U.S. intelligence and the confrontation in Poland, 1980-81 / Douglas J. MacEachin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

MacEachin, Douglas J.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Intelligence service--United States.

Intelligence service.

United States.

Poland--Politics and government--1980-1989.

Poland.

Politics and government.

United States--Foreign relations--Poland.

International relations.

Poland--Foreign relations--United States.

Physical Description:

viii, 256 pages ; 24 cm

Other Title:

United States intelligence and the confrontation in Poland, 1980-81

Place of Publication:

University Park, Pa. : Pennsylvania State University Press, [2002]

Summary:

Despite the U.S. government's sophisticated intelligence capabilities, policymakers repeatedly seemed to be caught off guard when major orises took place during the Cold War. Were these surprises the result of inadequate information, or rather the use made of the information available? In seeking an answer to this question, former CIA analyst Douglas MacEachin carefully examines the crisis in Poland during 1980-1981 to determine what information the U.S. government had about Soviet preparations for military intervention and the Polish regime's plans for martial law, and what prevented that information from being effectively employed.

Drawing on his experience in intelligence reporting at the time, as well as on recently declassified U.S. documents and materials from Soviet, Polish, and other Eastern European archives, MacEachin contrasts what was known then with what is known now, and seeks to explain why, despite the evidence available to them, U.S. policymakers did not take the threat of a crackdown seriously enough to prevent it.

It was the mind-set of those who processed the information, not the lack or accuracy of information, that was the fundamental problem, MacEachin argues. By highlighting this cognitive obstacle, his analysis points the way toward developing practices to overcome it in the future.

Contents:

Introduction: Background and Process 1

Part I The Rise of Solidarity and the Threat of Soviet Intervention, July-December 1980

1 The Burgeoning Confrontation 17

2 The Confrontation Escalates 33

3 U.S. Launches Public Policy and Diplomatic Offensive 47

4 Filling Out the Picture 63

5 Intelligence and Policy 81

Part II The Brink of Military Intervention, January-April 1981

6 Escalating Challenges to the Polish Regime 91

7 Jaruzelski Takes the Government Reins 105

8 A Setup for Military Crackdown 117

9 A Close Call? 137

Part III Marching to the End Game, April-December 1981

10 Liberalization Infects the Party 153

11 Solidarity Charges Ahead, and the Regime Digs In 169

12 Bringing Down the Curtain 189

13 Caught Off Guard 211

14 Would It Have Made a Difference? 235.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-250) and index.

ISBN:

0271022108

OCLC:

48399019