Walesa's Stasi files on the Internet

On Sunday the former Polish President and labour leader Lech Walesa published 500 pages of his secret service files on his homepage. For two years he has been receiving the documents from the Polish Institute of National Remembrance (IPN). The former Polish secret police collected a total of 70 volumes on Walesa, but the most important documents were destroyed in August 1980. In an interview with Krzysztof Katka, he explains why he has taken this step. "I close my eyes and throw the papers to the world. People should read them and decide for themselves... I want to understand how my victory was possible. Was it an angel or a devil who helped me?" Walesa has declined to publish a list of the names of the estimated 1000 secret service agents who spied on him for now, "because each case is different. I haven't the energy to attack them or to injure them. Naturally I run the risk of being accused of being too soft on them, but what can I do? Priests and even a bishop are on that list."

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