The shadow of an icon

Ex-President Lech Wałęsa, the former leader of the Solidarity movement, has published over 500 pages of material concerning himself from the files of the communist secret services (SB). In an interview for TV station TVN24 he explained that he had been "constantly pressed to do so."

One of the most famous and respected Poles in the world, Wałęsa has been suspected of cooperation with communist secret service (SB) under the pseudonym, "Bolek." The allegations, voiced by his former Solidarity colleagues, assume these activities took place in the early 1970s before his opposition activity began. Wałęsa's accusers include such respected activists as Andrzej Gwiazda and Anna Walentynowicz.

Publication of the documents has not managed to settle the controversy, as the documents posted on the website are derived mainly from the 1980s. Those documents relating to the critical period in the 1970s are few, even though they have been made public in the past.

The allegations will not wipe out the legend of Lech Wałęsa, according to Dr Antoni Dudek, a historian and the adviser to the president of the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) in a conversation with WBJ. He stressed, however, that the figure of Wałęsa is not free from public debate or criticism.

What may spoil Wałęsa's reputation is his own enigmatic behavior and potentially damaging comments regarding the issue, opined Dudek. "It is Lech Wałęsa who should take more care with regard to what he says," he said.

It seems, however, that the ex-President is keen on explicit language. Last week he was ordered by a court verdict to apologize to another former opposition member, Krzysztof Wyszkowski, for calling him "a loonie," "a fool," and "a monkey with a razor."