Why wasn't it possible to achieve reform sooner? Everything must mature in its own time: grain, fruit, humans, as well as societies and even politicians. In 1981 the government was marching too slowly and Solidarity too fast. We were heading for a catastrophe. Just as the Prague spring of 1968 was ahead of its time, the Polish autumn of 1981 went beyond the historical realities of that period. We were severely limited by the Warsaw Pact.

When I imposed martial law in December 1981, it was everyone's fault because we failed to understand one another-and no one's fault because it was not the proper time. I made many mistakes and today would do many things differently. But my errors were more tactical than strategic. It took time for De Klerk to reach an understanding with Mandela, Arafat with Rabin. In 1981 the time was not yet right for Walesa and Jaruzelski to come to terms.