But, as the saying goes, I gripped myself with both hands. It grew upon my mind, once I could face the facts, that, terrible as our position was, there was as yet no justification for absolute despair.
The next stop was Warsaw, to meet with President Lech Walesa and emphasize my commitment to bringing Poland into NATO. Walesa had become a hero, and free Poland's natural choice for president, by leading the Gdansk-shipyard workers' revolt against communism more than a decade earlier. He was deeply suspicious of Russia and wanted Poland in NATO as soon as possible. He also wanted more American investment in Poland, saying the country's future required more American generals, starting with General Motors and General Electric.
Some held that God, and all the heavenly powers, / As with the starry panarchy of space, / Were of one essence, like divine and high;
