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Polish state archive releases secret file on ex-president Polish state archive releases secret file on Lech Walesa
(about 2 hours later)
WARSAW, Poland — A Polish state archive has released documents which allegedly show that democracy leader and former president Lech Walesa collaborated with the communist secret police in the 1970s, before he took leadership of a movement that eventually helped topple communism. WARSAW, Poland — A Polish state archive released documents Monday which allegedly show that democracy leader and former president Lech Walesa collaborated with the communist secret police in the 1970s, before he took leadership of a movement that eventually helped topple communism.
The Institute of National Remembrance made parts of the files available to journalists Monday. Their authenticity has not been verified. The Institute of National Remembrance allowed journalists to view hundreds of photocopied pages which it says come from the file on Walesa. The institute has made no declaration as to their veracity.
Walesa denies collaborating with the secret police, and his supporters see the rush to release the documents as an attempt to smear his legacy. The papers include a one-page handwritten note declaring readiness to secretly provide information to the secret police, signed by hand with the name Lech Walesa and the codename “Bolek.”
The release of the papers, which surfaced last week, comes after the rise to power last year of the right-wing Law and Justice party, led by longtime Walesa foe Jaroslaw Kaczynski. “I commit myself to cooperate with the secret police in exposing and fighting the enemies of the PRL (Polish People’s Republic),” the document said, using the official name of Poland during the communist era. It was signed Dec. 21, 1970, a time when Walesa was a leader of worker protests in Gdansk shipyard where he worked as an electrician. The protests ended in bloodshed.
Law and Justice leaders insist the historical truth of Walesa’s past should be clarified. The last document in the files, dated Feb. 1976 says secret police officer reprimanded “Bolek” for having criticized the communist party and threatened that he would lose his shipyard job.
The institute says the documents are authentic papers produced by the secret police of the time, although it’s not yet clear if the police fabricated them — a common practice then.
The papers surfaced last week after being kept for decades in the home of the last communist interior minister, Gen. Czeslaw Kiszczak, who died last year. His widow informed the institute about them, seeking money in return. Authorities immediately seized them, acting on a law that gives them the right to critical historical documents.
The move to open the file so quickly has proven hugely controversial. Walesa supporters are accusing authorities of trying to tarnish the legacy of a man widely considered as one of Poland’s greatest national heroes. Many people have come to his defense, including former Solidarity activists who recalled how the police used brutal tactics to coerce the regime’s critics to sign agreements to collaborate, as a tool for future blackmail, whether they acted on it or not.
Others say it’s important to clarify the historical truth concerning Walesa, 72, who has long been dogged by accusations of having collaborated with the hated secret service.
Walesa, long ago admitted that he signed a document in the 1970s agreeing to provide information to the secret police, although he insisted he never informed on anyone and never took any money. Breaking away from such a commitment usually led to dismissal from a job and other persecution and required courage.
In 2000, Walesa was cleared by a special court, which said it found no evidence of collaboration.
In recent days he has repeated his denials that he ever informed on other critics of the communist regime.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.