Polish Labor and Human Rights History Lech Wałęsa Signed Note from Banned Solidarity Era 1985

Lech Walesa

Manuscripts & Autographs

Wałęsa, Lech. Signed note dated March 7, 1985, belongs to the period when the Polish labor leader continued to serve as the public symbol of Solidarity despite the Communist government’s suppression of the independent trade union. Wałęsa had led the 1980 Gdańsk Shipyard strike and negotiations that secured the right to establish independent trade unions, becoming chairman of Solidarity before the organization was banned following the imposition of martial law in December 1981. Awarded the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle for free trade unions and human rights, he regarded the honor as recognition not simply of himself but of Solidarity and the people it represented. By March 1985, although martial law had formally ended, restrictions remained, Solidarity continued underground, and Wałęsa maintained contact with its leaders while under government surveillance. The note thus survives from the communication environment that sustained Polish labor opposition during the years between Solidarity’s legal suppression and its later return to public political life.

Wałęsa, Lech. March 7, 1985. One page, approximately 5 x 4 inches. Short preprinted note in Polish, signed by Wałęsa in blue ink “Lech Walesa.” The preprinted text distinguishes the piece from a fully autograph letter, while Wałęsa’s manuscript signature provides a direct association with the Solidarity leader. Its specific recipient and the text or purpose of the printed message are not supplied and therefore are not inferred. The document dates less than two years after Wałęsa received the Nobel Peace Prize. He did not travel to Oslo to accept the award in person; his wife, Danuta Wałęsa, received it on his behalf, while Wałęsa remained in Poland among the workers and movement with which he identified.

The timing is central to the note’s historical value. Wałęsa had been released from internment in November 1982 and returned to the Gdańsk shipyards, but the government continued monitoring him as he maintained contacts with underground Solidarity organizers. The Nobel Prize announcement in October 1983 strengthened the morale of the suppressed movement even as the state press attacked the award, and Solidarity’s opposition continued until renewed negotiations and political reforms later in the decade. One page, 5 x 4 inches; preprinted Polish text with blue ink signature. Minor evidence of handling, if any; otherwise fine. A dated signed communication from Wałęsa during Solidarity’s underground period, providing direct material evidence associated with the labor and human rights movement that challenged Communist political control in Poland.

Item #9776

Price: $225.00