Born in Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) in 1912, the author had studied the law and was living in Brno, C.S.R.(p.1-3) when the war broke out and he tried to illegally get to Hungary (with a view to emigrating to the USA) with the help of a recommended “Passeur“who turned out to be a traitor. The author was arrested, sent to the Gestapo-prison at Hodonin and ill-treated. Found out to be in possession of some Slovakian money, he was taken to the Court at Uherske Hradiste (p.3-4). The Czech judge allowed him to ring and warn his wife not to trust the guide. (She succeeded to get to America and, believing him to be dead, got married there. When he got in touch with her, in 1945, he took cognizance of the divorce and married himself at Karlovy, in 1946 (p.1-2)).

When the judge could not protect him any longer (in Christmas 1939), the author was sent to the notorious Gestapo-prison on the Spielberg (p.5-6) atrocities; the solidarity of the detainees (p.6).

In May 1940, transfer to Sachsenhausen (p.6-9). “Theo“ brutal Kapo (p.7-8). “Stehkommando” the detainees incapable of working had to stand in rank and file throughout the working hours (p.8). When the Camp was visited by the Red Cross, the sick detainees were penned into the sickbay, and labelled “Danger of Infection”. After the Commission had left, they were sent back to the Blocks (p.8-9).

Transfer of the sick detainees including the author to Dachau (p.9-12) in September 1940. Here the administration was in the hands of political prisoners who were to be preferred to the professional criminals (p.6-9) at Sachsenhausen. But at Dachau, all Jews were kept in the “Strafkompanie” all the time (p.9-12). They suffered from starvation and frost, had to work the whole Saturday and Sunday and would be atrociously beaten by the SS, the heavy work being only a pretext for tormenting and killing them. The treatment of the itch (p.10-11). Murder of Dr. Badt, a Berlin solicitor (p.11-12). Punishments: hanging (p.12); Baun (p.15).

In the summer of 1941, the circa 150 survivors of the 600 detainees who had arrived from Sachsenhausen were transferred to Buchenwald (p.12-20). The state in which they passed the streets of Weimar (on foot - ill-treated by the SS-guards even then) must have been noticed by the people who now maintain not to have known what was going on (p.13). At Buchenwald, prominent Jews, mostly communists (p.13-15) and later masons (p.17-18) enjoyed certain privileges; the outliers were compelled to bribe the foremen, etc.; many of them would get money for this purpose from a Jewish association in Austria (p.16).

At the “Lagerstrasse“ work was extremely heavy and dangerous; the foreman, a Berlin Jew, blackmailed them and beat them up (p.16-17). “Aktion“: Jewish masons persecuted, sent to the sickbay and killed by injections (p.18-19); “Waldläufer“, a Volksdeutscher SS-man from Romania. Max Umschweif, a Communist who had fought in Spain was rescued by the administration; not so another Communist mason, M. Galandauer (p.19). The author had a narrow escape (p.19-20). Death-march, in April 1945; the survivors met the American troops at Langenberg, Thuringia (p.21).

From 1950 the author worked for the Czech Foreign Office. In 1955 he undertook Diplomatic Service in Beirut, Lebanon, and in 1956 Tehran, Iran. When called back to Prague in 1959, the author went to England with his family, where they were granted political asylum (p.22).