Poland

Having recently returned from a visit to Poland where I had gone to observe the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the war, I had an opportunity to participate in much of the daily life of the populace. Given my perspective I’ll have to agree with part of Dan Fisher’s article “Poles Finding the Revolution Just a Letdown” (Part I, Oct. 5).

Staying with a cousin in Warsaw was very telling. He was depressed because his small car was on the verge of breaking down again. His father confided in me that during the past few years his son had saved enough zloty to enable him to purchase a new automobile. However, with inflation leaping ahead of its current rate, his son would be lucky if he could buy four tires much less the entire automobile.

Despite these very real issues, small things are happening. Names of streets and squares are being changed back to those of a pre-war era or are being changed altogether to reflect more recent history. The Polish eagle is scheduled to get its crown back for the first time since the war.

Fisher was right when he said the revolution has been a letdown but not totally. By the way, the movie showing at a downtown theater when I was in Warsaw was “Casualties of War.”

RICHARD J. WIDERYNSKI

Long Beach