Poland's army will help police curb 'excesses'

Poland's prime minister told parliament Thursday he has ordered special army units to back police in a crackdown against "hooliganism, antistate, and anti-Soviet excesses."

Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski also warned that the future of the nation depended on whether Solidarity "repudiates its intention to take over power."

The speech followed Soviet threats of an oil and raw materials embargo against Poland's already crippled economy if the government failed to curb the 10-million member independent labor union.

General Jaruzelski's warning came as Solidarity fired off a barrage of open letters defending the independent labor movement against mounting criticism by Soviet workers.