Three crewmen beaten in Poland, CBS charges

October 1, 1982

Three members of a CBS television crew, covering church services in Gdansk, Poland, honoring Lech Walesa's birthday, were beaten, clubbed, and kicked by uniformed Polish police, the network said Thursday.

CBS News president Van Gordon Sauter sent telegrams protesting the incident as a violation of the Helsinki accords to the Polish Foreign Ministry and to Foreign Minister Stephan Olszowski. He said the incident was without provocation and took place after the three produced credentials showing their authorization by Polish authorities to cover news events in that country.