Poland's new Premier is no stranger to conflict. He fought the Nazis in World War II, helped crush anti-Communist guerrillas in 1945-47, and was adept enough at political infighting to hang on as Defense Minister under three successive party leaders. To Poles contemplating his possible future moves, however, Wojciech Jaruzelski's most striking quality is the sense of patriotic conciliation that led him, in 1976 and 1980, to refuse to turn his armed forces against strikers.
At the height of the food price riots 4½ years ago, the general told his colleagues on the Politburo: "Polish soldiers will not fire on Polish workers."
The...
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