Magdalena – betrayal or necessity

The culls of the birth of the 3rd Republic of Poland?

The talks in Magdalena were a series of confidential meetings between the authorities of the Polish People's Republic and representatives of the solidarity opposition. They have been held since 16 September 1988 at the Centre of the Ministry of Interior in Magdalena close Warsaw. Earlier, until 15 September, they were conducted at the Warsaw villa “Zawrat” at Zawrat Street.

The intent of the talks was to prepare the circular Table. Initially, negotiations were discontinued due to misunderstandings in the power camp. However, in January 1989, erstwhile the Reformers' faction was strengthened in the PZPR, the microbuses with the teams of General Czesław Kiszczak and Lech Walesa returned to Magdalena. Krzysztof Dubinski, Kazimierz Kłoda and Jacek Ambroziak took care of the talks.

Organisation

A full of 42 people attended the talks in Magdalena, representing the government side, opposition and the Catholic Church.

Government website: General Czesław Kiszczak, Stanisław Ciosek, Artur Bodnar, Jan Janowski, Jan Jarliński, Mieczysław Krajewski, Harald Matuszewski, Jerzy Ozdowski, Romuald Sosnowski, Bolesław Strużek, Jan Szczepański, Tadeusz Szymanek, Stanisław Wiśniewski, Andrzej Gdula, Bogdan Rzeski, Janusz Reykowski, Aleksander Kwaśniewski, Ireneusz Sekuła, Jerzy Uzibło, Władysław Baka, Jan Błuszkowski, Leszek Grzybowski.

Opposition website: Lech Wałęsa, Andrzej Stelmachowski, Władysław Frasyniuk, Lech Kaczyński, Władysław Liwak, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Jacek Merkel, Alojzy Pietrzyk, Edward Radziewicz, Bronisław Geremek, Mieczysław Gil, Witold Trzewakowski, Adam Michnik, Zbigniew Bujak, Jacek Kuroń, Andrzej Wielowieyski, Ryszard Bugaj.

Catholic Church: Fr Alojzy Orszulik, Archbishop Bronisław Dąbrowski, Bishop Tadeusz Gocłowski.

Lech Kaczyński about Magdalena

In the opinion of president Lech Kaczyński, talks in Magdalena were not a conspiracy, as they are frequently presented:

– The bad fame of the talks in Magdalena is undeserved. There was no conspiracy. There, free elections were made to the Senate. I am not talking about the specified legalization of NSZZ ‘Solidarity’, due to the fact that it was obvious. There, however, the participation of Solidarity in the contract elections to the Sejm was much greater than initially assumed by power.

Kaczyński noted that the office of the president was then besides established, provided for General Wojciech Jaruzelski.

– As shortly as he was offered, it was apparent that this meant the end of the system," said the President.

In his opinion, the biggest disadvantage of the talks was “fraternisation”:

The ice cream has been broken besides much. The government side, and especially General Kiszczak, sought to get closer to the people he had previously fought and imprisoned," Kaczyński emphasized.

Controversy Around Conversations

Researching the past of the latest, military and peculiar services Dr. hab. Sławomir Cenckiewicz (now head of the National safety Bureau) stated that it was a de facto "transaction of the era":

‘Since mid-September 1988. Kiszczak spoke to Walesa and his companions, tightening up in item a systemic change. Dictator Jaruzelski became the patron and defender of the full institutional-personal arrangement, which transformed the Polish People's Republic into the III Polish Republic".

Cenckiewicz indicates that the price paid by Kiszczak was highly low. The head of the Ministry of Interior did not even give way to the re-legalisation of Solidarity, which was not until April 1989, after the gathering ended.

Jacek Kuroń was besides critical of the talks, who noted that they were “agreements of the elite” and active opposition in a game in which she had to take a hazard of embarrassment.

Backroom arrangements

On 15 September 1988 Lech Wałęsa met at the villa “Zawrat” with Gen. Czesław Kiszczak, Stanisław Ciosk and Fr. Alojzy Orszulik. Contrary to public statements, he did not request the immediate re-legalisation of Solidarity.

A day later, on September 16, 1988, talks began in Magdalena, which, according to the opposition side, were to lead to a revival of the relationship, namely “Solidarity”. Eventually, however, this happened only a fewer months later.

General Kiszczak, as an experienced counterintelligence and military intelligence officer, prepared to negociate perfectly. He knew the weaknesses of his interlocutors and could usage secret services as a political instrument. It was no accident that the gathering place was "Special Object" No. 135 in Magdalena, belonging to the Department of the I MMA, or civilian intelligence.

The function of Krzysztof Dubinski

Krzysztof Dubiński, an MMA officer, has played a peculiar function in the organization of talks since July 1988, Deputy Head of the Information and Reporting Department in the cabinet of the Minister of Interior. After the gathering ended, he went to the Department of the IMA. He was liable for preparing the materials related to the meeting, enjoying the trust of many opponents.

Thus, talks in Magdalena became not only a prelude to the circular Table, but besides a symbol of the function of the secret services of the Polish People's Republic in systemic transformation.

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