In police states, virtually all that is left of free speech is jokes about the Government. Nobody knows who starts these stories; the details are highly flexible; everybody spreads them. The Government may fight back (in Russia, telling political anecdotes can be a crime), but little can be done about the problem without arresting most of the population.
Last week Poles were laughing at such a story told on Wladyslaw Gomulka. Poland's Communist Vice Premier arrived in Katowice, capital of Upper Silesia, to make a speech. He ordered General Alexander Zawadzki, governor...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In