František Antl

As a party member I had to go to the party's education. When I graduated from two-year school "The Economic policy of the party" for the third time ... That was really funny. They went to the White house, were sat forty disgusted people. Then came the lecturer who did not know anything. But I had to go there, we got stamps for the presence, it was strictly controlled. Comrades told me that it is like two or three years since I was there last time. And that I must continue. Of course they thought up I will go to the VUML. So I said "no way. I will not register in the VUML, I just will not go there." Do you know what it was VUML? Evening University of Marxism - Leninism. Extraordinarily stupid school. Not that there were taught completely wrong subjects. There was thaught the Hegelian philosophy and other things. However, the general focus was a disaster. There were many levels of the students very - from university professors to workers. And all in one class. So you can imagine how they debated about. There was also such an unpleasant affair - especially in aviation and parachuting - it was selective activity. Candidates were examined by State security. If somebody had relatives abroad, in exile, they gave him no recommendation. So many people did not get to skydiving because they had this kind of so-called cadre defects and there was no chance.

I have an unpleasant experience of monetary reform in 1953. Since grandparents were naturally saving up. They did not have much, but they had some savings. And the money fell .. And it changed one to fifty in those days. Some small amount changed one to five, and the rest one to fifty. It was a total devaluation of life savings. All insurance money fell, everything got completely stuffed. They impoverished people completely. In the stream, in the river there floated thousand crowns, people threw them through the window because the banknotes were worthless. So grandfather took those exchanged money, all that were left. And he bought woollen coat for grandma. Because she used to go to the church, so he wanted her not to be cold. And he bought a watch to me, rectangle-shaped, so ugly. I would never take such watch. It was Russian watch brand "Zvjezda". I wore them up to war. A he bought the watch brand Spartak for himself. That was a Czech production, the very first Prims watch. And all money were gone. Grandparent´s life savings got stuffed. I know that the grandfather was shattered because of it, although they had nothing so they did not loose anything.