Barred From Awards, Walesa Sends Tape

Former Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, barred by the Polish government from appearing in person Friday to accept the fourth annual Integrity Award of the John-Roger Foundation, instead sent a videotaped speech in which he thanked supporters and told a star-studded awards ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hilton that he wants to meet Lane Kirkland of the AFL-CIO and other U.S. labor leaders.

“Time is passing very quickly and many issues are changing,” Walesa said during the videotape made Wednesday in Poland. Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Leonard Walentynowicz accepted the award in Walesa’s behalf, saying Polish officials kept Walesa from attending because they did not want to give him “a platform.”

Other Integrity Award winners this year were songwriter Stevie Wonder and charity organizer Ken Kragen.