Václav Vlček

“They stepped on his glasses and broke them and dad was thus unable to read. On the following day they brought him a protocol and told him that he would be released because the accusations against him could not be proven. Mistakenly rejoicing, dad signed the protocol and only several weeks later he found out that it was actually a confession. At home I often asked my mom where dad was and she kept telling me that he was away traveling. Only one autumn evening she told me in tears that he was in prison. He was mostly interned in the prison in Prague-Pankrác, and we were allowed to go there for ten-minute visits, every three months, I think. The room for visitors was large and dismal and the prisoners were separated from us by a strong triple grey fence. In the corner of the room there was a notice board which all visitors read. I asked mom what was written there. She replied that the notice said: Today, the following persons were executed…”

“I maintained correspondence with several students, from Hawaii all the way to Germany. One student’s name was Josef Strauss. He had the same name as the minister of national defence at that time. He sent me a postcard and I received the postcard – there was a photo of the Brandenburg Gate with the wall. He wrote on the postcard: ‘This is the wall of freedom which our Soviet friends built for us.’ Soon after, three men from StB came to the student dormitory in the evening, and until the following morning they pressured me, repeating words like: ‘The sword of Damocles is hanging over you. Either you will tell us the name of the person who slanders our people’s democratic system, or you will not be allowed to graduate.’ It was ten days before the graduation exams. I had to give them all my correspondence which I had in my room. I did not tell them anything about anybody and to my surprise, the following day the school principal discreetly praised me and assured me that I need not be afraid and that I would be allowed to take the final examination.”