One Sunday afternoon, sometimes in March of 1960, the doorbell to our apartment in Prague rang. When I opened the door, there was an impressive figure of man, around 40-years old. He introduced himself as Otto Kudibal and asked to see my father. My father was surprised to see him since they had not see each other since 1948. Kudibal said that he had lived in Australia for the last 10 or so years, and he decided to come back to Czechoslovakia with his wife and 4 children. My father’s reaction was fear because my father had been a political prisoner for 3 years after 1948 and could not understand why anyone would return to Communist Czechoslovakia without working for the secret police. He was afraid that the secret police were trying to set him up. Otto Kudibal was surprised about my father’s situation and explained that he came to see my father to ask for advise and help since my father used to be a high government official. He expected my father to still have a high position and a lot of influence and be able to help him to find a good job.

Kudibal knew my father from Marianske Lazne where Kudibal had been a liaison officer between the US Army and the Czechoslovakian Army. It was sometime between May 1945, when WWII ended, and February 1948, when the Communists overthrew the Democratic government in Czechoslovakia. We used to visit Marianske Lazne often because my uncle lived and worked there as a doctor; my father had some government functions which required him to attend meetings there. Apparently, my father knew Kudibal very well.  I remembered that he and his wife and 2 children lived within walking distance from my uncle’s house. I did not remember Kudibal himself, but I remembered his wife and 2 kids, since his wife had rescued and treated me after being chased and bitten by vicious hornets. That is all I remembered, since I had to be somewhere between 2 and 5 years old when this happened.

Kudibal spent with us several hours explaining how he left Czechoslovakia, how he lived in Australia, and reasons why he and his wife decided to come back to Czechoslovakia. My father explained to Kudibal how he had ended up in prison, and about his work and life after prison. Kudibal noticed that I did not have good clothes, and offered to my father that he would take me to the Tuzex store, where you needed Western currency to buy anything, and that he would buy me a new wardrobe. My father rejected his offer since he was very proud; he also did not want to raise the attention of the secret police.

My father gave Kudibal recommendations on what type of job, industry, and position, he should ask the secret police to be assigned. At the end of Kudibal’s visit, my father asked him not to come again and not to associate with us since, with my father’s background and Kudibal coming back from a Western country, it would be dangerous for us and for Kudibal. Kudibal said that, from his side, he was not afraid since he could easily explain to the secret police that he just visited a friend from the past and that we did not discuss any politics.

When Kudibal was leaving, I went out with him to show him directions. Kudibal gave me his phone number and asked me to call him in about a week, that he would like to see me without my father knowing. He told me that he would say to meet at a specific place, at a specific time, and that we would meet at a different place (a restaurant), and we would meet 2 hours earlier than what was said. He also told me to try to shake anyone potentially following me, which for me was not a problem, since I was very adept at jumping on and off moving trams in Prague. It would be very hard for someone following me without me noticing. Kudibal also assured me that it was not likely that the secret police were following him constantly, 24 hours a day, since that takes a lot of people resources, and that they could do it once in a while to periodically check on him, but he knows how to spot that he was being followed. In such case, he would not show up at our meeting place.

I was impressed by him, not being afraid, and having a realistic view of the secret police capability. Up to that point, I was constantly suspicious and afraid that we were being watched and was afraid to say anything to anyone that could be construed as being anti-Communist. This felt very refreshing and exciting.