I learned this in Paris a few weeks later from an advertisement in the Národní Politika. It was not until January 1, 1919, however, when my wife came to Paris, that I heard about the details of the court proceedings and the imprisonment which, I may mention in passing, rendered valuable services to the propagation of our cause.
(d) Our Secret Communications with Prague
20
It was after nine o’clock in the evening when, amid a heavy downpour of rain, I met Masaryk in the restaurant Des Eaux Vives. After I had given him the first messages from Prague, he asked me: “Who is going to take your place in the “Maffia,” and who will look after the communication between Prague and Switzerland?” When I explained to him how I had left Prague at a moment’s notice after the arrest of the members of the “Maffia,” and indicated what Šámal, Dušek, Hájek, and the others would probably be able to do, Masaryk replied: “I don’t think that will be enough. In my opinion you will have to go back again to make more satisfactory arrangements about keeping in touch with us before you can leave once and for all.”
I said that I would go back if Masaryk wanted, but I added that my brother was in America, that his activities there were already known to the police, who were now after me, as I had ascertained from the gendarmerie reports, so that if I went back I should merely land myself in prison.
On the next day in the afternoon Masaryk came with a new plan: “I will go and settle down in London, you will remain in Paris, and Dr. Sychrava will continue to work in Switzerland.”
This plan was at once carried out. We summoned Dürich from Lucerne and I informed him about events in Bohemia. It was arranged that he should wait in Switzerland until the time was ripe for his journey to Russia. We then at once began to make preparations for moving to London and Paris.
About September 10th I visited Dr. Sychrava at Zurich to arrange for the maintenance of our communications with Prague. Accompanied by three other Czechs, Baráček, Plesinger-Božinov, and Kyjovský, who were then in Switzerland, we went for an excursion to Küssnacht, where we decided on all the measures which were to be adopted for this purpose.
