Az Eszterházy Károly Tanárképző Főiskola Tudományos Közleményei. 1998. [Vol. 5.] Eger Journal of American Studies. (Acta Academiae Paedagogicae Agriensis : Nova series ; Tom. 25)

Studies - Tamás Magyarics: From the Rollback of Communism to Building Bridges: The U.S. and the Soviet Block Countries from the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 to the Prague Spring in 1968

international situation favored a bold Polish policy in this respect. The Soviets wanted to avoid the repetition of the events in Hungary on a larger sclae

—such an event would have threatened with either the dissolution of the Soviet empire in Eastern-Europe or with a third World War. At the same time, Alwin M. Bentley, a member of the Congressional delegation to Poland in April 1957 warned that "... /T/he present Polish regime is in a very precarious position and, if the current economic situation continues to deteriorate, could collapse by late fall. The only foreseeable result would then be a return to a Stalinist type government ... any weakening of Soviet economic domination of this area would be a net gain for the free world."

1' However, the Republican Administration had to reconcile its more pragmatic approach to its harsh anti-Communist stance. The dilemma was solved on January 5, 1957 when the Administration announced that "Poland was not a nation dominated or controlled by the foreign government or foreign organization controlling the world Communist movement"

1

4, therefore the country qualified for the agricultural surplus shipments under Section 117 of PL 480. The decision triggered an intense debate in the U.S. Senator William K. Knowland opposed any economic agreements with any Communist country, while the head of the Congressional delegation to Europe in April 1957, Edna F. Kelly of New York stated that it was an "April Fools' Day" joke to saz that Poland was independent from the Soviet Union.^ On the other side of the aisle, influential politicians lobbied for the deal; let it suffice here to quote from Sen. John F. Kennedy's address at the Overseas Press Club on May 6, 1957: " ... Other satellites, we may be sure, are watching

—and if we fail to help the Poles, who else will dare stand up to the Russians and look westward? ... /If we grant the aid

/ ... we drive still another wedge between the Polish Government and the Kremlin... The basic laws governing our foreign economic policies ... recognize only two categories of nations in the world: nations "under the domination or control" of the USSR or the world Communist movement

—and "friendly nations". I suggest 1

3 Quoted in Adler-Karlsson, Gunnar. Western Economic Warfare, 1947-1967. Stockholm. 1968. 99-100. 1

4 Congressional Record. 85th Congress, 1st Sess. Vol. 103. No. XI. 7364-68 and 6845-47. 1

5 Congressional Record. 85th Congress, 1st Sess. Vol. 107. No. X. (S) 6457. 73