Kissinger: Adventures of a Super - Kraut by Charles R. Ashman 1972 272 pg.

 28/10/22

Note this book was published in 1972 and was more a current assessment than history of that period.

Like Dr. Strangelove in Stanley Kubrick's movie. Kissinger is a nuclear expert with a German accent.  

While US politicians see George Washington, Lincoln or even Eisenhower as heroes, it is only the voice of the Teutonic Otto van Bismarck or Klemens von  Metternich that appealed to Kissinger.

Some of the founding fathers who wrote the constitution were slave owners and this is not a good example to black Americans. Many Jewish youngsters who fled Nazi Germany with their nightmares were determined to avoid violence at any cost. Kissinger was advisor, councilor companion, apologist , buddy and spokesman for Nixon. Kennedy after the missile crises increase the nuclear arsenal 3 fold.

1923 Henry Kissinger was born in Furth, German a town that in 1618 was wiped off the map in the 30 years war.

1932 Germany had 3 chancellors in a year.

1936 Roosevelt defeated Alf Landon  at  time that Cordell Hull was trying to convince the  world on peace. While Cordell Hull was Secretary of State it was Harry Hopkins that Roosevelt relied on in foreign affairs.

1938 over 17000 Germans arrived in the US.  There were more Nazi spies in the US than in any other country in Europe except France. Nazi spy Guenter Rumrich was arrested by the FBI. Kissinger arrived in the US and 5 years later was inducted into the army.  In post war period Kissinger took over the entire administration of the Bergstrasse district in Germany, his firsthand knowledge of power was watching the Nazi takeover German as a child. Ann Fletcher was a refugee also and after knowing each other 7 years the married in 1949.

1949 to 1963 der Alte  Konrad Ardenauer was the chancellor of West Germany.

1958 Kissinger's book Nuclear weapons and Foreign policy became a best seller

1959 under Eisenhower Kissinger was asked to serve as a foreign policy strategist.

1961 The Cold war was enough to reconcile the US to West Germany, while the Russians were blockading Berlin. Khrushchev felt that the US did not know her own interests and did not have the power to deal with a real threat. he saw the way the US dealt with the Suez crises and the US intervention  of Lebanon that replaced a government that supported the Eisenhower doctrine.

1961Bay of Pigs disaster.

        Berlin wall crises  The Russians misjudged Kennedy, who was his own foreign minister even though Dean Rusk held the official position.

1968 under Johnson Kissinger with Kenneth Klark made a trip to Vietnam where he discovered that the US was supporting a government with only 15% support of the S. Vietnam population. Kissinger had supported Nelson Rockefeller in the election against Nixon. The leading Democratic contender had been Robert Kennedy who was assassinator. When Nixon was nominated he offered a honorable solution to the Vietnam war. When Kissinger was offered the position by Nixon, Rockefeller was not displeased as he would still have a contact in the White House. Kissinger became director of the National Security council.  

Machiavelli - the first impression you get of a ruler is the men he surrounds himself with. Generally Nixon had no friends.

1969 Jan. till 1974 Aug. Nixon  President  and Kissinger started working for him a few months later. Nixon had promised to withdraw half a million troops from Vietnam, there was souring inflation and the economy was languishing, with urban crime, no money for decaying cities, racial desegregation in schools was still a dream and blacks poor and women were in revolt. Soviet Union was full steam forward in the arms race. Nixon turned to TV to deal with the anti war protestors looking for the "great silent majority."

1970 Bombing Laos and Cambodia where Vietcong were transferring troops and weapons to the south. This resulted in the Kent State University shooting of protestors, campus after campus protests started. Kissinger advised on easing up on the bombing and the protest quietened down. Later South Vietnamese troops were sent to invade Cambodia.

Beside Kissinger most of Nixon's appointees or advisors were useless and his attempt to add more southern judges to the supreme court failed. Kissinger never trusted the State Dept. and William Rogers became politically  impotent.

1971 A troop withdrawal plan designed by Kissinger and approved by the Pentagon to withdraw 184000 troops by December.  American sent a team to play ping pong in China. Currency restriction and  businessmen travelling to China ended after 25 years. John Holdridge was an important diplomat who worked with Kissinger. Kissinger went to Pakistan and from there disappeared an excuse was given that he was indisposed with stomach trouble and flew to Beijing where he had an eight hour discussion with Chou en Lai and arranged for Nixon to be invited to Beijing. The acceptance of China in the UN followed and this was fine with the puppet regime of South Vietnam and also the Democrats. Red China got in and Taiwan got out.

1971 October Kissinger went back to Beijing to plan Nixon's visit. For a while in China the news blackout on American ended.

 1971 Kissinger had 12 secret meeting with the North Vietnamese in the Paris summit. He also went to  Moscow. When Nixon revealed these secret meeting in Paris the US press was taken by surprise. The Americans offered a ceasefire, withdrawal timeline  of US forces and a prisoner swop. however the meeting were a flop.

J.Edgar Hoover was not consulted when a change of the China policy was brewing and he would have stopped this but he died in 1972 after being discredited and his days at the FBI were already numbered. 

1972 May Nixon visited China.  Kissinger had realized that without China there could not be an enduring peace.

1972 Kissinger  got the SALT treaty signed with the Russian.

1973 America withdrew from Vietnam.

1973 till 1977 Kissinger was the Secretary of State. Succeeded by Alexander Haig.

1974 till 1976  President Gerald Ford succeeded by Ronald Reagan.

1975 Chiang Kai-shek the President of Taiwan died .

Details of Kissinger relationships with women are discussed Jill St. John and Tza Tza Gibor and other Hollywood stars is a long saga that kept the press full.  Kissinger was known as Henry the K, Henry the kiss. The Professor , Herr Doctor and , Super Kraut. He also had powerful women secretaries under him.

 This book was published before the Yom Kippur War so the story of Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy to end the war had not yet happened. Nor the controversy of Kissinger delaying the shipments of armaments to Israel?

The Royal Family at war by Theo Aronson 1993 237pg.

 Book about the English Royal family during WW2    26/9/22

1865-1936 King George  V and 1867-1953 Queen Mary

1894-1972 Edward VIII   abdicated1937 and became Duke of Windsor     

1895-1952 George VI  King from 1937 and  1900- 2001 Queen Elizabeth                                                   1897 -1965 Mary Countess of Harewood                                                                                                    1900-1974 Henry Gloucester 

1902-1942 George of Kent  died in military airplane crash.

 1905-1919Prince John died of epileptic seizures.

 

The author grew up in South Africa and remembered the 3 month visit of the King George , Queen and 2 daughters.

Churchill - this war has drawn the Throne and people together.

1940-1946 Earl of Athlone was uncle to George VI  and Governor General of Canada, before that he was Governor General of South Africa1924-1930 With his wife Princess Alice acted as very capable vice-real couple. Canada had vast numbers of volunteers fighting including the French speakers. When Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands  fled her daughter the crown princess Juliana stayed in Canada where Alice was her aunt. A German POW in Canada Prince Fredrich of Prussia and grandson of the Kaiser was taken to visit his cousins the Athlone's who both spoke German.

George VI wife Queen Elisabeth established herself as the most popular woman in the world.

Duke of Windsor had visited Hitler at Berchtesgaden after he abdicated , he was also proud to show pictures with Hitler. He disapproved of Churchills government. He became a security risk by setting up a Peace Movement and only left England when threated by income tax if he remained. Wallis Simpson had had an affair with the German Ambassador to London Joachim von Ribbentrop. The Nazis planned to restore the Duke of Winsor to his throne. Churchill had championed Edward VIII during the abdication crises. With the fall of France the Duke and Duchess of Winsor fled to Spain and Lisbon , to get him out of Europe he was made Governor of the Bahamas where they till associated with the fascists.. He still broadcast his defeatist views on radio to America. Once Wallace had failed to become queen the royal family thought she would drop her 3rd  husband.

1940 9th April with the German invasion of Denmark and Norway Chamberlain resigned. He had been given the Kings full support for the shameful sacrifice of Czechoslovakia.

1940 May King Leopold of Belgium surrendered. He should have fled to England and was known as the Traitor King. 

Suggestion to send the 2 princesses to Canada, but this was rejected, but a contingency was drawn up if England was occupied as the Royal family must not fall into enemy hands. 

WW1 the King had fought in the naval Battle of Jutland. The King and Queen were everywhere visiting the bombed out London. Especially the London East end badly bombed as it was by the ports. They were able to mingle freely with the population and pictures of the royals amongst the debris appeared all over the world. Not only were the poor bombed but Buckingham Palace was bombed 9 times. The George Cross and George Medal were designed by the king and  awarded to brave civilians.

1934 The Duke of Kent.  He was bisexual and had been a Noel Coward lover, was a play boy and a drug taker, and perfume user.  He married Princess Marina of Greece and they established themselves as a highly fashionable couple. Went back into naval uniform to be seen contributing to the effort.  In 1940 headed a British delegation to the 800 anniversary of Portuguese independence and assured the dictator there Dr. Antonio Salazar that Britain was not a spent force. Duke of Winsor had agreed to Salazar request to remain in Madrid till Kent's visit was over.

Churchill's coalition had Conservative , Labour and Liberal members, but it was with Churchill that the King had a good relationship. Australia had adopted the slogan " One King, one flag , one cause"

1941 March Prince Paul was forced to sign a pact with the Axis by which German troops could cross Yugoslavia on their way to attack Greece.

1941 July 4th Kent on a  US visit asked Roosevelt to be his 3rd sons godfather and named the kid Franklin.

1941 Spring, Germany invaded Yugoslavia, Greece and Russia. The British evacuated Greece and Crete.

On the death of the British ambassador in Washington Lord Halifax replaced him and John G. Winant was appointed to London and the King went to meet him at the station the first time ever. Winant replaced Joseph Kennedy who had predicted that Britain would be occupied. The Queen broadcast to America thanking the population for the war bundles they sent.

1941 August Roosevelt an Churchill met Roosevelt in Newfoundland. This resulted in the Atlantic Charter.

1941  April Duke of Gloucester visited Belfast coinciding with the first bombing of he is city.

1942 August Duke of Kent at 39  killed in a plane crash on duty leaving a wife who made an effort to fulfil his role.  I942 was the worst  year for the British with fall of Singapore, Malaya , Burma and  Tobruk surrendered. By late July the Eighth Army  took up defensive positions in El Alamein was only 60 miles from Alexandria.

The Baedeker Raids the Luftwaffe attacked strategically unimportant tourist cities like Exeter, Bath Norwich and York.

The Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue had worked on shell shocked cases in WW1 and was around to help the king deal with his stutter. Certain words in kings speeches were changed to avoid difficult sounds. The king and queen were a partnership and she was the only person he really trusted.  The Queen read Mein Kampf and advised Halifax not to read it - that she had read it is surprising that Halifax did not is astonishing. The king was one of a few to know the wartime casualties.

Kenneth Clark was the Royal pictures Surveyor appointed by George V the queen knew him well and surprised him of her knowledge of art. He sent the painting for safe keeping to Wales.

Princess Mary the kings only sister had been a nurse for 2 years at the Great Ormond Street hospital for sick children.

1942 Oct Eleanor Roosevelt was a guest at Buckingham Palace. She had been invited by the queen to study the part played by British women in the war effort.

Windsor Castle estates were turned into cereal crops, Sandringham also.. The 2 princesses remained there for 5 years. 1940 during Children's hour 14 year old Elizabeth made her first public speech  of 5 minutes. The Queen broadcast several time to the women of Britain France and the US.

1942 Nov Montgomery defeated the German and Italian forces in El Alemein.

1943 Combined Anglo American N. African campaign. The king visited north Africa and Malta which survived the war only 60 miles from Sicily.

American planes were ferried across the Bering sea  to Russia by Russian pilots who came to fetch the planes.

1943  Quebec conferences launched the joint Anglo - American invasion of Western Europe , Operation Overlord. Smuts was a favorite of the Royal Family and wanted the Mediterranean front expanded to cut off Russia advances..

1943 Sir Alexander Harding was the Kings private secretary and had served George, Edward VII and George VI, He was against Chamberlains appeasement. He was replaced by Sir Alan Lascelles to modernize the monarchy. Retired Queen Mary gave soldiers rides in her Bentley and Americans were frank with her lacked reverence and did not know who she was.

Saint Paul's school secret conference with Chief of Staffs and 150 Commanders land, sea and air to plan D- Day landings, the king attended. The king landed at Normandy 10 days after the invasion.

1943 Sept Italy , Mussolini  was deposed and Italy capitulated, by mid 1944 Southern Italy was firmly in Allies hand and the king made formal inspections of British  and commonwealth  and US, French and Polish troops. 

London was full of crowned heads including Wilamina of Netherland , Harkon VII  of Norway George II of Hellenes, King Zog and Geraldine of Albania ,Queen Marie of Yugoslavia her son Peter II was studying in Cambridge

 1944 June, VI missiles began falling in England.

1945 March . Lord and Lady Athlone invited to a state visit at the Whitehouse. Lester Pearson was the Canadian ambassador to US.1945  April Roosevelt died.

1945 Spring  Princess Elizabeth went to ATS training for drivers at Camberley, Surrey and was taught to drive, strip and service engines and change wheels.  Viscount Lascelles and John Winant the US ambassador's son and some Polish Generals were prisoners in Colditz Castle kept for a hostage exchange they were taken to Austria where a German officer said the war is nearly over cross to the American lines (He was supposed to kill them)

1945 May7th General Jodi at Rheims signed the instrument of unconditional surrender. Two weeks later Churchill lost the election.

The king was never allowed to go to India as events there were moving too fast.  Peter Townsend was selected from the air force to be a temporary equerry in the Palace and stayed there 10 years and love affair with Princess Margaret.

1945 Duke of Gloucester  sent to be Governor General in Australia but PM John Curtin realized that Australia  had to turn to America for protection after the war.

The Duke of Windsor was never allowed to live in England, he liked the idea of American but would have to pay taxes.

1945 15th August VJ day 

The Seventh Nights by Ladislav Mnacko: A witness to the end of the Prague Spring. 1968 220pg

                                                                                                                                              1/10/22 

Book translated into English in 1969 . He was one of  the few Czechoslovak writers translated into English.(1919 -1994)

1968 August 30th he woke up and it was extremely quiet , no cars or trucks or trams making a noise, the Russians had arrived in Bratislava. General Kadoj speech in the  Czechoslovak general assembly had started this crises.  5 Warsaw Pact countries had invaded and all tanks had a white line down the middle so that the different countries, from different sides could identify each other across the 4114 km  Czechoslovak frontier. Poland, East Germany, Hungry and Bulgaria were all countries that hated Russia but part of the Pact that invaded her.

1938  Czechoslovakia was deserted by her democratic allies England and France. Czechoslovakia had spent a fortune to protect the country, which was hermetically surrounded and sealed by enemy states. Both Eduard Benes and Klement Gottwald didn't fight. Gottwald prepared to take the party underground and then fled to Moscow. Gottwald was head of the Communist Party and had they fought they would at least have had a seat at the victory  table.  All decisions were made behind their backs.

Yugoslavia under Tito owed Stalin nothing for liberation. The Slovak Clerical Fascist state had been Hitler's ally. The Slovak Popular party helped Hitler destroy the remnants of the Czech and Hitler occupied that.

When WW2 ended the Czech we waiting for the Russians to enter and drive out the Germans they entertained them and fed them as heroes and gave them  sex freely so they didn't have to rape. The Communist Party lost  28,000 fighting the Germans, killed and tortured fighting the Germans in Bohemia and Monrovia.

1968 600,000 troops arrived one for every  20 Czechoslovaks, 12 divisions. Tanks rolled in destroying fields paving. The Russians broadcast Czech in a German accent and Slovak with a Russian accent, they said they came to liberate with imbecile inventions.  Goebbels said a lie told 100 times becomes the truth . No Czech politician joined the occupation forces. 

Ladislav reported on Israel's  Six day war and in 1967 the Soviet Ambassador had approached Levi Eshkol and asked why Israel had 2 divisions of panzers on the Syrian border. Eshkol wanted to take them to see that this was a lie, but they refused to go.

1968 The army invading arrived without field kitchens believing as in 1945 that the Czech would provide this. Motorized  kitchens and water tanks had to quickly be sent as nobody would betray instructions sent over the free radio, very different from 1945.  The 6 months of freedom from Burocratic Dictatorship had done wonders for the society as the public regarded the occupation as something that had gone wrong.

Mobile broadcasting trucks or broadcasting from the edge of the forest, or the Danube islands. The  Czechoslovak army put its broadcasting equipment that was meant to be used against the west, was put to the Free Radio use. At times the radio announced when there would be a TV program. The broadcasts were by well known voices that the public knew , were calm and assured and were several times of the day and the public followed the instructions exactly.  Rumor's were that Dubcek Cemik and Smirkovsky were arrested and negotiating.  The Russians could find nobody to cooperate. Revolution demanded the return of Dubcek and Svabado from Moscow. There were careers to be made by working with the Russians, but for the first time no Quislings arrived.

Eventually the  Czechoslovaks will work with the Russians just to get bread.  

 In communist society because nothing works always have to find an individual to blame for failure and not the system.  In the show trails, put on witnesses were forced to say the opposite of what they knew to be the truth.

1948 when Israel became independent  Ladislav was there as a reporter on the war and wrote his first book in Czech. The US hoped to weaken Britain and the Soviets wanted to deal a blow to the feudal Arab leaders.

Jews trained in  Czechoslovakia as fighters and sent to Israel ceased to be communists, while Egyptians whose socialism was supported were a waste to time to the Soviets.

1952 The Slansky trial - The best weapon in abnormal society is a Political scandle and anti-Semitic worldwide Zionist conspiracy, this was state sponsored  antisemitism and innocent people were found guilty, at the same time there was the Doctors plot. 

1953 Beria was shot at a meeting just after Stalin died - 2 weeks later it was reported in Tass that he had been tried and executed for espionage.  "You don't have to be a Jew to be a Zionist agent"

1956 Russian troops were in accordance with the treaty of the Soviet and Hungarian governments, not so with the  Czechoslovaks.. Dubcek without Russia's permission had had free elections , economic reforms had ended censorship. Democratic socialism horrified Ulbricht  ,Kosygin and Brezhnev. Gomulka deceived the Polish people.  Dubcek put democracy into practice. The Russian invasion had nothing to do with the fears of these leaders. The  Czechoslovaks produced 70% of the types of goods produced in the world, but the west would not buy them only the Third World wanted to buy these outdated tractors for cheap. To increase production they produced shoddy goods. There is a constitutional right to employment thus the anomaly of artificial employment.

In North Vietnam Haiphong harbour, US planes saw Soviet weapons arriving but were not allowed to bomb as it would create a war with Russia.

1962 An American news agency said they can't have a full time reporter in Prague as nothing happens there, by 1964 there were many reporters, as the situation seemed to be moving as the Czechs were getting ready for a resolution in western eyes.

In Moscow they agreed to remain in the Warsaw Pact and censorship will  reestablished even though in the constitution no censorship is allowed on a legal basis . Dubcek's crime - he was a servant and not a dictator of the people.  Novotny was not purged but realized that his position was untenable he had been editor of the press that was the mouth piece of the party loyalists .Under Dubcek the press telling  the truth and the circulation increased. The Czech press said there was not a single political prisoner and it was true. 

Ladislav was 14 when Hitler came to power. The USSR had saved Czechoslovakia from extinction but had then gone into power politics and expansion, but had deserted the principles of the revolution.   Dubcek, Carnik and Smarkorsky returned from Moscow with guarantees that were worthless before they were made.

Stalin had sent the Kirghiz and Chechens to Siberia on the grounds that they had collaborated with the Nazis.  Russia is a free giant power made up of nations that  are not free. Russian Public know nothing but what others allow them to know. They are not a self assured nation and know nothing of the bible and when they get to the west realized they have been deceived. After WW2 they had to rebuild the country work done mostly by women as there were no men left. Expansion is a sign of weakness to cover internal failure and cover the crises within. Antisemitism is the same. Brezhnev saw himself as a Red Napoleon. The Soviets knew to leave Tito as he would fight. Stalin was in the end thrown out of the mausoleum as he had had a personality cult. 

When the writer saw friends they were horrified that he was still around in the country and they were sure he would be a prime target of the KGB so he took a taxi to the Austrian border and had no problem getting through and lived in exile.

On the night of 20–21 August 137 Czechoslovaks died during the invasion.^[ It was not until the 2000s, following the publication of texts dating from 1968 other writers material on this period was published. 

1969 At the International Ice Hockey championship in Stockholm the score ended up Czechoslovakia 4 – Occupation forces 3! The whole Czechoslovakia population turned out onto the streets to celebrate causing riots that the loyalist police put  down and this was used as an excuse to depose Dubcek.

1989 Dubcek was with Vaclav Havel in the Velvet Revolution and received the Sakharov prize that year.

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August 21st. The Rape of Czechoslovakia by Colin Chapman 124 pg. 1968  13/2/24

Warsaw Pact maneuvers had been a front for a possible invasion.

Dobryin the Soviet Ambassador in Washington from 1962 to 1986. He informed L.B.Johnson that what was happening was an internal affairs' of t he Soviet Union, Dean Rusk was secretary of State. The USSR was dealing with counter revolutionaries.

The invasion was considered necessary as Dubcek government was getting to friendly to West Germany, and this would have broken the balance of power. The Communists leaders of East Germany , Hungary and Poland felt threatened. The Red Army sent 3 armies into Bohemia and only 1 into Slovakia as Bohemia was more pro Western. The Hungarian invader asked for food as the expected to be provided by their fellow countryman.

The Red Army were well disciplined considering the provocation they were under.

The invasion was meant to end the 7 and a half month of freedom 

In 1948 proper democratic election were held and the Communists won 38% of the votes. Stalin forced they to accept a fully Soviet style government and to renounce participation in the Marshall plan.

1966 Professor Ota Sik drew up a plan that would improve the economy. 

Dubcek was arrested and Soviet Quisling were meant to take over but the protest were so strong that the Kremlin had to negotiate and agreed to leave Dubcek but he had to tow their line and Soviet "advisors" were sent to be present.

In 1921 the Kronstadt sailors rebelled against the Communist terror, they wanted proper elections and a free press. Later the Hungarians revolted in 1956. Now Czechoslovakia for the same reason, this occupation that followed was no where near as bloody as the ones in 1921 and 1956.

Alexander Dubcek 1921to 1992 died in a car crash, considered mysterious.

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 Archivist on a bicycle edited by Helen Epstein and Wilma Igges 2015 138pg. 5/12/2023

In 2014 Jiri  (78)and Dagmar (74) Fiedler were found stabbed in their apartment by a thief who was caught.

Jiri was a linguist , writer , translator and editor by profession. He was born in 1935 in Olomouc. He was not Jewish even though his name Fiedler could be.

1945 After the war the family moved to Prague and he was at The King George school with Vaclav Havel and film-maker Milos Forman and Ivan Passer. This was a school for carefully selected students but the Communists closed it as it was class biased in 1953. You weren't allowed to talk about Jewish existence in Czech lands now and Jewish cemeteries and building were completely neglected. Perhaps by documenting these he found a sense of freedom under this repressive regime.

1963 Ralp Yablon a philanthropist paid to by 1564 scroll that remained in the State Controlled Jewish Museum. The Westminster Synagogue  set up a trust to distribute these to where they were needed Documented in Out of the Midst of the Fire by Phillippa Bernard.

 He also studied Servo Croatian. Starting in 1960 he toured Bohemia an Monrovia collecting information on extinct Jewish communities and build up an enormous achieve in his apartment that he sheared with his wife and children. His wife was supportive of him.

1991 After the Velvet Revolution he was able to publish Jewish Sights in Bohemia an Moravia. He was given money to help publish this but where he helped people in their genealogical search never asked for money. As soon as the Jewish Museum was returned to the Jewish community by the Czech government in October 1994 he worked there till 2012 He created an electronic encyclopedia of Jewish communities in Czech lands. He finally could dedicate himself fully to his old love.

He worked at the Albatros Publishing House in Prague dealing with the publication of children's books. The translated dozens of books into Polish and Serbo Croat.

Jihlava a village has the house where Gustav Mahler grew up.

Jiri was 10 when the Nazi occupation ended and he saw their retreat. He came across old Yiddish newspapers and deciphered the letters like hieroglyphics. and taught himself Yiddish. He chanced upon a bilingual journal in German and Yiddish and did not give up until he had penetrated the mysteries of East European Jews. He had studied linguistics at the Charles University, but his passion was taking photos of churches old synagogues and cemeteries. If it hadn't been for Jiri a lot of Czech modern Jewish history would have been lost. Sometime he had to flee the place he was documenting or explain what he was doing. Everything was controlled by the secret police and he had to explain to them that he was doing nothing illegal. The Jewish community representatives behaved like cowards and rudely rejected him. Even the Rabbi informed the Secret Police. Between 1948 and 2007 he kept detailed dairies of his riding around.

Visitors knew to get dropped off nearby and not reveal to the taxi the address they were going to.

After the Soviet Invasion of 1968 jobs at the Jewish museum were kept for loyal party members. Jiri never had much luck getting information from the Jewish achieve till after 1989..

Czechoslovakia had no friendly relation with Yugoslavia 

All  Jewish spoils of the holocaust were brought to Prague. You had 1400 torah yadim  and Kiddush cups inscribed with family names. 1982 The Precious Legacy of Judaic Treasures from the State Jewish Museums in Prague was created.. Jewish building had been converted to other uses, perhaps a warehouse. Less than 10% of the community survived the Nazis. 

1990 he was invited to the Jewish Council meeting in the USA to a conference of Jewish Monuments and designated the Czech research director. He went for a tour of synagogues in NY and was given a personal tour of the White House by Mark Talisman who had been appointed by Jimmy Carter to set up the US Holocaust museum.

1992 Ruth Gruber wrote Jewish Heritage Travel: A guide to Easter and Central Europe.  Jiri's help was invaluable to her. After 1995 synagogues were returned by the state to Jewish communities and some building have been restored or rented out.

1848 There was a plagues and  research was do on the victims, some were buried in mass graves. of it .Jiri was also in great demand in the Jewish Gen Society.

The synagogue in Kolyne was repaired and opened.to great fanfare.

The Jewish museum in Prague deals with 800 Czech communities that once existed.