Jaruselsky, Wojciech
(former member of the Political Committee, Prime Minister in 1981) , speaking Polish:
- "Even today I still carry the memory of those events around with me.
It is as if I was witnessing a nightmare. I think that what the Army did
was very, very bad, but I still think it was better than what would've
happened if outside forces had arrived."
Walesa, Lech
(Leader of the Solidarity Movement) , speaking Polish:
- "Somebody gave me this pen when I was making a speech at the gate. It's a
very nice pen with a picture of the Holy Father on it. At first I thought
it was a mace but then I realized it was a pen."
Kuczynski, Waldemar
(Member of the opposition, Advisor to the Prime Minister) , speaking Polish:
- "It was both beautiful and terrible at the same time. It was beautiful
because everyone could feel that there was a wave of freedom spreading
across the whole country.
People's fear was broken, the fear created by the dictatorship.
On the other hand, it was obvious that the system would not tolerate
this.
The beautiful side lasted for 16 months and then after that ther
worst of times came."
Kuczynski, Waldemar
(Member of the opposition, Advisor to the Prime Minister) , speaking Polish:
- "I can still remember to this day one of Walesa's speeches. This is what he
said to the workers: you must always think about the fact that I always
stand at the front of the strikers and I will be the last to escape but I
will escape.
I really liked that. He didn't want to be a hero."
Jaruselsky, Wojciech
(former member of the Political Committee, Prime Minister in 1981) , speaking Polish:
- "There is no doubt in my mind that the strike in August of 1980 was fueled by the visit of the Pope."
Mayowiecki, Tadeus
(Member of the opposition, Head of the government in 1989) , speaking Polish:
- "It wasn’t too easy to get to Gdansk because secret police were everywhere, posing as workers in the crowd.
We could only reach the city by going roundabout ways into the city like tourists. It was like tourists who came to the city from the ports."
Zinczuk, Pawel
(shipyard worker) , speaking Polish:
- "When we left the room somebody called out: what’s going to happen to us? These were people who had been sent over from other factories when they heard that we were striking.
They continued to shout: what’s going to happen to us?
Then somebody answered them.
That’s it! Where’s your solidarity?
This is the first time anyone had used the word solidarity."
Walesa, Lech
(Leader of the Solidarity Movement) , speaking Polish:
- "At first I tried to enter the yard like I always did, but they wouldn’t let me through any of the gates."
Zinczuk, Pawel
(shipyard worker) , speaking Polish:
- "Queues were so long that people often came at three of four in the morning to start to stand in line. When I went to work at six o’clock, my friends let me get into the line then because that was the only way I was going to be able to get anything.
"