Protocol 55 of the Meeting of the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP, on the Situation in Hungary and Measures to be Taken in Romania.

Participants: Comrades Gheorghe Apostol, Emil Bodnaras, Nicolae Ceausescu. Iosif Chisinevschi, Alexandru Draghici, Constantin Pârvulescu.
Presides: Comrade Gheorghe Apostol.

The meeting opens at 10 a.m.

Agenda: Briefing on the situation in Hungary and the political and organizational measures to be taken in Romania.

Comrade Gheorghe Apostol informs the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP on the last two days' events in the Hungarian People's Republic.

Comrade Nicolae Ceausescu delivers a report from the Party standpoint, and Comrade Alexandru Draghici a report on the State bodies line concerning the state of mind and the situation obtaining in Romania.

Following the discussions, the Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP decides:

• After the completion of discussions in Party and Union of Communist Youth (UCY) basic organizations on the events developing in the Hungarian People's Republic, similar meetings will be organized in enterprises and institutions with the whole personnel, by sections, workshops or trade-union groups, services, directions, etc. to inform the working class and all the employees on the situation in Hungary.

• Information will be made on the basis of news published by Scânteia. Chairmen of enterprise or institution, section or workshop trade-union committees will make presentations, assisted by Party organization secretaries. Meetings will be organized first of all in great factories and works of outstanding importance and in significant institutions, taking care not to organize too many meetings at the same time, so as to be able to ensure the presence of and control by the members of regional, district and town Party committees. During those meetings the floor will be taken by older and younger workers and clerks to condemn the counterrevolutionary actions perpetrated by the reactionary and fascist forces in the Hungarian People's Republic and to express their solidarity with the heroic struggle of the Hungarian working class for the swiftest possible suppression of the counterrevolution.

• Such debates shall be organized as well with the students of all higher education institutes, by groups and years of study. The presentations will be made by Party and UCY activists, by well-trained professors (Party members).

• Comrades who had been active members or had had links with the Party in the underground years shall be sent to speak to workers and students.

As soon as the debates in the basic Party and UWY are completed, Party and UWY members shall go to the countryside to explain to the working peasantry the meaning of the events occurred in the Hungarian People's Republic, individually or to small groups of villagers.

• With a view to applying all measures set by the CC of the RWP, the Council of Ministers, and the local Party and State bodies, a group of 3-4 members of the regional committee bureau will be created at the level of each Party regional committee to control the implementation of the Party and Government decisions for a certain period of time.

• This group shall meet twice a day to examine the situation and the reports received from the respective region, on a Party and Ministry of Internal Affairs bodies line, with a view to adopting adequate measures. The most important reports and the measures subsequently taken shall be communicated twice a day to the Secretariat of the CC of the RWP (the measures set under # 2 will be dealt with by Comrade N. Ceausescu).

• For the efficient settlement of all questions related to the supply of the population, mainly the workers' centers, with food and food products, in each region will be constituted a group formed of the vice-chairman of the regional people's council in charge of this problem, the head of the commercial section of the regional people's council, the authorized agent for State provision in the respective region and the local council chairman. A member of the Party regional committee or its secretary in charge of economic questions shall also belong to this group.

• This group shall daily report to the Council of Ministers of the People's Republic of Romania (Comrade Alexandru Moghioros) on the current situation and the steps taken to improve it.

• The Party bodies shall check on the payment in due time of wages and other financial rights to the workers and other salaried personnel; they shall also ensure that the farm produce collected from the peasants be paid immediately. The Council of Ministers will issue the relevant orders and instruct the Bank of the People's Republic of Romania to provide the necessary funds.

• For an efficient solution, at a central level, of all problems related to the Population's supply with food products, a group will be constituted under the Council of Ministers, formed of competent comrades from the Ministry of Food Industry, the Ministry of Home Trade, the Ministry of Purveyance, Centrocoop, CCS, the Departments of Consumer Goods, Transportation and Telecommunications of the CC of the RWP, under the leadership of comrade Alexandru Moghioros.

• The Political Bureau shall examine the question of the population's supply with food products in its meeting of October 27, 1956. Invited to this meeting shall be comrades from the State Planning Committee, the Ministry of Agriculture, of State Purveyance, of Food Industry, Home Trade, Centrocoop and the Department of Consumer Goods and Planning-Finances of the CC of the RWP.

• The Party and State bodies will take the necessary measures for food products sent to certain centers not to be diverted to profiteers. The Council of Ministers shall analyze the possibility of supplying corn to the population in mountainous districts.

• The State Planning Committee and the relevant commission shall urgently advance their proposals concerning wages, to be discussed as soon as the comrades on the RWP and Government delegation are back from the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia.

• Special attention will be paid to the activity of the former leaders of the fascist organizations and parties (Nyilasist, Szalasists, Legionaires) And of the former bourgeois parties and other active elements, former members of those fascist and bourgeois organizations and parties, who still hold responsible offices in the State apparatus at a central and regional level.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs will propose a plan of measures for the organization of a rigorous check up and record of all suspect elements, the list including also the suspect elements from the ranks of people recently repatriated to the People's Republic of Romania from capitalist states.

• Supplementary measures shall be taken for the strengthening of border defense in Oradea, Baia Mare, Timisoara (Arad, Salonta, etc.) regions.

• A report on the state of mind of the troops of the Ministry of Armed Forces and Ministry of Internal Affairs shall be prepared and submitted to the Political Bureau.

• Political work shall be intensified in the ranks of the workers, peasants, intellectuals and, particularly, in the ranks of the youth and students.
The collection of compulsory quotas should be made as tactfully as possible, resorting especially to political persuasion.

• Comrades E. Bodnaras, Al. Draghici and L. Salajan shall examine the measures to be taken to strengthen the units of the Ministry of Armed Forces and Ministry of Internal Affairs and the defense of the border with the Hungarian People's Republic.

• Political work shall be intensified in the military units of the Ministry of Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The serious events which have occurred in the Hungarian People's Republic shall be debated in meetings with all military men (in small groups).

• The Ministry of Internal Affairs shall take measures to assure military protection of Baneasa, Tâncabesti and Bod radio stations, as well as of other 13 important objective points. For this purpose, the strength of the Ministry of Internal Affairs troops shall be increased by several hundreds of men in accordance with a decision of the Council of Ministers.

• The Ministry of Internal Affairs shall take measures for the release of Bucharest students taken in custody and shall transfer them to the care of the City Committee of the Union of Workers Youth, where they are to be shown the unhealthy stance and attitude manifested by them.

• The Ministry of Internal Affairs shall be allowed to make arrests only upon prior approval of the Party leadership. Comrade Gheorghe Apostol shall coordinate this problem on a Party line. The Ministry of Internal Affairs shall be allowed to make arrests without prior approval only in flagrant cases, and even in such cases the Party leadership shall be notified within 24 hours.

• The Political Bureau approves the temporary suspension of the return of citizens to the Romanian People's Republic and the delay for a period of time of tourists' entering and leaving Romania. Corresponding directions shall be given in this sense to the embassies of the Romanian People's Republic in foreign countries. Comrades E. Bodnaras, Al. Draghici and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs shall take care of this problem.

• A group formed of Comrades P. Niculescu-Mizil, Melita Apostol, Vasile Dumitrescu, headed by Comrade I. Chisinevschi, shall examine before publication all press releases and radio broadcasts on the events taking place in Hungary.

• Comrade Popescu-Puturi shall prepare for the Party leadership, till Monday, October 29, 1956, a full briefing on the situation obtaining in Hungary.

• As concerns the wish expressed by Comrade Dr. Petru Groza to come to Bucharest, Comrade E, Bodnaras shall leave for Deva to inform him about the developments in Hungary and the measures taken at home, and to persuade him to stay a few days more in Deva, as his speedy return to Bucharest, without public announcement, would be inappropriate.

• The Political Bureau of the CC of the RWP shall meet daily at 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. (for a period of time) in order to examine the situation at home and establish the corresponding measures.


The Meeting ended at 1 p.m.
(ss) Gh. Apostol
(ss) Gheorghiu-Dej