyses and notes sent by Canadian diplomats to the leadership of the Secretary of State for External Affairs in Ottawa, as well as internal documents of the Canadian foreign service. The sources which diplomats used to obtain knowledge about the situation in Poland were analysed. It was pointed out that a large number of reports on political and economic issues was based on the so called open-source intelligence, that is searching through official communist press. In their notes and memorandums, Canadian diplomats heavily quoted articles published in the weekly magazine “Po Prostu”, among others. They were thoroughly analysing not only speeches delivered by party dignitaries, or articles with clear political undertones, but also text of a “lighter” nature, sometimes even jokes appearing in newspapers. Many of the reports described the Poznań uprising of 1956. Canadian diplomats had a lively interest in the origins, course and circumstances of the clashes. Their attention was also drawn to the trials of people accused by the communist authorities of involvement in the protests. On the basis of an analysis of the policy of PZPR’s leadership towards the demonstrators, the diplomats were trying to reconstruct the existing line. They pointed out that the liberalisation has influenced the mildness of certain judgements. The article also describes the Canadian feelings towards the political “thaw”. Some examples are indicated which, according to the diplomats, heralded the slowly upcoming changes in internal politics. The article also describes the information policy of the Embassy in relation to the changes that happened in October and Władysław Gomułka’s rise to power, and presents the expectations, hopes and predictions for the future that the Canadians associated with the new leadership of the PZPR.

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