March 20, 1956 Speech by Comrade Khrushchev at the 6th PUWP CC Plenum, Warsaw, concluded ...
Comrade Khrushchev [in Russian], concluded ...
But, you'll say that this is cruel.
But, comrades, we're fighting with the enemy.
Is this method with enemies is allowed?
I think it's allowed.
Will we give it up, now?
I, for example, won't refuse to use it, if it’s used to destroy the enemy...
If we're going to have cold feet, we're going to be cowards.
So there, dear comrades.
In one word, comrades, this question we have to...
I was talking about it... .. another time the fairness is... is fairness...
In one word, comrades, we have to explain this question from the revolutionary position, from the position of the masses... not from a philanthropic position.
If don't not explain this position to ourselves, and others, we'll not find the correct explanation.
And we must explain this occurrence from the position of the class struggle, acute class struggle.
When we find a correct understanding, we'll explain... Lenin is not... an enemy of working class.
But, Lenin's a man...
He knew how to make use of the proletariat's sword, and he knew when to lower it on the heads...
And he selected...
He used Dzierzinski.
Stalin used...
And I would say... and if I were used, I probably would have become just as... because... he was virtually a useless person.
I knew Yezhov, personally.
He was a... wonderful comrade.
I'm telling you, I knew him.
He was a worker from Petrograd.
And if you take Yezhov as a human being ... and encourage him to such deeds, when the more he... then the more he was a hero.
I think that during the last years of his life, of course, he already wasn't Yezhov, but was half-crazy.
That's the problem.
But, if... he was a Bolshevik too.
And Beria was in a party.
But, Beria, he was an adventurer.
He was never a party member.
He was an adventurer.
I knew Yezhov when he worked in the Central Committee, and how he studied at the industrial academy... and I met with him often, and solved the questions...
Well, comrades, you asked me questions and I don't know if I answered all of them.
They, me... but they have smart questions.
I understand you, comrades, and therefore you'll leave and these questions will be taken from others, that's the law.
But, comrades, keep it in mind, I, probably on all the questions which you meet, I... but you'll have to display wisdom and communist-courage, and the correct answer, so that after these questions, our ranks don't weaken.
But, on the contrary, become even more stronger, so that our influence doesn't weaken, and if we'll become better from these positions... we have to find, accordingly...
This does not mean that... with a clean conscience, but the ability to use this conscience, to direct this conscience, not to follow it.
I think that we'll find the correct answer, and correct solution.
Correct understanding...
Together.
(Applause.)
(Stormy Applause).
Chairman, Comrade Zawadzki [in Polish]
I think that we can again sincerely thank Comrade Khrushchev for the meeting with us, with the Central Committee.
And we can ensure him that he presented many very interesting and important matters, which will help us in our work.
The Central Committee plenum at 6:00pm.
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