Sharp differences over the wisdom of official Polish Government policy in supporting the Arab states against Israel and in unreserved backing of Soviet policy in the Middle East have split the Communist leadership in Poland and have resulted in a purge of the Polish Army high command, according to information received here from Warsaw.
The Daily Telegraph reported today that three Polish generals had been dismissed for opposing that Government stand. The ousted officers were listed as Gen. Manciewicz, commander of the Air Defense Force; his chief of staff and his deputy for political affairs. They reportedly refused to distribute anti-Israel material to units under their command.
The purge, the first in many years, coincided, according to the Daily Telegraph, with two speeches by Marshal Marian Spychalski, the Polish Defense Minister, denouncing Polish supporters of Israel. The Defense Minister’s speeches revealed that there was widespread belief in the Polish armed forces, and in those of other Communist bloc countries, that Israel’s June victory over Soviet-backed Egypt had revealed the inadequacy of Soviet training and equipment.
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