Jan Roman

„Já jsem byl u těch komínářů. Takže práce velmi nebezpečná, protože každou chvíli spadl nějaký kámen, někoho to zabilo. Měli jsme gumové obleky, protože v těch dolech neustále pršelo, prostě voda padala ze stropů. Takže jsme museli mít gumové obleky a čepice proti vodě.“ „Co radioaktivita?“ „Radioaktivita tam byla špatná, protože jak ta voda kapala, tak se dostávala i do těch potoků, co padaly ze stropů. Ta voda se prosakovala přes radioaktivní rudu a potom byla samozřejmě radioaktivní. Oni byli takoví bezohlední, že s tou vodou vařili třeba. Ono se také říkalo: ‚Kdo pracuje s uranem, ten má konec s čuranem.‘ Protože ta voda radioaktivní, s tou se vězňové dostávali do styku pořád. Ta radioaktivita se projevila až za několik roků. Dost se dožívali krátkého života.“

„Dva s automaty nás hlídali, šest lidí, trestanců. Situace byla taková, že jsme vždycky jeden prázdný vagon odváželi, abychom ho zase naplnili řepou. Já jsem dělal, jako že podkládám ten vagon. Protože jsme tam byli od rána do večera a ti bachaři nás hlídali, k večeru už byli dost otupělí. Ti jdou pro vagon, odvážejí ho a nakládají. Já jsem dělal, že podkládám ten vagon. Zatím ta pětice ten další vagon odvážela. Tak samozřejmě ti dva bachaři se dívali především po nich. Je nebavilo pořád počítat, jestli nás je šest nebo pět. Tak dívali se po těch pěti lidech, jich mělo být šest. Jak říkám, nebavilo je pořád nás přepočítávat. Já jsem jako šestý, který jsem podkládal ten vagon, tak jsem pozoroval, kdy se ohlížejí za tou pěticí. Využil jsem toho, vylezl na ten kopec řepy, přelezl to a už jsem pelášil k Pardubicím z toho Jičína. Tenkrát jsem ušel šedesát kilometrů za tu noc.“

“One old guard was escorting me to Brno for interrogation to a criminal police station. I was due to explain how I had been robbing the cabins, the story I came up with to cover how I was able to manage my living and obtain food. The railroad to Brno passes trough several tunnels. Trains are slowing down in the tunnels. I wanted to take advantage of this. The prospect of new interrogation and the possibility that police would find out my real identity, which would mean return to Valdice and back into the hands of The State Security, made me to act quickly. Each escapee was exposed to a harsh punishment. I asked the guard to let me go to the toilet. The guard escorted me there with hesitation and unlocked my handcuff. That was my aim. After I entered the toilet I smashed the door and locked myself in. I hurled to the window. I counted on the slow speed of the train in the tunnel to jump out. But I didn’t expect the door lock would be so fragile. The police guard called onto the passengers for help. They knocked the door of the toilet out and caught me just as I was trying to climb onto the window sill. The guard was swearing and threatening that I would get ten years for this!”

„I was nabbed at home lying in bad. I was lucky I was among the last detained, because there was no reason to beat me up in order to force me to confess. Harsh interrogation methods like beating or pricking a needle into fingernails were common in those days. A judge Trudak, who had tried Milada Horakova, presided over our trial, and a state prosecutor Kepak participated, who had also been involved in trial of Milada Horakova. Our trial took place in July 1949. We had spent six months in custody before. I was charged according a law 231. We got only low sentences finally because we were mostly under legal age. The main interrogation office of The State Security in Brno resided on Mozart Street. It really depressed me to hear my beaten friends screaming. The interrogators were especially interested in our possible contacts with leaders of National Socialist Party. They wanted to hear from us we had been incited by them to our actions. But we had denied that, because nothing like this had happened. An interesting fact was the ‘bad guy’ was younger – around thirty – than the second ‘good’ interrogator, who was about forty years old. He even called me by my nickname Ivan. They thought it was my cover name, but this was pure nonsense. While they were trying to force me to make confession, I have heard my beaten friends screaming from a next room, which was really paradoxical in a situation when the ‘good guy’ was telling me: ‘we never use violence here’.”

„In autumn 1952 we were sent to stack sugar beet. I took advantage of this opportunity and I have escaped. We were loading empty carriages, a group of six prisoners guarded by two wardens. We had loaded the carriage full, then moved it away, brought another one, loaded it full and so on, back and forth the whole day. In the evening we were pushing away another full wagon and I had stayed back a little deliberately pretending to wedging it. The wardens were apathetic already in the evening. It didn’t make sense to recount us again and again. While the others were departing with the full carriage I climbed over the heap and disappeared towards the railway station. I had walked along the rails all the way to Parubice. I had no emergency plan. I had arranged my escape to Austria with one resistance group of rail men previously. The escape was scheduled for the 1st January 1953. The plan was to hide me in a train heading for Austria. I had escaped on 28th October, so I had to survive next two months. It was nice weather and two free working days when I had escaped which had been quite favorable situation not to attract attention of people. As a prisoner I had been dressed in grey trousers and in an old sweeter. In Pardubice I spent one night at my uncle place in his cellar. He provided me with an old winter coat too. I had left my moustache grow, put on dark glasses and beret and nobody could recognize me more.”

„We were working in a camp Rovnost sorting out old piles of waste ore from times when silver ore had been mined there. People of those times didn’t know the value of uranite. Our task was to dig over the piles and separate uranite, which was later transported to a camp Elias for further processing. Uranite was separated by a water flow because it was much heavier than other ore. Uranite was put in containers and transported to Russia. Conditions in the labor camp were tough at the beginning. There was hunger; we were punished for each slight misdemeanor. It is paradoxical that the Russian chiefs – the engineers, who were responsible for uranium output – were informed about our bad situation. It was in their interest to take care about our good performance. Their authority was so strong they were able to achieve improvement of our meals when they realized we had complained about it. After their intervention we really got better rations.”

„I was hiding on several places, e.g. I had spent several weeks in Skorenice at my relative Gabriel Roman. This place was fine. I could listen to broadcasting of Radio Free Europe which had just started to operate. I have followed political situation at home and abroad. But Gabriel got sick seriously and he had to be moved to a hospital. I had no other option than to move on. In the prison Valdice I had met a priest Josef Kunicky, who had openly spoken about his readiness to hide a prisoner on run if some would ask for help after Kunicky would be released. I remembered these words. He was living in nearby Zabreh so I have risked finding him in my desperate situation. It was only 14 days before the 1st January. Unfortunately, in those days was in process the trial with Slansky and all security forces were on alter chasing after anybody who could be a ‘saboteur’. That proved fatal for me as well. I rang the bell at Kunicky parsonage in Postrelmov and asked for asylum. Another older priest was there. Probably they were confused. Parsonages were closely watched during the trial with Slansky as well. I could imagine the dilemma they had to resolve: was I really in troubles or was I an agent provocateur? Should they help me or report the ‘alien person’? I got no clear answer. I understood what their situation was and turned away. I was heading towards the railway station to move on along the rails again. As I was wandering around the railway station, two guys approached me suddenly: ‘is your name Jan?’ I had no idea who they were. I affirmed I am. Of course they got me in the very moment.”