Monday, May 16, 2005

Precedent: US reportedly rejected Polish diplomat in 1990s for secret police ties

Defenders of alleged former secret police collaborators imply that the US is unconcerned with such issues, even if the individuals may have had ties to the Soviet occupation. A letter circulating on the SIEC e-list states that the US rejected a Polish diplomat's credentials a decade ago on the grounds that he had been tied to the Soviet-era secret police. The text of the letter follows:

"The issue of Henryk Szlajfer as ambassador has precedent. Around 1995, Poland opened General Consulate in Los Angeles and President Walesa came in to officially open it. However, Polish Consul General was rejected by the US government due to his suspected secret police ties. His visa was refused. He used to be the head of the American Center at Jagiellonian University. The Consulate was opened without Consul General. I hope Poland will not face a similar situation now."

Note: Other sources say the date was around 1990-91.