Anna Eliášová

“In Pardubice it was already easier, we were able to take a shower and so on. The rules were more relaxed. On the other hand, it was then cruel and restricted in Opava. There were over twenty of us sleeping in bunk beds which were placed one next to each other in the room. There was a toilet inside the room, right in the corner. Today this would not even be allowed due to sanitary reasons. Well, you experience a nasty time there. But I have somehow lived through it; I would have never thought, though, that they would be persecuting and monitoring us for such a long time after… my daughter was not allowed to study, and I could not get a proper job. Luckily I can thank my boss who helped me at that time.”

“They had been after us for a long time, nothing was happening, until one day Johaczy arrived to Prague with that travel agency and they had a meeting at Pavlov Square; there was that hotel, but I don’t remember its name anymore. They met there, but they had been already waiting for them and they arrested them both. It was at noon when he arrived. They were arrested and I didn’t know anything about it, I was at home. Fortunately, my mom from Tábor was visiting me, she would always come for a month or so. At midnight they came to our flat, on the very same day. They messed up everything in our flat. They found a briefcase, there is a photograph of it, and inside there were some…. This was what incriminated Zimmermann. They thus already knew everything and they had some suspicion. They did a house search in my place, they asked me questions. My support consisted in translating instructions for my husband concerning what he was to do, the instructions were in German on those tiny film rolls and I could speak German and that was the only thing I was doing; that is what I got the three-year prison sentence for.”

“I can tell you how it all began. We were asked whether we would get involved in anticommunist espionage activities. My husband agreed immediately. It was arranged through my cousin’s husband from Linz who was in contact with the American intelligence in Salzburg, and especially in Munich where they were giving him orders. Since he was a driver working for a travel agency, he was going for trips to Czechoslovakia at that time. He simply asked my husband whether he would be able to find out about some things which they needed. Like military things, and various locations, and so on. We formed a group, there were five of us. My husband, Mr. Johaczy from Linz, Mr. Hora, who was a former general who had cooperated with President Beneš some time ago, and Mr. Šindler, who was my husband’s colleague from work."