Gry Wojenne is a documentary, produced and written by Dariusz Jablonski, about Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski, and what he did when he realised that Poland was in danger of nuclear annihilation. What motivated him? How was he able to succeed for so long? What did it cost him and his family? Polish, American and Russian perspectives are given through interviews of the key players involved, friend, foe and family. Woven in is Jablonski's own story of the making of this documentary and his repatriation to Poland of the cremated remains of Ryszard and his elder son Waldek.

In one of the interviews James Simon, senior CIA officer specialising in Soviet military issues in the 1970's says:

"There's an elephant standing there and they bring out a bunch of blind men to describe it. The first one grabs the elephant's tail and says the elephant is like a rope. The next one touches the elephant's side and he says an elephant is like a wall. Another touches the leg and he says an elephant is like a tree. The next man grabs the elephant's ear and he says the elephant is like a big leaf. The last man grabs the elephant's trunk and he says the elephant is like a snake. Well none of these describe an elephant. What describes the elephant is the brain and the size of the elephant. What Colonel Kuklinski did is he helped us understand the brain of the elephant. How the elephant moved. What it was and what it might do. Colonel Kuklinski told us what they were thinking."

The elephant analogy is useful in explaining how Jablonski tells Kuklinski's story. We must mentally assemble the jigsaw of Kuklinski's life by viewing and re-viewing flashbacks of his experiences in Poland and America, listening to what others said about him from a variety of perspectives, looking at family snapshots and photos of him with top level Warsaw pact military planners, as well as the other aspects of his life as presented.

Kuklinski - exuberant youth. Off screen "Gry wojenne"

The documentary is achronological and arrhythmic. Fragments of Kuklinski's life are randomly intertwined with the producer's story of making Gry Wojenne and returning Ryszard and his elder son's ashes to Poland. There is visual and emotional dissonance such as the chilling virtual reality scenes of the Soviets invading Western Europe, sparking a nuclear holocaust, juxtaposed with interviews of Ryszard's wife, friends and colleagues. Shadowy scenes and furtive exchanges are mixed with portraits of homes in well to do American suburbia. Quiet moments are fractured by the sound bursts of exploding bombs. The viewer is constantly on edge. Through use of this style we can form a clear picture of Kuklinski's courage and heroism and we can sense what life for him and his family must have been like.

In taking this approach the producer expects the viewer to provide the context. The film only makes sense to someone who already has an understanding of the Cold War, a basic knowledge of Polish history and is acquainted with the Kuklinski controversy. To anyone who brings the prerequisite context it is a brilliant documentary. However if you want to share it with your non Polish friends, you will have to educate them first, if they are open to learning a little of this astounding and inspiring history.

A good starting point for learning more about Ryszard Kuklinski is Weiser, Benjamin. 2004 A Secret Life. US: Public Affairs. I found it most interesting in explaining how Kuklinski was able to pass such a massive quantity of documents of the highest importance over nearly ten years without getting caught.

Kuklinski's grave, Powazki Cemetery 2006

To stay safe an agent must be perceived as trustworthy, however the greatest danger of being caught comes from agent errors; surveillance of the movements, communications and contacts of foreign embassy personnel; from defectors or moles ‘in the know'.

The Americans lost many top spies when surveillance of embassy personnel led them to the agent. Officer/agent exchanges are always a point of weakness. Kuklinski was lucky that one of the officer’s managing him, David Forden, was part of a vanguard who were innovating methods to make officer/agent exchanges ‘fail safe'. Rather than risky ‘dead letter drops' or clandestine mailings, they perfected ‘brush pass'. Documents would be passed from agent to officer in plain view. This concept is discussed fully in Chapter 3 of Weiser's book. In perfecting the method the officers even sought the advice of magicians skilled in the art of deception.

Rather than trying to escape surveillance the idea was to make it appear as if ‘nothing happened' while they were being watched. At a pre-selected point, the agent and officer would pass each other and the documents transferred from one to the other. The best places for this were parts of a city where two successive right hand turns could be made and a means existed for the agent to make a quick escape. In making the right hand turns a surveillance gap of a few seconds is enough for the handoff to go unnoticed. A city would be researched to find suitable places and the officer, either alone or with his family, would develop a daily routine around the chosen brush pass locations.

"Be natural. Don't be sneaky. Go everywhere. Be interested in everything. Shop, sightsee, and love castles, and take your family to the country on picnics. But be predictable. Before you know it, you will have a dozen different routes you can walk anytime you want without alarming opposing surveillance officers." (Weiser, Benjamin. 2004. A Secret Life. US: Public Affairs, P75.)

Because there were not many suitable places in Warsaw for walking ‘brush pass' a car was used instead.

‘Forden had noticed as he drove around Warsaw that the SB tended to stay sufficiently behind him that if he made a right turn, there was a short gap before he saw the SB car make the same turn. Within that gap, he felt, there was enough time to make a quick handoff to a source through the car window. . . . .He found two sites in Warsaw that seemed suitable. His favorite, which he code named Morze (sea in Polish) was down the hill from the Polish Sejm, or parliament, toward the Vistula River.' (Weiser, Benjamin. 2004. A Secret Life. US: Public Affairs, P81.)

The fact that about 40 000 top level documents over nearly ten years were safely exchanged in this way is testimony to the method's effectiveness.

When I read books or view documentaries I sometimes encounter ‘stereoscopic moments’. A stereoscopic moment is when a two dimensional image becomes three dimensional. If you have ever looked at aerial photos through a stereoscope you can understand what impact the 3D moment has on your perception.

I experienced a ‘stereoscopic moment' in one of Jablonski's interviews with David Forden (aka Daniel), his case officer for a time. Forden is moved by the poignancy of Kuklinski's thoughts, as he reads a letter he received from him:

"After August 1980, with the creation of Solidarity I was additionally convinced that I am not alone travelling this road, that the nation desires freedom from the shackles of communism imposed on it from the outside. After all, today I am able to do more for my country, for the cause of freedom than I was nine years ago. From the effort of individuals - not just me - from the effort of many individuals, the strength of the nation is formed against which even the greatest power is powerless."

Do you feel Kuklinski's pain? The forlorn feeling of ‘aloneness' fighting for what you think may be a lost cause, though you know in your heart and mind that it's the right cause. What an emotional transformation to suddenly discover you are not alone! The just cause may not be lost. Dark despair turns into a rainbow of hope.

Another moment happens when I see David Forden proudly showing the engraving of a capsized yacht ‘Po Burzy' that he received from Kuklinski, one of the few possessions he salvaged from his home at the time of his exfiltration. Stop, consider the context and think about this segment of the documentary. Proof that a picture is worth a thousand words.

And then, another, with Tom Ryan, who, together with his wife Lucille, had exfiltrated the Kuklinski family to West Berlin in November 1981. In responding to a Jablonski question, I can see Ryan visualising the meaning of the words at the same time he is speaking them ‘one man who did so much for the world', and then, unable to hold back his emotions any longer, he bursts into tears.

Throughout the film, I caught glimpses of photos of Kuklinski and in my mind I put together a chronological photo montage of Kuklinski as a youth through to the snapshots of him in adulthood. The young lad with a joyful countenance and wonderment, looking forward to what life has to offer, snapshots of milestones in his life, then a picture of him in a pensive pose, as if contemplating a turning point in his life. Finally a colour print taken not long before he died, reveals a face of character seemingly burdened with the troubles of the whole world on his shoulders.

At the conclusion of the screening the moderator, Hubert Blaszczyk, commented that in Poland, opinion is evenly divided between those who see Kuklinski as a hero and others who believe that he was a traitor. Hubert then invited comments from the viewers. A lively discussion followed which was impressively moderated by Hubert. He made sure everyone who wanted to speak had a fair hearing and that people were respectful of each other. Some of the points raised:

• The first speaker considered that the breaking of one’s word can only be interpreted as betrayal, but he believed that Kuklinski wasted his time because of the disastrous way things have turned out for Poland today

• Another concluded that although he considered Kuklinski a hero, his work was in vain because he really didn't achieve anything since the world is still in danger of nuclear war.

• Expressed also was the view that looking over the last 300 or so years of Polish history there have been tragic consequences in relying on external guarantors of Poland's borders and freedoms. Poland has been betrayed during this period by both East and West. It is up to Polish people themselves to take care of its history and traditional values and not be ashamed of being Polish. Without being narrow nationalists Poles should be proud of their contributions to Australia and to humanity. This speaker put Kuklinski at the same level as Pulaski and Kosciuszko for their universal values. They served their country, they did not rely on external guarantees of Polish freedoms. At the other end, he said, was Jaruzelski and Kiszczak who have sworn loyalty to the Party and to the Soviet Union, not to Poland, as well as King Stanislaw Poniatowski who abdicated, and in effect, gave his powers to Russia.

• Others concluded that Kuklinski is a hero because he saved the world from nuclear holocaust.

• Shining light on how Kuklinski's sons died, a speaker said he had researched this issue thoroughly over the internet and the indications are both their deaths were highly suspicious.

I too have used the internet to look into the deaths of Waldemar and Bogdan Kuklinski and confirm the point made that their deaths were highly suspicious. I also believe that Kuklinski is a champion of liberty equal to Pulaski and Kosciuszko and that we who are aware of this should make a better effort of spreading our knowledge, but rather than claiming them as great Polish heroes we should portray them as heroes of humanity who happened to be Polish.

However, I do not understand the reasoning behind the conclusion that Kuklinski wasted his time because of the disastrous way things have turned out in Poland today. Say I save a person's life and this person later has a child who becomes a drunk. Am I to blame? Surely not. Each person has free will and is responsible for their own decisions and choices.

Nor do I understand the logic behind judging Kuklinski's courageous deeds as a wasted effort. It's like saying "Don't eat any more meals, you will only grow hungry again. You have accomplished nothing and all your eating has been in vain.". Ronald Reagan made the point more profoundly As part of his remarks on the Anniversary of the Birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., January 15, 1983. Reagan said:

‘Freedom is not something to be secured in any one moment of time. We must struggle to preserve it every day. Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We don't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same.'

Hubert Blaszczyk's bringing attention to the long lasting split of opinion between those who judge Kuklinski a hero and those who take the other point of view focuses attention on an interesting issue. Did Kuklinski stop World War 3 from starting on Polish soil? Did this in effect stop a nuclear holocaust? For me the answer is an obvious yes. It is clear cut. Kuklinski's work for Poland saved Poland and the rest of the world from nuclear war. No question. He is one of the world's great heroes. It is unarguable.

Troubles of World on Shoulders. Off screen "Gry wojenne"

Why then do so many people still consider him to be a traitor?

The only way I can understand why people hold onto the other point of view is by way of analogy. In May of 2006, the US State of Colorado in its House of Representatives was honouring the 90th anniversary of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (aggressive abortionists). Gianna Jessen sang the American national anthem at the opening. This anthem is extremely difficult to sing well and all the representatives were touched by her performance. At one point she lost balance and the stumble caused her to forget the words so she hummed the tune instead. Gianna said ‘Please forgive me I am so nervous'. All the representatives and their guests began to sing along with her to ease her nerves and boost her spirits. When she finished the speaker of the House explained that Ms Jessen suffered from Cerebral Palsy and was involved in trying to increase community awareness of this condition. A leading reporter from a major Denver newspaper told Gianna that she had never heard a rendition that better captured the spirit of the national anthem.

Representative Ted Harvey, who is pro-life and who arranged Gianna's performance, sketched out a little more about her. Gianna was born prematurely with Cerebral Palsy. Weighing just two pounds at birth she remained in hospital fighting for her life for about three months. She won, but her foster mother was told Gianna would forever be in a ‘vegetable state', she would never be even able to crawl. Through her desire to live and the dedication and prayers of her foster mother, over her childhood years Gianna underwent several surgeries and regular rehabilitation. She learned to crawl and was even able to walk with the assistance of leg braces. After more surgery and rehabilitation the braces were discarded. Gianna joined a health club and trained hard to the point she could leg press 200 pounds. She now runs in marathons whenever she can.

Her courage was so moving to the members of the house she was given a standing ovation for about 20 seconds. At the end of the applause representative Harvey explained the cause of Gianna's Cerebral Palsy. Her 17 year old mother had had a late term abortion at a Planned Parenthood Clinic. The saline solution did not kill her and she was born alive seven and a half months into the pregnancy. The highly concentrated solution resulted in oxygen deficiency in her brain, hence the Cerebral Palsy. At this point, Representative Harvey was stopped from speaking but he managed to say ‘Mr Speaker, I understand - I just wanted to put a face to what we are celebrating today.'

The pro-abortion rationale is that what is in a womb is not a person - it's just a cluster of cells. Here was unarguable proof to the contrary standing before them looking them in the face! The majority of the members were pro Planned Parenthood but not one of them changed their belief of the cluster of cells argument!

In Gry Wojenne, seeing and hearing Jan Nowak-Jezioranski, legendary courier from Warsaw, judge Kuklinski to be a great hero should be enough for any Pole to conclude the same. Jezioranski constantly risked being captured, tortured and killed during World War II, as he couriered dispatches back and forth between the Home Army (AK) and the Polish Government-In-Exile in London. He fought courageously in the Warsaw Rising and provided the sunshine of hope as director of Radio Free Europe's Polish service for twenty five years. Jan Nowak-Jezioranski knows about courage and heroism first hand. If a world expert bridge player saw you play a hand and told you that you played it as well as any expert could have, you could confidently conclude that you played the hand well.

Kuklinski helped save the world from nuclear holocaust. He did this for Poland, putting himself and his family in constant danger. It is unarguable. He is a great hero of humanity. ‘For your freedom and ours’ rings true again.

It warmed my heart to hear the applause at the end of the film and the respect offered by the 83 attendees when Hubert asked for a minutes silence in honour of Kuklinski. It is the same warmth I felt when visiting Pawazki Cemetery when I saw the appreciation, love and care in looking after Kuklinski's grave. Candles and flowers are forever there. I had previously passed by a much larger and more expensive memorial but it was overgrown with weeds, dilapidated and barren. It was Bierut's grave.

I have written almost nothing about Kuklinski's wife, Hanna, nor of their sons Waldek and Bogdan. But the love they had for each other, their role in this story, and the way they acted in adversity is heroic too and is cause for further reading.

Thank you Dariusz Jablonski for producing the film, thank you to the people of Zwiazek Poloticznych Okresu Stanu Wojennego for organising its screening, to Hubert for the excellent moderation, and to the Ashfield Polish Club for providing the venue.

Text & Photos Felix Molski