Off the Record

President E-Lech. In anticipation of Poland’s November 25 presidential election, two supporters of former Solidarity leader Lech Walesa visited Washington to let folks know what’s going on in Warsaw. Ever since the fall of the Communists, there has been a growing rift between Mr. Walesa and Adam Michnik, another Polish hero who edits Solidarity’s main daily, Gazeta Wyborcza. Of late, Mr. Michnik has gone to most of the established liberal American organs to complain that the new threat to Poland is a Catholic Church that wants religion in the schools and abortion outlawed, hinting along the way that Mr. Walesa is a throwback to provincial Poland and anti-Semitism.

Not true, said Zdzislaw Najder, at a meeting at the National Forum Foundation on Capitol Hill. Mr. Najder, chairman of the Civic Committee and a distingued professor of literature, noted how telling it was that such assertions were always made abroad and not at home-where they could be refuted more easily. At least to Cato’s ears, he sounded considerably less provincial than Mr. Michnik, who has argued for a Poland more in line with Sweden than one designed by economist Milton Friedman. Indeed, the hot argument in Poland now is whether German investment is the Trojan Horse for a reconquest of Poland. Mr. Najder’s response? “The major problem with Germans coming to invest is that they haven’t been coming.” Milton Friedman couldn’t have said it any better.

Featured Tags

President E-Lech. In anticipation of Poland’s November 25 presidential election, two supporters of former Solidarity leader Lech Walesa visited Washington to let folks know what’s going on in Warsaw. Ever since the fall of the Communists, there has been a growing rift between Mr. Walesa and Adam Michnik, another Polish hero who edits Solidarity’s main daily, Gazeta Wyborcza. Of late, Mr. Michnik has gone to most of the established liberal American organs to complain that the new threat to Poland is a Catholic Church that wants religion in the schools and abortion outlawed, hinting along the way that Mr. Walesa is a throwback to provincial Poland and anti-Semitism.

Not true, said Zdzislaw Najder, at a meeting at the National Forum Foundation on Capitol Hill. Mr. Najder, chairman of the Civic Committee and a distingued professor of literature, noted how telling it was that such assertions were always made abroad and not at home-where they could be refuted more easily. At least to Cato’s ears, he sounded considerably less provincial than Mr. Michnik, who has argued for a Poland more in line with Sweden than one designed by economist Milton Friedman. Indeed, the hot argument in Poland now is whether German investment is the Trojan Horse for a reconquest of Poland. Mr. Najder’s response? “The major problem with Germans coming to invest is that they haven’t been coming.” Milton Friedman couldn’t have said it any better.