Everyone in the camp was unhappy with AFCR — they were not very helpful. Papanek, who I think was the original founder of the organization, retired or left not long after I arrived. Some Czechs who had emigrated to Canada complained about Major Jerabek, and in January he was replaced by Dr. Adamek. Dr. Adamek came to the camp and told everyone how he would change everything and make life easier for everyone. He explained that he was a veterinarian — not a medical doctor — that he had been very successful, and he showed us pictures of himself with his Cessna airplane and told us he was closely connected with the CIA. He was basically trying to impress everyone.

At that time it was winter, snowing, and I was freezing in my Sustak raincoat. My shoes also had a hole in the sole. I asked my friend Pepa to loan me $50 to buy a winter coat and shoes, but Pepa did not have any spare money. So I asked Dr. Adamek if he could help. He took me to a department store and bought me a winter coat, which did not fit well but was warm. When I showed him the bottom of my shoes he said he also had a hole in his shoes so it should be fine. Then he took me to the store manager’s office and had me sign blank receipts. He made me feel like a beggar, and after that experience I decided I would never accept any help from AFCR again, outside of helping my friend Jirka later on.

One time I went to a hotel near where I lived in Vienna where prostitutes worked — prostitution was a legal profession in Vienna. When I walked in I bumped into Dr. Adamek, who was just leaving. He was visibly surprised to see me and explained that he was there on an inspection, that the CIA sometimes helped the police to make sure everything was in order. I pretended to believe him. He never mentioned it again.

Whatever its faults, the Traiskirchen camp for refugees and AFCR provided the framework that made it possible for refugees like me to get on their feet. Without the initial asylum processing, the papers, and the emigration contacts, it would have been very difficult to succeed. I recognized that even when I was most frustrated with them.