Further Perils for Poland

A sputtering economy strains under $27 billion of debt

For almost a year, Poland's embattled Communist leaders have faced the twin threats of domestic social revolution and military invasion by the Soviet Union. Now another ominous specter looms: national bankruptcy.

Burdened by sporadic worker walkouts and bumbling bureaucratic mismanagement, Poland's economy is in a shambles. Industrial production is down 10% from a year ago, and coal exports to the West, one of the country's most important sources of trade revenue, are off 29%. As a result, Poland last March failed to make scheduled payments on...

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