Moscow Speaks Softly

Back in 1981, Moscow bristled in near fury at Solidarity. A * "counterrevolution," snapped then Defense Minister Dmitri Ustinov. "A Trojan horse of imperialism!" cried the official media. As the trade union's protests roiled Poland, Soviet troops massed threateningly along the countries' common border. Finally, when General Wojciech Jaruzelski crushed Solidarity with martial law, TASS said approvingly, "The authorities are taking necessary measures to restore tranquillity."

How times change. Last week, as a member of Solidarity was about to become Prime Minister, Soviet officials said simply that it was an "internal" Polish matter. A Moscow television reporter noted that "it is...

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