Prague Winter
Page 45
373 “As far as can be judged”: Steinhardt, cable to State Department, November 3, 1947.
28. A Failure to Communicate
377 “As much as I am pessimistic”: Beneš, quoted in Josef Korbel, The Communist Subversion of Czechoslovakia (1938–1948): The Failure of Coexistence (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1959), 198.
377 “They thought of a putsch”: Beneš, quoted in ibid., 199.
378 “The communists in Belgrade”: Josef Korbel, Tito’s Communism (Denver: University of Denver Press, 1951), 306.
379 “It is the only way”: Hubert Ripka, Czechoslovakia Enslaved (London: Victor Gollancz, 1950), 203.
381 “I met him”: J. Korbel, unpublished speech manuscript.
382 “And how did you respond”: Korbel, The Communist Subversion of Czechoslovakia, 229.
383 “At 4 p.m. Gottwald drove”: Ibid., 235.
29. The Fall
385 “This is not the end”: J. Masaryk, quoted in Marcia Davenport, Too Strong for Fantasy (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1967), 419.
386 “I knew I’d get them”: Gottwald, quoted in Claire Sterling, The Masaryk Case (New York: Harper & Row, 1968), 88.
387 “You know much of the world”: J. Masaryk, quoted in Davenport, Too Strong for Fantasy, 365–366.
387 “[Beneš] was . . . a martyr”: J. Masaryk, quoted in ibid., 366.
388 “He came at half-past eight”: Ibid., 426.
390 “[Korbel] and his family”: Cable from Ambassador Charles Peake, Belgrade, to British Foreign Office, February 25, 1948.
392 “a servant girl would do”: J. Masaryk, quoted in O. Henry Brandon, “Was Masaryk Murdered?” Saturday Evening Post, August 12, 1948, 38.
30. Sands Through the Hourglass
398 “In his desperation”: Cable from Steinhardt to Washington, March 10, 1948, included in Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, vol. 4, East Europe and the Soviet Union (Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, 1976), 743.
398 “What he thought or felt”: Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart, Jan Masaryk: A Personal Memoir (Norwich, England: Putnam, 1956), 78–79.
398 “I cannot escape”: Steinhardt, letter to Harold C. Vedeler, April 7, 1948, in Foreign Relations of the United States, 1948, vol. 4, East Europe and the Soviet Union, 743.
400 “of belief, science”: Beneš, address at Charles University, Prague, April 7, 1948, quoted in Chronology of International Events and Documents 4, no. 7 (March 18–April 8, 1948), 236.
401 “They are accusing me”: Eduard Táborský, President Eduard Beneš: Between East and West, 1938–1948 (Stanford, Calif.: Hoover Institution Press, Stanford University, 1981), 228–229.
The Next Chapter
409 “passion for learning”: James B. Bruce, “In Memoriam: Josef Korbel,” in Czechoslovakia: The Heritage of Ages Past, Essay in Memory of Josef Korbel, ed. Hans Brich and Ivan Volgyes (Boulder, Colo.: East European Quarterly, distributed by Columbia University Press, New York, 1979), 7.
411 a revolution that liberated Poland: Credit for this formulation of the ten years through ten days belongs to the peerless European historian Timothy Garton Ash.
413 “The main thing”: J. Korbel, unpublished manuscript.
414 “some kind of salvation”: Havel, address to the Academy of Humanities and Political Sciences, Paris, October 27, 1992, in Havel, The Art of the Impossible: Politics and Morality in Practice (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997), 103–104.
Acknowledgments
Except for my memoir, completed in 2003, this has been my most personal book, one that I both needed to write and almost feared to attempt because of the feelings it would set loose. From the outset, the challenge has been to blend an account of my family’s history with that of the encompassing era. Because of my age, I was a less than ideal witness, especially before and in the early years of the war. I was handicapped further by the fact that, for the first six decades of my life, I had been ignorant of my family’s Jewish heritage and of the tragedy that had befallen so many of my relatives. I had a lot of catching up to do. Piecing together the facts, then placing them within the context of the times, has required the help of many hands.
The process began with my family; I am deeply grateful to my sister, Kathy, brother, John, and sister-in-law, Pamela, for the efforts they have made to trace the pattern of past events. Our experience in learning has been a shared one, as are many of our memories. I thank them also for being the first to review and suggest improvements to initial drafts. I appreciate, as well, the warm support of my daughters, Anne, Alice, and Katie, and of their families. Of all my roles in life, mother and grandmother are my favorites.
Working on this book gave me an opportunity to draw closer to my cousin Alena in London and, until her death, cousin Dáša in Prague. In October 2011, I met for the first time yet another cousin, Pedro Mahler, who was born and raised in Brazil. Pedro’s grandmother was an older sister of my paternal grandfather, Arnošt Körbel; his father was among the Czech exiles who served with the British Royal Air Force during the war.
In studying the history of Czechs and Slovaks, including the story of my father’s career, I have benefited from the assistance of the Czech Foreign Ministry, especially Jiří Schneider, Jiří Kudĕla, Martina Tauberová, Ivan Dubovický, Tomáš Pernicky, and Robert Janas—and also Jan Havranek of the Ministry of Defense. Daniel Herman and Pavel Zacek of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes were extraordinarily helpful in providing information and access to documents. I thank Dr. Oldřich Tůma of the Institute for Contemporary History, for taking time to meet with me and to share his thoughts about the men with whom my father served; and also the young scholar Tomáš Bouška, for his insights.
The experience of the Jewish community in the period before and during the war is a searing and scarring one. Tomáš Kraus, my dear friend, played host once again to Kathy and me during our researches and shared with us the unforgettable story of his father at Terezín. I am grateful, as well, to his assistant, Alena Ortenová, for her help and to the staff at the Federation of Jewish Communities for providing us, at short notice, with a meal when we most needed it. Dr. Vojtĕch Blodig and Jan Munk were our expert guides at the Terezín Memorial and Museum. Thanks are also due to the many writers, artists, and archivists who have worked to preserve the memory of those who passed through the gates of that prison camp during the war; it is because of their efforts that I was able to understand more fully the story of my family.
Words are insufficient to capture all I owe to Václav Havel, who felt like family to me, and whose encouragement, thoughtful observations—and childhood drawings—lent depth and color to this volume. If this complicated book has a single message, it is to heed the wisdom of this matchless man.
In England, special thanks are due to Isobel Alicia Czarska, who welcomed me into her apartment at Princes House and who helped me to learn more about the building where some of my earliest memories were born. Thanks also to Libby Cook and Sonia Knight, friends and neighbors of Isobel, for agreeing to interview Mrs. Orlow Tollett at her nursing home; and a word of appreciation and respect to Mrs. Tollett herself for sharing her experiences. I was saddened to learn of her death in November 2011 at the age of 103 years and nine months.
Research, of course, is how a book like this begins, but transforming that knowledge into a presentable text requires a heavy dose of creativity, countless hours of work, and a strong team.
Bill Woodward played a major role in research and, as he has done on my previous books, served as a partner in the writing. Repeatedly, he urged me to rethink basic assumptions—just as I challenged his inability to pronounce Czech words. Elaine Shocas, another longtime partner, provided essential help in reviewing drafts and offering strategic advice. As always, she supplied a calm voice and a steady hand.
The author in front of Prince
s House, 2010
Robin Blackwood
When not writing brilliant books (on swords, the sun, and, coming soon, historians) Richard Cohen has found time to edit each of my volumes. I’m not sure that it’s quite normal to love one’s editor, but Richard’s incredible storehouse of talent and wit render him both invaluable and delightful. When he stops editing, I will stop writing, but not before.
Lauren Griffith devoted enormous energy to research, fact-checking, and finding just the right photographs to accompany the text. Her excellent judgment, diligence, organizational skill, and humor made an indispensable contribution.
This may not be the best of times for companies that publish books with actual bindings and paper and such, but Tim Duggan of HarperCollins is a superb captain, even in this era of rapid technological change. Special thanks, also, to Emily Cunningham, who has devoted many hours to this project, and to the entire HC team, including Brian Murray, Michael Morrison, Jonathan Burnham, Kathy Schneider, Tina Andreadis, Beth Harper, and Fritz Metsch; I am grateful for their ongoing faith and guidance.
Bob Barnett and Deneen Howell, my counselors, are the best in the world at what they do. Bob has been a booster of this book from the beginning; I doubt very much that I would have climbed this mountain without his push.
Like most books, this went through numerous drafts. I am indebted to those who took time to review parts of one or more and for their suggestions, including Ambassadors Wendy Sherman, Jiří Kudĕla, Michael Žantovský, and Martin Palous; also Daniel Herman, Evelyn Lieberman, and Alan Fleischmann. I wish I could claim otherwise, but any errors are mine.
Assembling the photos to accompany the text was a labor of love but still a labor. In addition to Lauren Griffith and Elaine Shocas, I am indebted to my family—including my cousins Alena, Dáša, and Pedro; also the journalist Michael Dobbs, who generously shared pictures and other materials gathered in the course of his own research; Jakub Hauser and Michaela Sidenberg of the Jewish Museum in Prague; Martina Šiknerová of the Terezín Memorial; Daniel Palmieri and Fania Khan Mohammad of the International Committee of the Red Cross; Andrej Sumbera, for the image of the Wenceslas crown; Marcela Spacková of the National Gallery in Prague; Robin Blackwood, for running around with me in London, camera in hand; and the effervescent Jan Kaplan, who possesses a stunning archive of photos related to Czech and Slovak history. Early on, we went looking for someone to draw just the right maps; our prayers were answered by the young and talented Laura Lee.
Working on a book demands huge chunks of time, something that can detract from other obligations. I am privileged to work every day among an understanding assemblage at the AlbrightStonebridge Group, including my colleagues Sandy Berger, Tony Harrington, Jim O’Brien, Anne Fauvre, Jen Friedman, Wyatt King, Sarah Lincoln, Matt McGrath, and Fariba Yassaee. Particular thanks go to Suzy George for her keen insights and help in managing the many elements of this enterprise; to Mica Carmio, who had a special interest in the subject matter; to Erin Cochran, who worked closely with HarperCollins and provided thoughtful comments throughout the process; and to Juliana Gendelman and Robyn Lee, who devoted many hours of their time to helping me make more efficient use of mine.
Finally, I want to express my appreciation to others who assisted during the course of my research or who were kind enough to share their own family remembrances, including Jan Drabek and Veronika Herman Bromberg. The unpublished memoirs of Renata Kauders and Hana Stránská also find a place in this category. I am grateful to Helen Epstein for sending me the text of Jan Masaryk’s wartime radio addresses; she was also the English-language translator of Heda Margolius Kovály’s superb history of midcentury Czechoslovakia, Under a Cruel Star. Rachelle Horowitz offered the kind of candid advice that only she can give. Leslie Thompson supplied much help in the early stages of gathering material. Anne Furlong of Sacred Heart Church in Berkhamsted confirmed information concerning my baptism. Helen Fedor of the Library of Congress was prompt and comprehensive in responding to my inquiries. Jeff Walden of the BBC Written Archives Centre, Caversham Park, provided access to documents related to my father’s broadcasting career. Stephen Plotkin of the Kennedy Library kindly responded to questions regarding Ambassador Joseph Kennedy. Finally, I am pleased to thank Petr Vitek, the owner of the Hotel Sax, not only for furnishing lovely accommodations in Malá Strana but for personally driving me to every appointment.
Index
The pagination of this electronic edition does not match the edition from which it was created. To locate a specific passage, please use the search feature of your e-book reader.
Page numbers in italics refer to photographs and illustrations.
Agent 54 (Paul Thümmel), 74, 110
Age of Royalty, 25
Albert II, king of Belgium, 299
Albright, Alice (daughter), 2
Albright, Anne (daughter), 2
Albright, Katharine “Katie” (daughter), 2, 50n
Albright, Madeleine, 409–16
birth of, 59
and Catholicism, 190–93, 288
in England, 156–59, 157, 177, 190, 286–88, 305, 404, 447
and Jewish heritage, 190, 192–93, 237, 413
in Prague, 59, 123, 322–25, 367–68
schooling of, 286–87, 325, 352, 374–75, 404
in Switzerland, 374–75, 404, 405
in Yugoslavia, 348–49, 350, 352, 368–70, 369
Aleichem, Sholem, 249
Anschluss, 77, 86, 203
Attlee, Clement, 337
Auschwitz, 268, 269–70, 270, 272, 276, 278–79, 280–81, 282, 285, 312
Austria, 29–30, 32, 40, 45
and Anschluss, 77, 86, 203
anti-Semitism in, 203
German invasion of, 76–77, 81, 87
and Soviet Union, 305
Austro-Hungarian Empire:
army of, 41
birth of, 30
and Bosnia-Herzegovina, 36
bureaucracy of, 32
and Czechoslovak independence, 40–44
map, 30
minority rights in, 32–34, 64, 339
Austro-Prussian War (1866), 56
Baarová, Lída, 137
Baeck, Leo, 268
Baldwin, Stanley, 150
Balkans, German ambitions toward, 77, 193
Barbier, Jiří, 269, 278, 327
Battle of Britain, 154, 169–79, 183–84, 291
Battle of the Bulge/Ardennes, 299–301
Battle of White Mountain, 24–25, 26, 332
BBC, 155
Czechoslovak broadcasts, 135, 144–48, 161, 196, 200, 216, 219, 230–31, 235, 236, 270, 303–4, 309
and Lord Haw-Haw, 165–66
on Nazi death camps, 305
and Tales of Honza, 144–45
U.S. broadcasts, 184
and V-1 explosion, 291
wartime broadcast range of, 145
Belgium:
Ardennes anniversary, 299–301
German invasion of, 151
neutrality of, 85
Beneš, Eduard:
abandoned by Allies, 90–92, 99, 102, 104
abdication of (1938), 108, 188
aging of, 186
BBC broadcasts of, 135, 146, 147, 231, 309
biography of, 75–76
and Churchill, 102, 120, 187–89, 195
and Cold War, 376–78
and Czechoslovak independence, 44–45
and Czechoslovak loyalists, 90–91, 120, 130, 145
and democracy, 295, 363, 365, 388
in England, 110, 157, 159, 167, 186–89, 188, 233
in exile, 110, 117–18, 125, 130, 131, 263
on expulsion of Germans (Beneš decrees), 230, 260, 262, 264, 331–32, 336, 337, 338, 340, 341
and Fierlinger, 78–79, 309–
10, 353
and Foreign Ministry, 53–55, 344
and France, 55, 75, 78, 85
and German territorial ambitions, 194
and government collapse, 378–84, 388, 400–401
and government in exile, 118–22, 160–64, 163, 168, 185–89, 256
and Henlein, 64, 75
and Heydrich assassination, 207, 209, 215–16, 218, 219, 226–27
and Hitler, 75, 194, 231, 402
and Hitler-Stalin pact, 126–27, 187, 194
and Holocaust, 236
ill health and death of, 372, 376, 401
and leadership, 160–61, 263–64, 401–3
and League of Nations, 339
and Little Entente, 55
memoirs of, 371
and mobilization for war, 99
and Munich agreement, 98, 99, 101–4, 117, 121, 147, 160, 161, 185–86, 256, 401, 402
and Nazi threats, 82–85, 86–88, 90, 95
and Nobel Peace Prize, 120
optimism of, 75–76, 78, 99, 256, 259, 262, 264–65, 377
and Poland, 293
political supporters of, 130, 131, 406
as president, 58, 160–61, 168, 258–59, 310, 313, 354, 374, 377, 387, 389, 391, 392, 400–403
resignation of (1948), 400–401
and Resistance, 134–35
return to Prague, 309–10, 344
and Slovak nationalists, 310–11
and Soviet Union, 55–56, 78, 81, 90, 95, 107, 194–95, 256–65, 263, 293–96, 313–14, 319, 353, 363, 365, 371–72, 376, 402
and Sudeten Germans, 75, 82–83, 84–85, 87, 89, 230
in U.S., 117–19, 259–61, 260
and war crimes tribunals, 342
and World War I, 54–55
and World War II, 100, 148, 155, 264–65
and Yalta Conference, 303
and Yugoslavia, 347, 351
Benešová, Hana (née Anna Vlčeková), 54, 167, 168, 186, 187, 400
Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, 276n
Bevin, Ernest, 390