World Notes POLAND

Not since the Polish-born John Paul II was elevated to the papacy in 1978 had so many Poles tuned in to a television broadcast. The occasion: the live telecast last week of a 42-minute debate between Alfred Miodowicz, head of the country's official trade-union federation, and Lech Walesa, chairman of the banned Solidarity union. Some 20 million citizens, 78% of the country's adults, watched the show.

By common agreement, Walesa won easily. He charged that opportunities for radical change exist in Poland but said, "We are not making use of them. It seems what we are doing is still salvaging the remnants of a Stalinist model." The next day even Communist Party officials gave him admiring reviews. Said one: "It was a smashing victory for Walesa. I would give him an 8-to-2 advantage." To many Poles, his appearance seemed to confer official recognition on Solidarity and could be a catalyst for renewed enthusiasm for the union.

Why did the government of Prime Minister Mieczyslaw Rakowski permit the debate? One answer was that the authorities hoped Walesa would appear rambling and incoherent under the eye of the camera -- as he sometimes is in impromptu discussions. They were wrong.