Office of the Historian

66. Memorandum of a Telephone Conversation Between the Secretary of State and the Director of Central Intelligence (Dulles), Washington, June 28, 1956, 5:55 p.m.1

Washington, June 28, 1956, 5:55 p.m.

TELEPHONE CALL FROM ALLEN DULLES

The Sec. returned the call, and AWD said there has been a riot in Posen [Poznań]. Don’t know what it is about but it is coming out on the ticker and he read from it.2 When they begin to crack, said the Sec., they can crack fast. We have to keep the pressure on.3

A. has not gotten hold of Simpson, but will try right away.

  1. Source: Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations. Prepared in the office of the Secretary of State.↩

  2. Serious rioting in Poznań was later reported in telegrams 992 and 1000 from Warsaw, midnight, June 28 and 1 p.m., June 29. (Department of State, Central Files, 748.00/6–2856 and 748.00/6–2956)

    The Poznań riots grew from a demonstration by workers for better economic conditions, but escalated into demands for freedom, religous liberty, and an end to Soviet domination of Poland. The internal security forces and the civil militia with the aid of tanks supressed the rioting on June 28 and 29. See Documents 70 and 71.

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  3. On the next day, at 11:59 a.m., Allen Dulles was called by Secretary Dulles and part of the conversation concerned the Poznań riots:

    “The Sec. asked him also to think re using the Poznan thing. The Sec. mentioned his bringing up in Staff Meeting treating it as an emergency under Sec. [P.L.] 480. AWD said it is worth considering. The Sec. mentioned getting news of this into the Arab countries, India, etc. . . . AWD referred to what the Pres. of the Polish National Alliance said and questioned what he meant re ‘American silence’. They mentioned someone handling this fellow. (I got the ticker, Sec. saw and WBM [Macomber] has.)” (Memorandum of telephone conversation; Eisenhower Library, Dulles Papers, General Telephone Conversations)

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