WORLD : Poles Hail ‘Father’ Reagan

Poland today welcomed former President Ronald Reagan as the true father of Eastern Europe’s democratic revolution, and he returned the compliment, saying it was the Poles who showed the world how to break the grip of communism.

“Here . . . you began the global democratic revolution that is sweeping every continent and touching every people,” Reagan said to warm applause on the first day of a two-day visit to Poland.

“You and your countrymen have won more than the admiration of the world for launching your democratic revolution,” he told senators, deputies and ministers at a ceremony at Warsaw’s Royal Castle. “You have won the world’s respect for restoring your nation’s independence against all odds.”