Jiří Kráčalík

“I was entrusted with an army secret, regardless if I really understood what it was all about or not. I found out later that some of the most secret documents of the Czechoslovak Army had passed through my and other guys from the printing press’s hands, especially concerning the anti-aircraft defense of the country. There might have been, for example, plans for building a new shooting range, a base, or what not. But we only took pictures of it. Always some lieutenant colonel or another would come and say: ‘Guys, take a picture of it, but don’t make any negatives for making reproductions, we just need to put it into the archive.’ We did it on thirty-five millimeter film, they put it onto reels, labeled it, and then paid it no to mind to where it ended up afterwards. Later I found out that I was due to be vetted. They vetted my family, education, and whether or not I had someone who was close abroad. Otherwise I would have never gotten the position. However, once I for sure signed some document for them. I know that it was called PTZD, or Přísně tajné zvláštní důležitosti (Strictly Confidential of Special Importance). It was the highest vetting there was.”

“It was a valley which till today is called Masarykovo. In one of its rear sections there’s a monument from where it’s then possible to begin your ascent up Gruň. There was drinkable water there, so practically everyone living there at the time had to clear out. It meant deconstructing our house and moving somewhere else, just like we had to do. There were mostly wooden huts there. Mr. Charbulák, who owned a cottage on Gruň passed away. Below he also had a tiny shop, a restaurant, and a hotel. I remember how we used to go there. People had to give up everything. But it wasn’t only this way for Řečice, but Hutě and Smrkem and other villages. The reservoir stretches all the way to Staré Hamry, so it affected them as well.”