Spy Ryszard Kuklinski dies

February 18, 2004

Edward S. Wiater
To freedom loving Poles and people everywhere, Col. Ryszard Kuklinski was a hero, a man who foiled Soviet plans for domination of Europe after World War II and quite possibly staved off World War III.
To Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski, head of the Moscow-controlled communist government during the cold war, and his cohorts, Kuklinski was a traitor and was even sentenced to death in absentia.
Kuklinski was the subject of a four-part series in the Am-Pol Eagle in June 2002. He suffered a massive stroke last week and died Feb. 11 in Tampa, FL. He was 73.
Kuklinski's heroic undercover work with the United States Counter Intelligence Agency had a Western New York connection. After Kuklinski was found to be sincere in working with the United States, Buffalo-born David Forden of East Aurora became his contact.
After opting for a military career in 1947 when Poland was trying to recover from total ruin, Kuklinski caught the eye of high military officials and politicos. He rose through the ranks and in the 1960s was assigned to the general staff. His job: Planning large-scale military exercises.
It was during these planning stages that he recognized Soviet military expansion plans. They included all of Europe and if a battleground was to be formed, Poland would be in the middle of a disaster greater than that brought on by WW II. The Soviets already had stockpiled nuclear weapons in Poland.
Two events finally convinced Kuklinski to become a spy. The first was the Soviet invasion of the then Czechoslovakia in 1968, and later, the killing of Lech Walesa's Solidarity members in Gdansk.
In 1981, after roughly 10 years of spying, Kuklinski, who was married and had children, asked that he be allowed to flee with his family to the United States as it was becoming apparent military officials were starting to probe his behavior.
After he was in America, communist officials called him a traitor and in a "show trial" convicted him and sentenced him to death. Forden and others, however, pointed out Kuklinski never signed any contract to do the work for the United States.
"Ryszard was a true patriot," Forden said on being contacted by this writer two years ago. "He wanted his country to be free. His thoughts of freedom involved all the good people of the world which brings to mind the cry of Polish soldiers storming the German-held Monte Cassino. Their cry was 'Not just for our freedom but yours, too'."
The Kuklinskis paid a heavy price for the colonel's work on behalf of the free world. Their youngest son Bogdan was lost during a diving trip off the coast of Florida. His body was never recovered. Some believe Fidel Castro's agents had a hand in this tragedy.
A half year later, Kuklinski's other son, Waldemar, was hit and killed by a car. The driver fled the scene. There were no fingerprints found in the car which hit him. As one officer said, "The communist secret police has long tentacles."
Col. Kuklinski is survived by his wife Joanna and one grandson.