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One in five would give life for Poland

PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge 11.02.2014 18:15
A fifth of Poles quizzed in a new survey claim they would sacrifice their life for their country, as a debate rages about a Polish officer who risked death to defect to the CIA in 1972.

Photo:
Photo: wikipedia

According to the survey, which was carried out by the Homo Homini Institute in the context of a new film about Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski, as many as 41 percent of Poles would not sacrifice anything at all for their country.

While 19 percent said they would sacrifice their life or health, some 17 percent claimed that they would give up all their assets for the good of their country.

The results, which were released on the tenth anniversary of Kuklinski's death, indicate that Poles from small towns and the countryside are slightly more willing to make sacrifices than their compatriots in cities.

Some 43 percent of those questioned from cities of 50,000 inhabitants or more said they were not prepared to sacrifice anything for Poland, whereas in villages and small towns, the level was lower at 39 percent.

Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski was spirited out of Poland in 1981, having spent eight years passing on classified documents to the CIA.

The debate about Kuklinski's motives has been reignited with new film Jack Strong, which was released on 7 February. President Bronislaw Komorowski declaring he was considering posthumous honours for the colonel.

CIA veteran David Forden told the Polish Press Agency following the premiere that Kuklinski “was deeply loyal to his country, and at the same time he grasped that this country was not free - that's why he decided to do what he did, knowing he was taking a huge risk.” (nh)

Source: Rzeczpospolita

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