Miloš Cihelka

"As it was arriving, there was a policeman standing every ten metres and every other cop had a dog. I'm thinking, 'What's up here? Is there a hockey or football match? Well, whatever; it doesn't concern me, and I have to go see the Vlasáks.' The train was coming to a halt, and back then you could open the door while still in motion and jump out. When you jumped the right way, you didn't even get a bruise. I jumped off and immediately started running and I went through that platform at great speed. I was running up the underpass and hearding very heavy breathing behind me. I turned and saw this very large policeman, and I thought, 'he's probably chasing somebody, so I move out of the way'. He said, 'ID.' I said, I don't have much time for this, but of course I gave him the ID because there was no way to deny him. He's like, let's go round the corner here, and there was the entrance to a police station. He says, 'You're coming with me' and they just busted me. Then some StB cops came and said, 'So what's going on in Liberec today?' I said, 'How do I know? This is my first time here.' He said, 'So what about Mrs. Vlasáková?' I said, 'We were going to have a beer together, but actually, since I'm here, I've never even seen her and never spoken to her.' He said, 'Hold on, don't make fun of us.' I still take it as an honour because he said: 'Come on, Cihelka is coming to Liberec, and there's nothing going on?' I said, 'I don't know what's going on here; I just wanted to go for a beer with the Vlasáks.' They kept me in for about two hours, and then they let me go after I promised to leave Liberec immediately, and one policeman actually went with me to make sure I left."

"[StB officers] waited for me after work and took me to a forest. I was sitting there on a forest path with two secret cops. Well... Rationally, I thought it wasn't the 1950s anymore so they wouldn't shoot me there and such. But it wasn't entirely, say, pleasant. They took turns acting nice and nasty, as they say, sugar and whip: 'Well, you don't have it easy with your parents, do you? Need an apartment? Look, if you apply, there may be one available now just off the square, and we could put in a good word. And you're going to serve in the army now, aren't you? That won't be easy, man. Do you know where you're going? We know; to the railroad troops in eastern Slovakia. Do you speak any Hungarian and Romany? No? You won't get to chat much, then. Do you know how many boys die getting hit by a sleeper? It's quick; happens every year. But it could be helped; we are humans and have to help each other.' They really used that word. The film was made later. It was also like, 'You've got a girl in Jaroměř, right? Well... what if something happened to her?' They alternated like that. I have a clear conscience and I withstood. I'm like, 'Okay, if maybe they took twenty more minutes or hit a weak spot...' - I don't know. I'm very cautious to simply condemn sanyone listed as having signed it... I need to know the full story."