Poland: Freedom–for the Children

It was with a touch of sadness that renowned Physicist Leopold Infeld, 63, a close collaborator of Albert Einstein, gave up his Canadian citizenship eleven years ago and returned home to Poland. After 17 years in the West, said Infeld at the time, “I have come to love and admire Canada’s democratic spirit, its sense of fair play.” Now chairman of Poland’s Atomic Energy Commission, Infeld recalls these Western values—within the limits set by Poland’s cultural commissars. In a semi-official magazine. Infeld dutifully asserts that freedom in the U.S. is diminishing, but adds: “We talk about competition with the West. This competition cannot be purely economic. It must also be apparent in the field of rights, in the field of freedom. Only through simultaneously raising the standard of living and extending freedom will our socialist system gain more followers and win the competition with capitalist countries.

“I agree with our present system of censorship—provided it is not too strict. But the present situation is not as important as the direction in which we are going. I agree to the present state of affairs on one condition: that our children’s freedom will be increased, not decreased.”