Ing. Jan David

“Of course, I remember it. He would come back. I even remember a time I found a jay feather in the garden and said: ´Mum, I have found a jay feather.´ It is a good sign, dad will return to us soon.´ And he really returned soon. I have liked a jay feather since that time, and I have taken it as a good sign. He then returned as a changed person. He was skinny and also did not want to speak (about it). He said he was not allowed to and that he did not want to. He seldom talked about the topic anymore. And unfortunately, neither did I. He said he was in Pankrác (prison) and that they communicated with each other. That they expected Americans would come soon, but he did not talk about his interrogations. He said that it might have been a mistake and that they were not able to classify him into a group that would suit them.”

“The general strike took place on the twenty-first. On Monday. It lasted an hour. So I and a few people in the factory… You could see that I knew people. In the morning I went to see two or three communists, nice people, old blue-collar workers. I said: ´Mr. Majetán, it is not a personal issue, we have nothing against you, you are decent people. But we also want to be normal, we do not want to be second-rate people here or elsewhere.´ So we went to see them like this. And he told me: ´I do not care, do whatever you like.´ I went to see the chairman of the Communist Party organization, who was a colleague, a stock provider. I worked as a technician there. We made a deal without any problems. I went to the director and told him that we did not want the militia to function there. He said, ´Sure´. The militia boys said, ´Sure,´ and they packed it up and locked it up. There was no resistance. None. We elected a Civic Forum in the factory. That is where we played it. I got a record with Marta Kubišová, Prayer for Marta."