Ondřej Průcha

“We wanted to get our papers and school leaving certificates translated so we could use them abroad. But even that was dangerous. Fortunately, one of us had a friend, a translator, who would certify the documents. But he said: “I can´t do this. I should have reported it. I have to report anyone who wants his papers translated.' We didn´t know yet whether we were going to Germany or to the United States, or somewhere else. 'So I should have reported that someone gets his papers translated,' he told us. Then, we wanted to get a copy. We were living in Liberec back then and there was one single copying machine in the city. Single company which made copies. And they also should have reported it. Fortunately, they didn´t. My mother worked in Thomayer Hospital with Dr. Šiklová back then. And Dr. Šiklová was one of the people involved in the Charter 77 manifesto. So my mother told her what we are planning to do. And she said: “I would like to meet them.' And we have met at Budějovické Square as I remember... No, it was at Kačerov, in front of the underground station so there would be many people, and she told us: 'Listen, I am not trying to stop you, and I will arrange that you will get your papers if you would need to.' So at least we could be sure that we didn´t have to carry it with us on our way.”

“After I emigrated in 83´ - before we had been granted asylum in Germany – the Americans would invite us to Munich to an interrogation of sorts. It was the CIA, probably. And as I remember, as I was doing my military service in Přerov, it was such a farce that every time a foreign car would pass, we had to write it down and report it. Each and every plate... So we came to Munich to meet the Americans and the man who had been interrogation me said, 'Where did you serve?' And I said, 'I served in Přerov.' - 'And what could you tell me about it?' And I said: 'Nothing, as I can tell you, how the dumplings were being made, how lunches were being cooked, but that´s just about all. As I had been training with a weapon for maybe a month. Me, I really do not know anything.' He would say: 'No problem, just wait a minute.' And he would go downstairs. And he would bring some maps for the storeroom and he would spread them on the table... And they had an exact blueprint of our kitchen. And he said: 'This is where potatoes were stored, there were the ovens, and over there you had... We know all of it already, we just need you to confirm it.' So I thought – how stupid we were making such a fuss when a foreign car would pass, thinking everything was top secret, yet they knew everything.”

“I remember it quite well, as we were on vacation in East Bohemia. As we woke up in the morning, we were hearing radio blazing from the room next door. We didn´t know what was happening. We went out and saw all the adults gathered around the radio, listening. Then we found out we were invaded by the armies. But in the countryside, it was all quiet. But as the holidays ended, we went to Praha where the situation had been quite different. We would see tank driving around as we went to school in the morning and there were soldiers everywhere. So it was quite an unpleasant feeling.”

“So we went by bus to the border. There were about thirty of us, going on package holiday. We came to the border and they ordered us to turn around and sent us back to Tábor I guess as someone had invalid visas or something like that. And as we came back, they would drag... policemen dragged maybe four people from the bus. They sent them back right away and the rest of us, we had to endure this absurd inspection. Fortunately, we weren´t carrying anything suspicious. So off we went. And as we reached the first gas station in Austria, three quarter of people got of the bus stating, 'We are staying here.' And the man in charge of the tour was quite upset, stating: 'They will lock me up for this, you see.'”