Book description:
Published as part of the Central Research Project: “Refugees, independence emigration 1939–1990”.
The introduction of martial law in Poland had at least two consequences in the diplomatic sphere that General Wojciech Jaruzelski’s team did not expect. On 19 December 1981, Romuald Spasowski, Ambassador of the Polish People’s Republic in Washington, asked for political asylum in the United States. Four days later, the Polish representative in Tokyo, Zdzisław Rurarz, decided to take a similar step and was quickly flown to the USA. Both escapes made a great impression on Polish and world public opinion. Why did the diplomats decide on such a radical move Why did they decide to break with the system they had served for several decades Was the dictate of conscience and the refusal to forcefully suppress “Solidarity” the key Were more mundane personal considerations at play Or perhaps the Western (and not only) secret services played an important role This book attempts to answer these questions. Starting from a reconstruction of the course of the two escapes, volume one focuses on the events that preceded it.