A Letter From The Publisher: Jan. 4, 1982

When the Polish army moved in to crush Solidarity and suppress the country's hard-won new freedoms on Dec. 13, the choice of Solidarity Union Leader Lech Wa lesa as TIME'S Man of the Year had already been made, and the complex process of planning and reporting the sto ry was well under way. East European Bureau Chief Rich ard Hornik, who has visited Poland eight times since last January, had been stationed there since late November. He not only called upon his numerous sources in the party and government, but also had an exclusive 1½-hour conversation with Walesa, the last substantive...

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