Letter with Opinion of Małgorzaty Mehnel–Szyc on Radio Free Europe and the Case against Zdzisław Najder

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reaserCH institute on ContemPorarY
ProBlems of CaPitalism

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Warsaw, 11 IV 1983

Deputy Public Prosecutor Lt. Col. W. Makowski
Main Military Prosecutor’s Office
Ul. Nowowiejska 26b
W a r s a w

We are enclosing the opinion of Małgorzaty Mehnel–Szyc on the subject of Radio Free Europe and the literary institute Publishers in Paris, prepared in accordance with the brief of January 5, 1983, V Pn. Śl. ii-13/82 issued in the case against Zdzisław Najder.

d i r e C t o r
Do, dr. hab Andrzej Lawrowski
Signatory

1. Opinion
2. Invoice IBWPK

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Question 2. Pertaining to RFE and its representatives from the special services of the countries of NATO, with regard to the role of Zdzisław Najder, the present director of the Polish RFE section.

Based on the available source material, it is not possible to establish with certitude the details of the ties of Radio Free Europe with the special services of the NATO countries. Generally one can affirm that such ties must exist. RFE is an American station, directed, financed, and controlled by a government agency of the United States, and it operates on FRG territory and thus is directly subordinated to a country belonging to NATO.

The Board for International Broadcasting (BIB) has competence over all personnel decisions affecting managerial positions in the stations, including the language section chiefs. All employees of RFE/RL are subject to verification on security grounds by the American special service. In the case of Z. Najder, the decision to appoint him to the position of head of the Polish Service had to be taken at least at the level of the BIB, assuming a positive recommendation from the CIA on the security issue. Indirectly Z. Najder himself admits this, saying that “he waited for a long time for the formalities [to be completed]” before assuming the position. (See “Interview with Z. Najder,” Tydzien Polski, October 9, 1982, p. 4)