In short
Yeezy (Yeezy) Bartacek, a 1975 Czechoslovak border guard, plans and executes a self-directed escape from the Iron Curtain into Austria, then survives threats in a refugee camp.
Guest background
Bartacek was born April 7, 1954, in Petrovice u Karviné (now Czech Republic). He grew up in a Catholic family near the Czech-Polish border, later trained as a plumber, and served as a border guard in Slovakia near the Borovos River. He says his mother and father were strongly anti-communist, shaped by wartime help from a priest and later communist repression.
Key claims
He refused to shoot escapees, believing he would never kill “innocent” people. He describes border alarms as often triggered by animals and claims guards faced near-certain prison for failures. He also claims the electrified wire system could be bypassed with a “pin” to prevent alarms.
Notable examples
On Sept. 12, 1975, he disables an alarm, slips under the wire, and crosses the river with an AK-47. After reaching Austria, an Austrian contact helps him reach Vienna; later, he reports two attempted killings by an unknown gunman while in a refugee camp.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOYeezy Barticek's Background
1:06 to 2:15
Discussing Yeezy Barticek's life and background in Czechoslovakia.
“zoom, through the glass, 15 centimeters above my head.”
Family and Communist Regime
2:15 to 4:49
Yeezy shares insights about his family and their views on communism.
“in the village of Petrovice u Karvine, county of Karvina, close to the biggest city's Ostrava Bay.”
Living Conditions and Survival
4:49 to 6:01
Yeezy describes the challenging living conditions and survival efforts of his family.
“My father, he was working in a train station since he speaks basically Polish and was on Czech-Polish border.”
Impact of the Communist Regime
6:01 to 8:49
Exploring the impact of the communist regime on Yeezy's family and community.
“And that's where my mother was working and we helped her, of course.”
Invasion of Czechoslovakia
8:49 to 14:00
Yeezy recounts his memories of the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia.
“One was communist and another one was anti-communist.”
Life in a Strained Town During the Cold War
14:00 to 21:30
Explore the impact of military presence on a small town and personal anecdotes of life under communism.
“Yeah, because, oh yeah, they're not completely in the town because we have a village, but only, you know, three kilometers, two miles from our town.”
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21:30 to 22:35
Learn about PreNuvo's Whole Body Scan and its health benefits.
“If you're the type of person who wants data, not assumptions, PreNuvo's Whole Body Scan gives you a deep understanding of your health.”
A Journey of Escape Attempts
22:35 to 28:00
Hear about various attempts to escape Czechoslovakia and the challenges faced.
“I practiced 16 and 22 kilometers almost five to six times a day and it was one guy who was professionally running one year longer than me from Petrovice.”
The Journey of a Czech Border Guard
28:00 to 42:00
Learn about the experiences and challenges faced by a Czech border guard during the Cold War.
“hell, George, and they were cussing, how the hell you fuck and go to be this soldier?”
Planning the Escape
42:00 to 42:25
Learn about the meticulous planning involved in the escape operation.
“So they're going to stay overnight over there like we're playing.”
Show all 19 chapters
The Daring Escape
44:48 to 52:52
Experience the thrilling details of a soldier's escape to Austria.
“On the Austrian border, they got like a cabin and fishing nets.”
Life After the Escape
52:52 to 56:00
Discover the challenges faced after reaching safety in Austria.
“And he said, we were always eating leftovers over there on the station and stuff.”
Escape to Vienna: Early Days of Freedom
56:00 to 58:23
Learn about the initial experiences of escaping to Vienna, including interactions and celebrations.
“I went to buy nice jeans and everything.”
Life in Refugee Camps: Struggles and Challenges
58:23 to 1:01:11
Explore the experiences in a refugee camp, including living conditions and interactions with others.
“So basically, but I have in that suitcase the bullets, and the police guy told me, what do you got in the suitcase?”
Survival Amid Danger: Assassination Attempts
1:01:11 to 1:06:04
Hear about the life-threatening situations faced in the refugee camp, including assassination attempts.
“Me in military, one food three times a day, nothing comparing, I mean, it was luxury, absolutely luxury.”
Journey to the US: Seeking a New Life
1:06:04 to 1:09:53
Understand the process of applying for visas and the challenges faced while seeking refuge in the US.
“So it means two times a day, because then they put scaffold, and they checked the bullets in this window, and basically they find four bullets in the frame.”
Escape Attempts and Political Asylum
1:10:01 to 1:12:34
Learn about the process of applying for asylum and the challenges faced during the escape.
“south africa and australia they were who were taking so me i applied first to south africa because that was thanks to my friend Yaroslav, you know, who always wanted me to go to South Africa.”
The Reaction of the Czech Police
1:13:30 to 1:19:52
Explore the interactions between the Czech police and the family following the escape.
“What was the reaction of the Czech police to you disappearing?”
Family Reunion and Instructions for Escape
1:19:52 to 1:22:40
Hear about the emotional reunion and the plans for the brother's escape.
“So you gave her instructions as to how your brother could escape.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:30The Dog Stars, directed by Ridley Scott now playing in theaters, rated R under 17 on a minute without parent Amazon Health AI presents Painful Thoughts I, um, I can't stop scratching my downtown yeah, but I'm not itching to go downtown and tell a receptionist I'm here to talk about my downtown some things you'd rather type than say out loud there's no question too embarrassing for Amazon Health AI Chat your symptoms and get virtual care 24-7. Healthcare just got less painful. And suddenly, the bullets went, zoom, through the glass, 15 centimeters above my head. What happens when the man guarding the Iron Curtain decides to escape through it himself?
1:20In 1975, Yeezy Barticek was a Czechoslovak border guard trained to track fugitives with a German shepherd and ordered to stop anyone attempting to reach Austria. Yet Yeezy had no intention of defending the communist system. Haunted by the Soviet-led invasion of 1968 and determined never to shoot an innocent person, he secretly studied the border's weaknesses and planned an audacious escape. One night, accompanied by two friends and carrying his AK-47, he disabled the alarm, slipped beneath the wire and plunged into a river crossing. His ordeal did not end in the West. After days hiding around Vienna, Yeezy entered an Austrian refugee camp where an unknown gunman twice tried to kill him.
2:08I'm delighted to welcome Yeezy Bartacek to our Cold War conversation. You know, I was born April 7, 1954 in the village of Petrovice u Karvine, county of Karvina, close to the biggest city's Ostrava Bay. All right, so this is in what's now the Czech Republic. Monravia. And who was in your family, your immediate family? Yeah, you know, I got two brothers. I'm the youngest from the boys. Czeslav was the oldest. Bohumil is second. I was third. And my sister is fourth. And my oldest brother was born in 1950. Bož was born in 1951. I was born 1954 and my sister was born 1956. My parents were born, my father was in 1922, my mother 1928.
3:04Your family comes from Polish roots, is that correct? My mother is from Polish roots, my father not. My mother is born in the Czech Republic, but she's got Polish school because it was on the border and it was more convenient. and she's got two sisters in Poland, but they were married in Poland. So all my cousins from her sides are in Poland still. And during communist times, was it easy to visit your relatives in Poland or not? No, not at all, which was ridiculously unbelievable. We were living exactly from my house to my end, a little bit less than two kilometers. and you could go four times a year.
3:50My aunt has to send us invitation. We have to go to the Counting Raka recording. They give you permission that you go. Then you have to buy STEM. You have to go three places and they give you five days visit and you could not take anything with you whatsoever. No gift, zero, zero. It was torturing people. I remember my grandma was 78. I went with her. She was eating her, basically her two daughters and granddaughter. And she's got one chocolate. And on the border, the lady catch her. And she tell you, oh, my God, you do black market. I cannot believe you. You were taking chocolate. And it was ridiculous how they treat that time people.
4:35Nobody will believe this. This one was like insane what those people were doing, you know, crazy, crazy. Like my mother said, it was evil system. And there was no other words to call the communist. It was not easy. What did your parents do for work? My father, he was working in a train station since he speaks basically Polish and was on Czech-Polish border. The town, we are right on the border. And so he was doing those transportation. so since he spoke German and Czech and Polish so he was kind of working in the office and they were sending whatever the items and stuff like that and my mother since we were four kids she stayed home all the time and we got some, not ranch but so she was working for the plants to survive and everything she's got a lot of work anyway with four kids I can imagine and what were you living in?
5:36was it a block of flats or a house or what? No, we were living in, it was like an apartment building, like four-story building, and we were living in third floor, you know, which was like two rooms. And our grandma lived, you know, we basically sleeping in two rooms and grandma in one. And yeah, very, well, nobody will live today. You had a bit of a garden. So exactly the gardens and everything. And that's where my mother was working and we helped her, of course. basically to survive for winter, have their fruits and stuff and vegetables and pickles. And, you know, people know how to take care to survive the winter, basically.
6:20What was your parents' view of the regime? I think I can guess the answer to this, but I just want to hear it. Look, my mother knew exactly what that evil system was. But she never told me until I was, and I'm going to say this later, in 1950 they in communists when they come to power they came and hang the priest Catholic I was born I'm raised in Catholic family okay the priest helped her to survive the war because in 1942 my mother said when was war they were hungry and if your father died you were on starvation and thanks to the priest and her father died in 1942 during the war the priest always helped at least for those kids and Chris must buy something my mother said she was working bare feet even in winter and this guy also baptized six or eight Jewish girls so they were not Auschwitz is only 45 kilometers from our town and he baptized them from Jewish to Catholic so they will not end up in Auschwitz and die which you have to give big credit those kind of heroes who during the war, the priest risked his life.
7:38If they will catch him, as you know, they will be absolutely, he will be tortured, killed, and everything. And the communist wanted in 1950 that he would work with them in the confession. And he said, no, I'm a priest. I'm not going to work with you. So they came in the morning, one of the morning, opened his apartment where his sister was and one assistant were there, and they hang him on the window. and in the morning, six o 'clock, those two ladies, my mother was living right next to the church. They come and say, can you help us to unhang the priest? They kill him and they cut his peanuts.
8:13She was always scared to tell me this thing. And basically, so since 1950, my mother absolutely no more the evil system. Like many people, they were hoping the communists would be good because they're promising and everything. That time the communists doesn't exist. You know, some people kind of thought, well maybe it would be a good system you cannot blame them completely but once they solved that evil system for my mother absolutely no one was but she could not tell us all those things because I would drown her or something if she would start telling her at that time they were cruel those people you have to understand and I only remember when I was 17 and 18 and I finished my plumbing school and I went over there and always when I was like I was a plumber and one week I was working assistant with one plumber and next week with another.
9:06One was communist and another one was anti-communist. Navashe Kapitschak was communist Ginter Klima was non-communist and he told me, look at, if you join party, communist party you don't have to work sometimes two, three times a month only a couple hours, they pay you better and blah blah blah and I told this to my mother I said, look at, this guy offered me this, this, and this may be some brain you know you are stupid 17 18 years old i didn't i didn't know communist party that you basically signed with the devil almost you are not idiot in those age and my mother say if you will ever sign i'm going to break your legs and hands she will tell me and and i told next week i was talking with the anti-chamidians and i said listen he told me to join party and stuff and i will never break and he say and my mother told me that she will break my legs and heads i said are you stupid you drown your mother this guy will will not like that to him so so he i i forgot what he told me to program me that next week when i was talking with him i said i was joking my mom didn't say that and i'm presuming your dad's views were the same of the regime oh yeah yeah my dad was the same my dad was the same you know he knows exactly but my mother basically because when when she knows look at my father was from different village she knows this priest from since all life so she's got this more hadiness for this guy than than because he helped them and everything so so even she told my father but you have to almost go through to to keep it that hadiness more i'm guessing you know what i mean i do what was your schooling like in the school i i didn't liked school too much.
10:56I was always just passing by and for me it was important to go to forest, fishing, building some bridges, go to forest and do crazy kids stuff, make it bunkers on trees and all these things because we were living and playing hockey. School for me was not important. Even I got from math and important, but like I always ate, but the rest I didn't care too much about language or anything like that. I just want to pass. As long as I pass, I don't want to fail or anything, but nothing special that I will be... I just hate school, basically. And what about... They were probably teaching you about communism in school as well.
11:42Yeah, of course, of course. But when I came to home, you know, mother smartly with father kind of say well that's what they say who knows and we don't know you know we are just normal people she kind of dumb play that better play us like we are dumb or something and don't care about politics politics will go nowhere and she just kind of smartly dumb play it I remember always you know because if she were to start telling me everything the next day I would go to school and And I would tell all my friends, look, and my mom told me this. All these things when my minor came to the US for a time, all these things we would discuss.
12:27And she told me, that's why I was never saying. So she was smart to downplay it smartly, you know. Yeah. Now you are 14 years old when Czechoslovakia is invaded by the Warsaw Pact. What do you remember of that time? I remember that extremely well because really, you know, Ostrava is like 20 kilometers the airport. And from Poland, they come the big Antonov, those transportation planes, when the Soviet Union and the PAK invade us, you know. So those planes were flying, I'm guessing, 200, 300, 400 meters above our house already, almost ready for landing. And I mean, I don't know how many, but 50, 70, 100, I don't know.
13:20But for a long time, and my mother would start crying. And that was like a war because that was absolutely, my mother said, if she would have to live one more time during the war, she would be better dead because it was nightmare and hunger and horrible. So I remember this very well. And then in the morning, we would start watching TV, and they would start showing that we were invaded by Russians and all the European, those, you know, communist parts that are Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, and all they came. And it was depressing, very depressing, I remember. Do you remember seeing Russian troops in your town or village?
14:02Yeah, because, oh yeah, they're not completely in the town because we have a village, but only, you know, three kilometers, two miles from our town. I saw, yes, the tanks and they in purpose, sometime in the town they just turn on the square so they can ruin the asphalt and those blocks and kind of didn't in purpose even damage on the roads or on the square. And then she took us to Prague, actually, after one week so we can see what was the National Museum on Vincenzov Square, heavily damaged. I mean, I'm talking thousands of bullets all over, no single glass in the building and everything. And she told us after actually here, I took you in purpose so you will see how everything was smart way.
14:53And that was, yeah, that was pretty sad time that time. Yeah, I think it's a real shame that they've now covered over the bullet holes on the front of the National Museum. Yeah, I know. They should leave it like that. They should only put their glass and leave it like that in the National Museum. Yeah, you've got to look hard. You've got to know what you're looking for if you're trying to find them. First time I was in Prague was in 1980. In the communist. Yeah, in the communist. I went on a holiday in Czechoslovakia. Yeah, my parents took me there. Believe it or not, my wife, I sent her in 1981.
15:37She went with my one-year-old daughter over there to visit my parents during Caminus. Wow. Now I'm thinking, but she's Mexican-born. So that time, Caminus kind of, when she showed that she's from Mexico, they didn't make any commotion, you know. Wow. Bit of a gamble, though, wasn't it? I know. So what I'm thinking now, I was dumb and stupid sometimes when I was young. And I play in a young age Russian roulette many times in my life. Yeah, yeah. And we'll get on to a few of those soon. So when you left school, what was your job? What were you working as? You know, like I'm saying, over there in high school until 15, and then I went three years to Moravsky Kruvlov Castle to learn to plumbing trade, plumber, you know, for three years.
16:28And then I was maintaining basically apartments and apartment buildings with plumbing and everything like that. That was my trade. You've got a friend called Yaroslav who had relatives in South Africa. Yeah, that was Yaroslav. Yeah, that was, look at when we moved when I was 18. My grandma in Djetmarovice died. So we moved from Petrovice to Djetmarovice. and Jaroslav, my friend he's got basically 1968 his mother, brother and sister left and stayed in Germany and working in Germany and also in South Africa this Jaroslav, when he saw me in Dzetmarovice since my brother Czeslav was married in Dzetmarovice already, so they know him and the village is next to in village so kind of people know a little bit anyway then he invited me to his house and show me all kind of magazine from south africa and say look at oh my god you you you know you did you want to escape and he showed me look at in south africa we can go safari you just work over there if you are a plumber that time they wanted white people in south africa he said you want to be right away supervisor and he say i said great so we were planning to absolutely that we will escape, figuring out, figuring out.
17:56And I was 18. So he said, the way to go to the coal mine, when you went to coal mine working, they give you kind of privilege because that was really hard work that you can go to Yugoslavia. And from Yugoslavia, as you know, Yugoslavia at that time played on both sides. Tito was playing with West and East, you know. So from Yugoslavia, it was pretty easy to escape always to Austria and from Austria. was another story already. You were in the West. So we were planning all this thing, and I tried, and they didn't tell me to the coal mine after they didn't want. My company got sent deals, so I don't have to go to the Army.
18:35You have to go for two years to the Army. I want to avoid this punishment, being in the military for two years, because you're 20 years old and wasting your time over there, like nonsense. So I could escape. And this Yaroslav basically went to Kolmai. They gave him all the visa. And suddenly he said, look, I'm going to go to Yugoslavia, and I'm going to escape. And I tried to do almost the same. He went one day before to my mom. And my mom talked to him. He said, what a nice guy you have. He doesn't drink. He's a nice one. next day I came from work and my mom went to supermarket and he said somebody must die young because they said we'll be a young widow and I went from the work after to visit with my friends to get a couple beers they said Jaroslav Skodak your friend hanged himself last night I said you kidding I couldn't believe it 50 minutes I ignored this thing I couldn't believe it that he will hang himself in the basement because Polacek his name Polacek and the coal mine from Jetmarovic, a big communist guy who was the communist in the coal mine, he told them oh look at how can you guys give him visa and everything that green light he's got relatives, he's not he's going to escape, so one day before they take his visa, passport and everything, and he can stand this pressure, and he hang himself and look at him, six months later they took me to border guards, which I will help him definitely escape, but Unfortunately, he was already six feet below ground.
20:16Wow. That's a sad, sad story, that. People were talking on his funeral. Oh, he escaped because of his wife was over there sleeping with another guy. He's fine. He wanted to be in South Africa, Germany. Unfortunately, it didn't work. And thanks to Kiaminez, he killed himself. you do try and make some attempts to escape in the early 1970s you try one time to get to poland and one to yugoslavia yeah we went to to poland with vracis broschkovic's guy after escape too i went to poland uh when we met one year before there was fishermen that they polish fishermen was private and they when they were on the Baltic Sea they landed sometime in the Swedish they can stop so he promised us everything so we got this deal but this guy after all my friend I didn't have that much money he was working in coal mine he made much more money we went over there and last moment he always back up suddenly he just didn't want to go further and didn't proceed and everything and so it didn't work Cold War history deserves to be remembered, and by listening to the next few adverts, you help us to do exactly that.
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22:34of this. I practiced 16 and 22 kilometers almost five to six times a day and it was one guy who was professionally running one year longer than me from Petrovice. He said, George, he went with me. The one round was 2.2 kilometers and I make two rounds. He said, you are incredible. How can you stand this thing to run like this? He said, come in, forget plumbing and you can run professionally. Get an easy job, nice girls around you and all this. I didn't wanted to tell him that that time three people will qualify from Czech Republic to run marathon. So I thought, well, I need only five minutes. I tried this two times in my life to run this 42, and I ran around 232 or whatever.
23:20And I know if I will have a competition, I can go much faster, because by yourself, it's extremely hard to do that. You know, just for yourself, go round after round and no competition. so I was planning that yeah but 18 years old my grandma died we moved to Jetmarovice I didn't drink nothing over there in another village they got wine cellar, they got bar, they got this lot of fun so I started drinking and drinking but that was only for a few months and right away I worked the Yarda Škoda so then I figured for where at Marathon we're going to escape to Yugoslavia you know and everything So, but for it was, if I didn't move to Jetwarovica, more likely I would escape from Olympics.
24:07And I'm sure I was motivated that I would make it a qualification, you know. That would have still been a great interview if you'd escaped through the Olympics. But anyway, we have a different route lined up for you in a moment. So, what about your attempt in Yugoslavia? You were going to go out through Yugoslavia, but something stopped you at the last minute. Yeah, exactly. So I applied for Yugoslavia. When I was working in that company, they postponed my military. They need people. And somebody didn't have to go sometimes instead of 24 months, you could go five months. But you have to sign seven, eight years with the company when they badly need you.
24:51So, of course, I signed it. And they postponed your two, three years military service. so by that time I'm going to be gone, you know, I'm going to be in the West so I applied for Yugoslavia, every place they signed to me in company you have to go to three places the communist party of your company and the boss and base and all kind of and city mayor has to sign it and blah then you have to go to military it's like a military headquarters where they have to sign it for you I went over there and he said you cannot go that was that was in september he said you're going october 1st to military i said no i i got my military postponed and he said you are yuzi bartecek you know george bartecek is yuzi bartecek i say oh that's another yuzi bartecek who lived yet maravitz i thought was they they just missing you because they were another guy like my same name and and both and same old like me, by the way, you know, 54.
25:52And when they told me April 7, 1954, I said, wow, that's me. He's not April 7th. So, I said, oh my God. So I know one communist guy who I was helping him. He was a nice guy. Basically, I was doing plumbing on his house in Jetmarovica, and he's got connection in the county headquarters, military. So he took me over there. I said, look, they choose me go to military I don't want to I got postponed so he went over there talked to his name was Popek and he went back in 20 minutes and he said George you know I only know the people in the county here but they invite the military from county above is like Monravia like you would say half of the Czech Republic which is above it's got all those county and they choose you to special military because your father's got good reputation.
26:53He's got good, everything fine. So they choose you for special military. I said, what coming? I said, I don't know, but they choose you and you have to go. So October 1st, I have to go to Malacki. I was in Slovakia to boot camp. And after two months in boot camp, there were 600 of us. From 600, 120. So that means one to five, you make it. They politically and physically. Of course, the most was politically because anybody, they put you on board, anybody could skate automatically. But I was physically very good. I was second best over there and running. I was best one because we ran like a one kilometer or two and one guy was faster.
27:33But, you know, I was good for the long run, not for the short run, you know. And after two months at boot camp, we have to go home. They give you 10 days off, whether you like it or not. I walk inside when I went to my village. And of course, I went to my friends visiting the restaurant at the bar. I worked in the military. Everybody in the military has got Air Force different, and armies got different, and border guards got different. When they see me, my friends in border guards, they say, hell, George, and they were cussing, how the hell you fuck and go to be this soldier? You're going to escape.
28:09And I say, shut up, you idiot. And they're like, how in the hell? And I said, don't say anything, you idiot. They say, you're going to escape. They told me openly, they know me, that I was black sheep, no secret whatsoever, you know? And basically, after those 10 days, we went to the, we have to go back, and they told, okay, you're going to go to border or not, from those 600, only 120, and they choose me. And they, since I ran the marathon, so they give me the dog, because with the dog, I was strictly without German Shepherd you're only watching nine times. The same time was from the tower with machine guns and nine times they were counting on the German Shepherd and on the signal on those barber wires and stuff like that.
28:58So they gave me best German Shepherd I was glad. You know why I can say the German Shepherd? Because I know how to handle German Shepherd. My brother, Boaz, was in military where they were raising those dogs for the border, which, when they were the dogs born, they keep only three little dogs. But those in the morning, the major chemists say, how many was born? And they say, let's see, well, four born. They say three of them. They keep them because, on sight, because they wanted for the mother to have a lot of milk, so those German shepherds would be big ones. So he's still basically, those soldiers still, they keep the German shepherds for five weeks, and he took home.
29:41Can you imagine if they cut him, they will put him in prison. So my brother bring the dog from military, small one. So then when we finish his service, I went to practice with the German binding, all those things. So I know all those traits. So in military, they give me the best second German shepherd in Czech Republic. So I want all kinds of competition. I could visit, otherwise they will never let you go home visit. I want all kinds of competition. so always for competition they give you three days home or this this so I went visit friends and I told them look at guys you can escape and everything even some guys visit me but they were scared so after all Libor took his friends there were other friends who scared me I don't know him because they were scared they didn't believe me they thought I'm dreamer because also you have to understand that time I'm saying it was like here in Nevada like you go to Las Vegas and they got signed for the casinos advertisement.
30:40Over there, before border, there were all kinds of signs. Our border is secure. Our soldiers were not allowed. So the propaganda was working on people. You have to understand. And then see the people with the machine gun in the tower shooting. And in nine times, we did every two months, one month, artificially shooting from the tower, like somebody escaping, like a civilian. So the people, it was right in the village. so they will be terrified and they like making that like they kill people and and stuff because normally never know we never shot over there nobody people were scared nobody really tried to escape too much because you know you were you have very little chance to escape i mean in nine time when i was serving was easy to escape if you know how to escape or something was impossible to catch everybody but people were scared because the propaganda works you know if they they tell you this every day night and showing on tv how how our military and our border guards are this so so it was working on people you know yeah what were your orders if you did see somebody escaping you know i'm glad nobody went over there of course well i was definitely raised by mother not to kill people that's because i know that you know she told me that not don't you ever kill I said, Mom, if I don't shot over there at 150 meters, that you go 21 days to jail.
32:05And my mother said, you're going to go 21 days, 21 weeks, 21 months, 21 years. I don't want to live with this, that you kill somebody. Those are people who want to escape too. She openly that time already told me to the vest. So I will just shoot. So make sure I miss him and just shoot 50 meters from here. Play dumb. I would have to technically shoot, but definitely I would not kill him. No, understood, understood. The location that you were posted to, could you describe where it was and what the environment was like? You know, the Borovos River was in Slovakia. The name of the village was Zahorska West.
32:45It's about 50 miles north of Bratislava. Bratislava is the capital city of Slovakia. But you want to describe the mood of the soldiers? I'd like you to just describe the location. So there's a river there which marks the border. You can see across into Austria from there where your barracks were. Yeah, the barracks was right 75 meters from the river. And Iron Curtain, that was a village, right? Only one village in the whole Czechoslovakia that was right on the border. there was the river and the iron curtis were like 15 meters from the river the people and the parallel with that 100 meters further was the main road and people have the house and in the back fence the back fence of our other side they have iron curtis those people locally they could scape a lot of it and there was one guy who was scaping He just puts the bladder, jump over, and sometimes he returns.
33:57And you know what our major told us? They catch him back a few times. He said, we know he goes sometime to Austria. We cannot put him in jail. If we put him in jail, then he will tell the prisoners, and we will have a thousand prisoners here on the borders who will like to escape because he will tell them how to escape easier or something. So he says, so we don't put this guy in jail. We will have to kill him, but we cannot kill him, basically. So it was like that. So it was unusual that these local people, they can skate practically. You know, if you will not be scared jump from two and a half meters down, then you could bypass the iron curtains without signal.
34:39Explain to me how the border fortifications worked, because I think there were alarms that could be triggered and things like that. Can you just explain how that worked? I was watching 1 ,600 meters. And basically, there was four sections, 400 meters, 400, 400, 400. So if somebody, those wires, those barber wires, they were apart, I would say, about 10, 12 centimeters. and if you want to walk over them or touch them, so then the currents, there was only 24 volts. The currents were shorter and this relay would jump and showings because many times some cat or deer jump inside. They got every time, nine times some alarm, but you don't panic because usually it was cat, deer, or some wild chicken or whatever, you know.
35:36and so you on those 400 meters automatically when something happened, a signal that time where I was serving was already, the iron contest was 300 meters from the river that my guy, I got helper he run to the river and I have to let the German shepherd he's got lights I turned the lights on I can see him, he's got like a light behind his head he was running around the iron curtains and we were practicing this many times, nine times that somebody like a civilian was our soldier, planning close he ran through this one and my German shepherd you let him go, when it was signal he smelled this thing and he went after him and catch him and that was the practice, like this and you practice this four or five times a day, and sometimes even two guys they were running, two guys and my German shepherd, he was able catching two guys.
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36:37He bites one who was closer to the river, then he released this one, and bites this one, and bites this one, and that's the way it was this one. So you practice this thing and hoping that German Shepherd. But there was zero chance when somebody went there. I was, my headquarter was on the number three. So I was from the end, 1 ,200 meters. If somebody went over there on the end, zero chance to catch him. Not even the German Shepherd. in that place when I was serving one year before with the same German shepherd, Mirek the guy who was serving that I took the German shepherd from him, one East German guy escaped and he said he only heard after when he walked already something splashing another side the guy just walked already from the water swim, so there was general chance and they still put in 21 years in jail, even was not his fault because there was no chance.
37:35By that time you ran 1 ,200 meters, that was about four and a half minutes, maybe four minutes. Then by that time you had to go another 300 meters, you got zero chance. And they still put you in prison that you were responsible. What are evil people were those communists. So if you were a border guard and you failed to stop and escape, you would go to prison? Just about 99.9%, yes. Wow, wow. so what did you have to do if the alarm went off when the alarm go off this this go all the way to the headquarters today they they know that they're turning this off after they not me you know they read this again after that is working the the iron curtains i have to i went look at the german shepherd was running and he didn't smell anything me i went with flashlight and checking all those those wires, why was the signal?
38:33And sometimes I see, sometimes you're guessing and lying. I say, oh, cat looks like it was cat when I can see some scratches. You fake that. You just make some stories. Or I see sometimes really was exactly wild chicken. The phasen was right stuck one, two times in the barber wire. So he caused the signal. So you tell him chicken or this, you have to tell them some story. And 50 % was lie all the time. And nobody cared about that. Even probably our major know that you lied, but he didn't care. Or I don't know if he cared or not. But you just have to justify something. When it was the signal, in the front of the iron curtains, there was seven meters wide like a sand, nice, clean.
39:24And they came in three, four minutes, another german shepherd and they check if there are no footprints you know what i mean if they didn't see any footprints there was no way to without the footprints to to to to do so so we say oh probably was a cat or whatever it was even sometimes deer i saw deer that they with their horn they just want to go through kind of make signal and they run away back or you know that's that's the way this thing was working right because i'm sure i read that you had a pin or something that allowed you to stop the alarm going this this one was every 400 meters there was like a little like a entrance little door that you can go and so those those wires look if you touch them together minimum you you make shortness like a one kilometer so so because those wires went from the top to bottom and in between there was like a typical line like you got four TV double line you know wire with this one and with pin you just stick through those two wires doesn't mean you connect it you open the iron curtains without signal if people would know that you know I'm surprised didn't go to the general public this information this went to general information, every 400 meter you could just put a pin through this wire, basically that means you don't cut the wire, because how the signal was working, either you cut the wire, or you touch them together and you make it shorter distance so technically on the gate was like a closed plug, and when you put it through the pin then the wire was still, the connection was working, and no signal, like I'm saying, I was surprised didn't come to the general public, this thing, never.
41:22Otherwise, people would escape like nothing. It was pretty dumb system, nothing special that time. Yeah, yeah, everybody could have got out. Can you talk me through September 12th, 1975? Just take me through what happens that day. Yeah, you know, basically, look, my friends visit me. You know, they gave me off. The time I was walking through the village, because all those people were basically working with military. And I told those ladies, good morning, look at my friends, and walking there and back, so they know that they belong to me, those guys. So they're going to stay overnight over there like we're playing.
42:07I have to show them exactly where we're going to escape, everything, when I'm going to go nighttime service, walking, walking, showing them everything. And so make sure that everything will be successful. But you're not going to believe that one if I tell you. It's time for a short break. These adverts help preserve more extraordinary Cold War stories. Thanks for listening and supporting our work. Starting or growing your own business can be intimidating and lonely at times. Your to-do list may feel endless with new tasks, and lists can easily begin to overrun your life. So finding the right tool that not only helps you out, but simplifies everything as a built-in business partner can be a game changer.
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44:54The Austrian always on weekends, they were fishing, putting those nets to the river and lifting. So my German shepherd was already one year in the service. So you walk and you see them, because let's say you go even nine times, but in summer you go 9 o 'clock and he's still light by that time so they know the German shepherd and the German shepherd like I said he was the best German shepherd in Czech Republic he was like a circus they teach him all kind of stupidity take your head, jump, flip, all kind of circus, the dog could be in circus almost you know and those Austrians they know they know the German shepherd and me and we always say hi and everything and they talk and blah blah and you're not supposed to talk to them of course But they know German Shepherd, everything.
45:42This guy know me after one year. I'm walking all the time and everything. I didn't know he's got relatives in the village, this Austrian guy. I was with my friends in three o 'clock afternoon or whatever, four o 'clock. We stayed in a restaurant. We were drinking beer. This Austrian guy recognized me. He was on visit in the Czech Republic. and he brings four shots of, I don't know, vodka or whiskey or something for three of us and for him. I drink with him. Can you imagine? Austrian guy bringing soldier alcohol. Insane. I drink that and I say, that's not good. 15, 20 minutes later, he brings another four shots and I'm looking to rest out and I show him, my God, look at my major sitting over there, but backwards, didn't see me.
46:31I show him, my God, don't bring this thing can you imagine you are from Austria and you bring me here alcohol so I finished that and went out because I know, oh my God this can be a really problem, this is insane, you know, this guy feeding me here our enemy, you know so I left nothing, so nine times when the program, I put watch we put watch exactly on second and they rented over there when they're going to sleep and it was 15 minutes walking so we practiced this I said look at normal walk so don't run fast because you will be nine times you're just going to walk on the street normal speed 15 minutes by the entrance when you're going to be 150 meters from me and in 11 because I thought it was always 1045 I thought it was 1145 I was 10.45 when I know now from the papers from KGB, I got all this kind of stuff, information.
47:37We put it exactly clock. I was playing like with my German Shepherd. I touched the wires, made signal. My guy said, oh, number three is out, so you run to the river. I have to let the German Shepherd, and my staff was with the flashlight go and flashing on the iron curtains and checking what's wrong. I turned the flashlight off, and I called to the headquarter. I said, look, my flashlight is wrong, something wrong. I have to go back for a spare. By that time, those guys, you know, in nine times, you can hear me. I say, I have to be like a scream at the dog. Go get him, basically, and scream hard.
48:15So they heard that. They started running to the border. By that time, I went like 150 meters, 100 meters, went back. They come to the gate. I could open the gate, but that would take me maybe 15, 20 seconds, unlock and stuff. so I just pushed this gate, they were like a double gate and kind of river bay I push it so they can go under quickly and boom, they went both under gate and we started running down to the river I throw all my stuff out except the machine gun, of course not because they sometimes went to Austria many times so I know it's very good to AK-47 have it with me you know but I was almost drowning because in last moment I always thought I have to take my shoes off because it would be very hard to swim.
49:02Thanks God I didn't take my shoes off, you know. And the only mistake I make it because you go and you are up to waste and suddenly I didn't know how deep is the river. Nothing. You never can go over there. But once you are a little bit over waste, the currency started pushing and you have to start swimming. And I hold in my hands already my machine instead Instead of, if I put it on my back nicely, then I could swim easier. But that was too late and everything. I barely make it. Another site, you know, was dark. Those guys swimming, I didn't know where they were. Nothing, my voice. Another site in Austria, there were so many broken, just like in Czech Republic.
49:45That time was like so stupid. People, riverbanks using like a dump site. There were so many broken bottles. oh my god they have tennis shoes my friends they almost cut through i got this military boots now if i took these shoes off i will cut my my food i will and i will not return there was no way to go back so thanks i guess god loves me that's why i'm here today still you know and so and i and my guy that who was a helper with me we got like a rockets green and red one so he should red one and green one because it was like something. If somebody comes from Austria, they're supposed to shoot red like a flare or green one.
50:30So he shoot this thing, he didn't know, and then he shoot like a little parachute that lighted the area of what's going on. So then they come from the headquarters and they look for me. They couldn't see German Shepard running. I'm gone. They didn't know what's going on. So they call big military showdown, you know, they call it's like an alarm Every soldier wakes up and they call from all over another 50 kilometers, all those guys to come help and look for me, what's going on and that. And I see all the time this little parachute in the air. They were looking for me half an hour. I looked 20 minutes back and I can still see all this show now.
51:09So this Austrian guy, he saw that was the biggest show when I was at the village. Can you imagine? I thought this name was Anger, the village. He was from Vienna, this Austrian guy. We walked all the way to Vienna. Today we were sleeping in the abandoned trail cars and stuff. Six days on Sid Banhof, this Austrian guy, he's got like a Dostridium, like a head, and he's got a lot of pins in the head for travels, like Germans, they used to do that a lot. can you imagine Libor our friend Peter went to bathroom this Austrian guy from us maybe 50 meters walking and Libor said look at this guy and this Austrian guy look I'm going to put the microphone the Austrian guy did like this wow he couldn't believe he couldn't believe this he see us on Sid Bahnhof incredible to believe that this such a luck that he will see us.
52:15So he ran. He's got here like in Czech, I don't know, they call it in Czech, Slavic. He's got the whole year, but he spoke pretty good Slovak because he's got these relatives, you know, and he couldn't believe it that he sees Vienna. You know, he said, where is the third one? And he said, in the restroom. Oh, and he said, oh, I thought he'd run because he see that this, the currents took us about 300 meters at least. He said, you guys walk by my cabin and I see only two times burger prints. I thought maybe one of you drowned. You have to know that was us who escaped, who was drinking. But he said, oh, that's good.
52:52And he said, how about this? Look, I have to go to work. That was in the morning. I don't know, eight hours, whatever. And he said, we were always eating leftovers over there on the station and stuff. He said, come over afternoon to there was like a restaurant cross from the Sid Van Hof in Vienna. I went over there like six o 'clock. He's got daughter, son, wife. They came, table, they make such a reception for me. The daughter was 19 years old, son 20, wife, and he was like 47, I think. He made reception for me like a hell. One hour later, I was already holding his daughter by hands. We were holding.
53:36She likes me. I like her. Love story, you know. So parents were satisfied, no objection that the daughter likes me.
53:48And they make such a reception. Can you imagine? And he said, hey, guys, you can come to sleep. I said, no, don't worry. I can sleep in Rangar. I can sleep in Trino. He said, how about this? He gave me 700 shillings. That time was like about$40,$50 or whatever. he called taxi and he sent us a hotel someplace in hotel Vienna and he said tomorrow I don't know 12 o 'clock come over on the station and we're going to talk what we're going to do to maybe go to refugee camp we wake up next morning in Vienna can you imagine from hotel we wouldn't have no idea where we were absolutely no idea whatsoever we were walking walking walking 3-5 hours by noise We find station.
54:37There were two stations. Those stations don't exist anymore because I was there many times. We walk inside. From outside, the station looks the same. Inside, different. We were three kilometers or four kilometers someplace else. So I never found anymore, basically, this guy after that. Wow. What a coincidence. What did you do with the submachine gun? Were you still carrying that around? You know, what I did with this machine gun was, of course, the Austrian guy gave me the money. I went to buy, you know, there is also a story, which I'm not proud or nothing that bad I did. But on the way to Vienna, we work until in the morning, until five o 'clock.
55:25And then he saw like an old car, Citroën, without wheels and everything. So we went over there, lay down, and then five miles nowhere, there was only one house. I don't know if nobody lives there or basically nobody, nowhere whatsoever. And I think that they open sometimes those, I don't know where was the house there. So we sleep in the car, and I told Libor, go over there and take some apples. I'm hungry. the boy went over there and after he looked at so we went to this little house which like I'm saying nobody nowhere and there were guns everything we didn't take anything I took clothes I just dressed we took a couple sardines cans nothing we spilled whatsoever and so I can have it civilian clothes you know and then we walked to Vienna next day and and in Vienna like I'm saying after this Austrian guy.
56:27I went to buy nice jeans and everything. He gave me money. And Libor has got 19 years, that guy who's came. He said, Libor, we have to celebrate this. So we bought one liter of vodka. I said, Libor, we cannot drink too much because once we drink they got spice here and that's it. But after Libor finished, he wanted more, more, more drinking and then he woke was in the restaurant. I was already kind of fed up with him that he drinks. And I stayed with Peter always only on the station over there and didn't drink and sitting. He said, George, I got two guys. They can buy your AK-7 for 10 ,000 shillings.
57:11And I have it in the house, basically. So I got like a suitcase and I keep the suitcase. That was like a flipper. You flip it and everything. So I keep it always with me, holding like walking with the machine not all the time in Vienna. you know and Libor was drinking over there with some of those guys that time if somebody's got tattoo Libor said come here I saw those two guys on station like a homeless tattoos all over and I was working like a plumber so I know in that time 50 years ago if somebody got a million tattoos on you was more likely in jail today is normal but not that time you know so I said I'm not selling anything and those guys were upset I told him a few showed them nothing Libor was so upset with me he said what a deal I lose that we could have 10 ,000 shillings I show him I say look we got 300 shillings Libor and I don't want to waste it anymore nothing Libor grabbed this 300 shilling jumped to the train and left and gone and I stayed with Peter next day again we eat leftovers on the station and then we were talking with Peter and there was one guy, 82 years old he was since 15 years old living in Austria like a kid and he said he speak kind of good Czech but with big accent and he said, what are you guys doing?
58:45Why are you eating leftovers? You're not homeless but I cannot and I told him escape and this, this, this so he told me, go on the police station register they're going to take you but I told him look at Austria is a neutral country they can return me he said don't worry they're not going to return you that's bull they're going to help you everything just go register and everything will be fine don't worry so we went over there next day Lieber gone and I got that day already I didn't carry with me the AK-47 I left it over there where we were sleeping by the train station because it was so heavy all the time walking with this I think after six days, I was kind of calmed down, and I was not that scared anymore and stuff.
59:29So basically, but I have in that suitcase the bullets, and the police guy told me, what do you got in the suitcase? I turned it, and the bullets started falling from, oh, my God, who is this crazy guy with so many bullets, you know? And he told me, oh, you're the soldier. You escaped from Austria. I said, no. And I was scared. I said, no. and he was so upset he grabbed me put me in the cage in jail he grabbed Peter put me in jail and didn't talk I said oh my god now we are in jail and he didn't talk to us I said oh my god now they're going to return me back to Czech Republic and about two hours later they come two guys 34 Austrian policemen secret guy perfectly speaks Czechs and he said hi how are you and me and he said oh you're the soldier and I said no And he's got in the hands paper.
1:00:21I said, are you Yirka Bartek? He put my name and he's got paper. I said, yes. And he said, where are you for one week? We got all over in Germany, Austria. We look for you. We got all hotel blocks. You know, we want you so badly. And how you will able to hide so long, you know? He said, well, we were sleeping there. But in the hotel, the guy in the hotel, we were sleeping not on our name. the guy register call over there and he just sent us over there and they just let us leave so they never basically catch it so he he start talking to me everything was going on so he went he took us for dinner and we went for the mashing gun and from there after he took us to refugee camp you know and Libor they found Libor two days later he seen this one and then I was in refugee camp after in Treiskirchen and but you know in Austria I told you they tried to kill me twice Tell me about that I live like a U-shaped building Austria and there was 320 Czech and Slovaks a lot of those people they escaped to Yugoslavia I told them you got so easy they drive you by helicopter can you imagine there was buffet in Czechoslovakia at that time maybe not even that time in England that was buffet that in the refugee camp, you go to eat, you got chicken, beef, pork, potato, boiled potato, fried potato, salads, whatever you could take.
1:01:59Me in military, one food three times a day, nothing comparing, I mean, it was luxury, absolutely luxury. So they give us 100 shillings per week, I don't know for what, as a refugee. They give us free food, free sleeping, and those guys were still complaining, Oh my God. But now I'm thinking those are communist guys who in purpose just encouraged so you will return or something. I was so unhappy. They broke sometimes window. We were sleeping eight people in each room. They broke window. And I told them, why do you do that? Nine times they were drinking. Oh, George, why you care? U.S. is paying for that.
1:02:37They always, like a U.S. is like a Santa Claus for all this planet. They expect it always, you know? and I said doesn't matter who paid for this but why would you break this thing I was unhappy with those idiots I said I'm so appreciative that I'm here I almost drowned myself everything I took everything in my life and I appreciate this Austria they help us they are very generous very nice to us whoever helps you you have to appreciate those people not to be turning against them you idiots so I moved to different room because since I speak Polish kind of cross-drive. It was like a U-shaped building.
1:03:14It was like U-shaped boom, boom, in third floor. And the Czechs were sleeping there. There was one room that there were two Slovaks and two Czechs. Two of them, they left to Australia. So there was two beds, empty two rooms. So I moved two over there. And look at every Sunday, usually I was writing letters to my parents and writing them in this. And one time, in third floor, sometimes even I got friends, girls and guys, they throw little rock to the window. They want to talk to you, they throw little rock, like a little rock to let you know so you open, you talk to them so you don't have to go up there.
1:03:55One time something, I heard pink, pink. When I'm looking, nothing. Then two, three weeks later, again, pink, pink, I heard, and they were shooting opposite from the Czech toilet. There was restroom opposite, like a 70 no 70 meters no, about 60 meters 60-50 meters Czech restroom and look at, you know, Europe is double glass, like each glass is apart at least, what, 30 centimeters. And he missed to the frame, pink pink, and suddenly through the glass one like a 15 centimeter above my glass the head another one like maybe 35 40 centimeter the bullets went through the double glass the glass not even cracked just like you drill it holes just you drill hole i lay down immediately i went around over there the one guy who spoke german so we went to the lager lighting and this one that's take maybe five minutes so they closed the whole camp and everything they started investigating they came and saw the policemen and I showed them they tried to kill me and when you look through those two holes you exactly see it shooting from the Czech restroom so there was between those 320 spies who knows me perfectly know my life because I was always with Libor one guy from Ostrava together because the boss Radek in refugee camp, he spoke Czech.
1:05:39He told me, be careful, don't go by yourself, don't this. There were, by the way, four Russian soldiers who escaped to Czechoslovakia and they killed them all over. Between six months they killed them. I only know one time one at one and they shoot them, slash them, car hit them, they killed those soldiers. So he told me, you know, they're going to try to kill you for sure too, you know. But I was lucky. So it means two times a day, because then they put scaffold, and they checked the bullets in this window, and basically they find four bullets in the frame. So that means that day they were shooting only four times, two times mist and two times through glass.
1:06:21So then I just remember, oh, yeah, weeks before I hear ping, ping. So they hit two times to the frame, exactly on the side of the wood. so they two times basically tried me but the first time I have no idea that they were shooting I thought somebody was throwing right and I look at it I say oh maybe they left or something so they two times tried to kill me and that's only my guessing is this one that this Libor that I was Sunday was not with me that the guy knew exactly my style that probably thought if I'm going to kill him so he can bleed and die because if the Libor was dead he can maybe held me right away so they figure out in the right moment there was a guy who perfectly know me and i know him for sure too who play with me friend and know my know my movements everything day and night and waiting in the right moment to kill me like my mother said god loves me yeah yeah very lucky very lucky there let me tell you one thing the bullets the good thing when when i was in the book camp in military they put us behind concrete wall and on top there were like bars so you cannot step and they were shooting bullets above you so you can hear like how the bullets so that was the good thing from the military when the bullet went through the glass I know because otherwise I will not know what is this not even because the boy you know then I realized oh my god this is shooting at me because Right away, the noise I still got in my brain, the brain is like a computer.
1:08:03Keep this noise in your, probably even today, I still have it in my brain, this noise from those bullets. So that was a good thing that I laid away later. Maybe because, maybe they will shoot one more time or two more times, but I immediately ducked when they missed those two bullets, you know? So your army training may have saved you? yeah because i'm i'm assuming they will probably try again because he was already you know and i was joking because he's got probably he cannot bring big mashing gun i thought was a lousy shooter but not really from pistol shooting about 50 60 meters is pretty good shooting you know what i mean is if he's got big mashing gun then yeah he will kill me but there was no way he can bring something to the refugee camp like a big mashing gun you know what i mean because you go did they find the weapon.
1:08:53No. Listen, because by that time, the guy, look at, from the refugee camp, you can walk. This guy for sure immediately walked out, I bet you, and take the gun out. So by that time, I talked to the policeman five minutes. He was in, one minute after the shooting, two minutes, he was probably out of refugee camp, and the policeman didn't know nothing. But by that time, I went and talked to my friend and everything. then we have to go down and just go to the building and talk to the policeman and this, you know. So this guy walked for sure. He was not stupid. He didn't stay and would leave the gun over there.
1:09:33Because they start checking their rooms over there, the checks, everything they checked. But he took it off for sure, no doubt. They were stupid, but not that stupid, you know. and um how how did you manage to get to the the u.s how did you get permission to go to the u.s you know um that time you know that time you you you you could apply for visa canada u.s south africa and australia they were who were taking so me i applied first to south africa because that was thanks to my friend Yaroslav, you know, who always wanted me to go to South Africa. But we went to South African embassy. Well, in the refugee camp, there was organization, Jewish organization, Haritas, Catholic, IFCR, there was Evangelic and whatever.
1:10:31They help you to do all the paperwork and register you for interview for whatever country you want to go. you know so i i applied for the south africa and there was like a guy like i'm not killing you 300 kilos and he didn't speak nothing and he's got lady from yugoslavia who speak kind of polish little bit czechs but i speak with polish he told me nope i don't want you in south africa you escaped from military you i don't like people i don't trust you and i said listen i didn't know military. I just because of the communist system, not that I'm a crazy guy or anything. I just didn't want to serve communist evil system.
1:11:14That's the main reason. So I'm glad you didn't take us. So then I applied for Canada and US. But then I choose after, of course, to go to US. That was always my dream kind of anyway. But I thought maybe first I'm going to go through South Africa. so then basically they organized for you and the US took me and I got politic asylum and everything of course because I was, as soon as they took me and I was in a refugee camp the American army came and they asked me so many questions everything over and over for three weeks I was in isolated places and they asked me this, this, this I know my headquarters I told them everything by the end they showed me the map they got everything better and they asked me so many times back and forwards because they thought maybe if i'm not double agent and if i was lying they will catch me because they asked me this question like this and three days this from that side that side that side i even told him after oh you try to catch me if i maybe i said yeah basically yes you know but there is no perfect liar that in three weeks that many questions and they ask you from left and right then they say you pass.
1:12:30You know, they, they would just worry if I'm a double agent, of course. Cold war history deserves to be remembered. And by listening to the next few adverts, you help us to do exactly that. Thank you. Got a Sam's cafe pizza order up. You know, the best part about this spicy Italian sausage, I voted for this topping. Yeah. Just another perk of being a member. Come join us. Sam's club. If you're the type of person who wants data, not assumptions, PreNuvo's Whole Body Scan gives you a deep understanding of your health. Screen for over 500 conditions, including many cancers, autoimmune disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, and more.
1:13:15Add blood panels to test over 80 biomarkers, and you've got information about your body you may never have had before. Book your scan at PreNuvo.com. That's P-R-E-N-U-V-O dot com. What was the reaction of the Czech police to you disappearing? Because presumably they came and spoke to your parents. Yes, yeah. So look, so they came to my mother. By the way, my mother came three years after, surprisingly because she's got a friend that was married, and three years later she went visit. So I'm going to tell you after why I know. everything. So my mother said they came on Monday and that was Saturday.
1:14:04Basically, they come three officers, big mama say she's got a lot of stars, I guess, whatever. And they told her everything. First they told my mother if I'm in home. And my mother, what are you talking about? He's in military, you know that. Why are you asking me this question? You guys should know where he is, not me. And So basically, after that, they told her that I escaped and everything and that. And nothing, nothing, very cruel, surprisingly not. They basically like this. And my mother said, look, and one was a really nice guy. My mother said, I was in entrance and door was outside. And outside, by the wall, we got like a bench when my mother sometimes with my father's seat and everything, you know.
1:14:53this guy's got like a book with him one of this big guy he put the book on the bench and they were talking for 20 30 minutes after they left he left the book over there in purpose and my mom they walked like 30 meters and they were further so he returned like oh my god I forgot my book and my mother said I still staying in the door he came for the book and he know those two his guys and Arga Furder, he told her, don't worry, Mrs. Bardecek, don't cry. He was a good boy. He's going to have a good life. You're going to have it in postcast from Austria. He knows how this was working. Don't worry, everything will be fine, and you don't have to be scared for him, and he's going to make it.
1:15:41So he was a big shot, and between them, still nice people who basically served his military, but they know it was bullshit. You know what I mean? So he told my mother everything like I was. My mother said that was very nice because that kind of really released me pressure a lot. And he said, exactly. One week later, we got from Austria. Ten days later, we got from your postcard. And exactly how he says, you know. So you said your mother made it to the U.S. in 1978. How did she get out and was able to visit you? Look, I invited her for my wedding. You know, I was this, and I thought I formally sent her, and I thought that will never happen anyway.
1:16:29But I sent her, you know, invitation, right? Counted. That time was no computers. It was lady, and my mother went and tried to apply like this, make passport. And there was her friend, I don't know, lady, and she saw her she know who I was that I escaped and that time she just give her the stamp that time was no computers nothing like that she give her a stamp and he say say to hello George and I don't know too bad I never know this name of this lady who was that relative you know that never she only I don't know if she was friends that details I don't remember that highly that she just basically, she know, well, I'm going to go visit, and she knows she's going to return, husband and everything.
1:17:22So she didn't take, you know. So my mother came for three months. And basically, you know, I was, when I was waiting in LAX for an airport for mother, I got like a 50 different version. I thought when mother is going to come, how she's going to react, what she's going to say, you know. and that was I was thinking she's going to say this I want to say this and I want to how I'm going to escape so everything will be nice so I told my mom mom are you are you made that escape and my mother went to church like I say she never ever I swear on her grave never say single nasty words in her life and she told me I'm proud of you that you didn't serve those son of a bitches and you didn't kill these people this devil sister you don't have to tell me nothing just remember 1950 they hang out priest and they cut his peanuts so I know what it is I'm so proud you escaped but you didn't kill anybody and everything everything what I was expecting not expecting my mother told me and she said I'm happy and right away tried to figure out so my brother would escape he say I would like to have you all of you in the home but since you are by yourself both your brother would like to so I told him I told everything in Austria was 320 Czechs in Slovak a lot of people escaped so you learned how to escape so I told her everything how to do so he will go to coal mine this this escape so after two years later my brother was here I sponsored him after from Treskirchen and everything and so I was working and my mother she said we were helping so we can be two of us here you know my mother was very nice and even like she said I would love to that you stay home but since you are already like this and I know you always like to see this planet I was we were playing like a geography and I know every state every city in my brothers I got like a Columbus blood I guess I always want to see planet you know that was my dream Galapagos and all these things.
1:19:40And my dream came true, you know. So my mother was happy. My dreams came true. And she was always cheering for me. And it was wonderful. So you gave her instructions as to how your brother could escape. Is that what you just said? Yeah, exactly. And so the easiest way was through Yugoslavia. And my brother, almost nobody believed. Another brother won't escape too always. He always wanted to escape, but he didn't believe. My brother was a plumber, too. He went to coal mine, especially for that. From coal mine, they give them much more privilege to Yugoslavia. The coal mine company had their cabins in Yugoslavia at that time and everything, because it was hard work.
1:20:29My brother went over there, two years. He didn't know that in coal mine, a lot of people were criminals. He said, why you came to coal mine? And he said, why? He said, we are here because I will have to go to jail five years. So I signed seven years to coal mine and they give me probation. They couldn't believe that he go to coal mine just voluntarily work and ruining his life. You know, my brother said, no, I like coal mining and everything. All those things. So after two years, he applied for a visa, visa to Yugoslavia. So he passed. But there was application. when you have to write if you got somebody out of Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia.
1:21:13So there was like a two lines page. Since my mother's got all their sister cousins in Poland, so he put my aunt Poland, my cousin Poland, another aunt, another aunt, was full. And another page, there was still one line, and he put me last one on the last page on the top. He said, I don't know if they either in purpose they miss or they see Poland, Poland, Poland, Poland. And I was the last one on another page. Maybe they didn't see that. Another question. So they give him the visa, give him everything. My other brother, when he showed to my brother, he said, look, I told you, we want to escape.
1:21:58He said, he couldn't believe it that I was in the U.S. They give it to him. So Boj nicely went to Yugoslavia. so Yugoslavia told him exactly he called me he go around the border I know exactly go through the corn field and everything in Austria he called me from Austria he went to to to Triskyrchen from Triskyrchen he registered everything after two three months I sponsor him everything he don't have to go through like a long process that I guaranteed to him the flight and and and food and everything. And three, four months later, he was in the US. Wow. What an amazing story you've told me, George.
1:22:37Amazing. Want to learn more about this episode? Don't miss the extras, such as curated videos, photos and other content. Just look for the link in the episode information. Special thanks to the generous efforts of our financial supporters who keep the show on the air. If you'd like to join this select band, go to coldwarconversations.com slash donate. The Cold War Conversation continues in our Facebook discussion group. Just search for Cold War Conversations on Facebook. Thanks very much for listening and see you next week.
1:23:39We'll be right back.
1:23:57Whether it's one room or the whole house, Wayfair has pieces for every style and budget. Shop Wayfair's Labor Day clearance now through September 7th at Wayfair.com. Wayfair, every style, every home. This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT. Hey, it's Bill Simmons from the Bill Simmons Podcast. Have you guys heard about ChatGPT work? It's the new way to use ChatGPT for bigger multi-step projects. And when you need more than just answers, give ChatGPT work access to your apps and files, and it can create real work documents like spreadsheets, slides, and structured reports. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting work mode available on Plus and Pro plans.
From the publisher
What happens when the man guarding the Iron Curtain decides to escape through it himself?
In 1975, Jiří Barteček was a Czechoslovak border guard, trained to track fugitives with a German shepherd and ordered to stop anyone attempting to reach Austria. Yet Jiří had no intention of defending the communist system. Haunted by the Soviet-led invasion of 1968 and determined never to shoot an innocent person, he secretly studied the border’s weaknesses and planned an audacious escape.
One night, accompanied by two friends and carrying his AK-47, he disabled the alarm, slipped beneath the wire and plunged into a river crossing. His ordeal did not end in the West. After days hiding around Vienna, Jiří entered an Austrian refugee camp—where an unknown gunman twice tried to kill him.
This is a story of courage, chance and survival, told by the border guard who turned the Iron Curtain against itself.
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