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[Page 190]
The Escape
Toman was taken to a small jail in the Justice Palace building that was located near Charles Square instead of the highly congested prison of Pancrac. We have to remember that the Communist regime arrested many people, and the jails and penal institutions were very crowded. The atmosphere in the palace jail was relaxed and the detainees were permitted to use the phone to call family or friends. Later police interrogations established that one of the guards mailed some letters for Toman[1]. Toman was constantly interrogated but kept his civilian clothing. Naturally, he told the interrogators that a terrible mistake had been made and he expected to be released at any moment. This bravado stance did not prevent him from hearing rumors in the jail that he would be hanged.
On May 8, 1948 the Czech police received a telephone call from a building janitor who said that a woman had fallen to her death from his building and her body was lying in his courtyard.
An entire team of police officials and medical doctors was sent to the scene where they confirmed that the person was dead. The police said that the body was that of Pesla Gutman–Toman who had supposedly committed suicide. A letter was found in her handbag addressed to Captain Jiri Vesely, a high security official, asking him to take her child and raise him to be a good Communist. There were also 150 Czech korunas in her bag. Pesla Toman's body was removed to the police mortuary where an autopsy was performed that confirmed she had committed suicide. She was cremated and the urn containing her ashes was kept by the crematorium with specific orders not to release it without consulting the security police The death was never published in the press or reported on the radio. No police investigation was conducted nor were neighbors questioned as to what happened. The baby Ivan Toman was placed at the Stvanice shelter for children[2]. The baby was placed in a state shelter although Pesla had a brother in Czechoslovakia according to Aranka. He visited Aranka in jail, and later left for Israel.
The entire situation surrounding Pesla's death was bizarre, to say the least. She was a devoted Communist and refused to believe the suspicions that her husband had offered lately about his situation. She believed in the so–called “New Czechoslovakia”. Then suddenly her husband disappears, is kept in isolation, released and finally arrested. Secret service agents begin to visit her apartment and apparently pressure her to cooperate with the investigation. She of course knows very little if anything, but the agents are not interested in what she knew or did not know; they want her to sign papers and/or participate in the show trial. Presently they are talking but she knows that the talk could turn ugly. She is alone, Aranka is in jail and so is her husband Zdenek. Both are far away and cannot be reached. She has nobody with whom to discuss things. She is basically alone and under a great deal of pressure. So was her husband. Toman was also familiar with the Russian communist trials and knew that his chances of survival were slim. He began planning his escape and wrote many letters to his friends and acquaintances that he helped in time of need, pleading with them to help him. He wrote many letters that were carried out of jail and mailed by Sedlacek, a security officer with the Czech National Security or SNB (Statni Narodna Bezchnost)[3]. Perhaps the unofficial courier also brought back replies to him. The police interrogations later revealed that Toman enlisted the aid of Sedlacek a member of the SNB (Statni Narodna Bezchnost) or National Security Office to send letters and probably receive mail from the outside[4]. Some of the letters were even written in Hungarian to his acquaintance Dr. Golan whom he had helped in the past. Golan worked for the Magnet Company connected to the Interior Ministry. Toman begged for help. Golan kept the contents of the letter to himself and then spoke to Dr. Junger who also received a similar letter. Both discussed the matter and turned Toman down. Golan even verbally reported the contents of the letters to the authorities. On June 16, 1948, Police Inspector Pokorny ordered the arrest of Agent Sedlacek, Golan and Junger and other people related to the case.
Pesla's death shocked Toman and showed him that the Czech and Russian secret services meant business and expected full cooperation in their planned scenario. This was going to be a big show to detract the people's attention from their daily life in Communist Czechoslovakia. They lost some potential defendants but they planned to get some star witnesses to fill the gap. But their plan was undermined by the disappearing witnesses, and the death of Pesla Toman was a serious blow to the case. The proceedings were very slow. The plotters took their sweet time to prepare the show trial. Other rescue letters were sent to other people and were turned down. The American embassy in Prague also said ‘no’ – with an attachment: ‘to contact us when you are out of Czechoslovakia[5].’ The British were not even asked for help, but some letters reached the right people. Apparently Jacobson received a letter.
In August of 1947, Jacobson had been appointed to head the Joint organization in Hungary. The Hungarian Jews were in a terrible situation. Almost 50,000 elderly Jews had no means of support. The total Jewish population was about 200,000 of whom 50,000 lived in the provinces and the rest in Budapest[6]. The UNRRA was not permitted to function in Hungary nor were other Western aid organizations. The Joint was the only organization to help the Jews in Hungary. The Joint also helped non–Jewish institutions. Hungary prevented Jews from leaving the country but the local Brichah managed to get some Jews out of the country. The Joint actively supported the Jewish community and according to Jacobson “we had soup kitchens for singles, soup kitchens for families, and we had a soup kitchen that served starving Hungarian artists, writers, poets and actors that were mainly non–Jewish”[7]. Jacobson became friendly with Matyas Rakosi, General Secretary of the Hungarian Communist Party. He was probably the only westerner to have such an access in Hungary. Jacobson was also familiar with other communist leaders like Laszlo Rajk, the Interior Minister.
On receiving Toman's letter, Jacobson realized the seriousness of the situation. Toman knew a great deal of information about him, the Joint, the various manipulations that dealt with transporting the Jews across Czechoslovakia, transporting Soviet Jews out of the area of Carpatho–Russia, helping Soviet Jews like the Lubavicher Hasidim cross Czechoslovakia etc.
Under torture, these things would probably come out and destroy Jacobson and probably the Joint activities in Eastern Europe. He had to take steps to help Toman escape. Jacobson had a diplomatic passport that enabled him to travel freely across the borders. He also had access to American dollars and American cigarettes worth their weight in gold in postwar Europe. Toman apparently also contacted the Mossad office in Prague which contacted the head of the organization in Israel, Shaul Avigur. The latter, like Jacobson, did not want revelations of Mossad's dealings with Toman. He also knew that the Israeli government was negotiating various arm deals with the Czech government that Toman had initiated. Exposure of these negotiations would harm the Israeli army that needed weapons badly. Both parties decided to act to get Toman out of jail.
Jacobson often visited Prague and was very familiar with the city, where he had excellent contacts. The Brichah organization was being dismantled with the establishment of the State of Israel but there were still enough Mossad and Brichah agents in Prague to assist Jacobson with the operation. Jacobson visited Prague several times prior to the escape. As a matter of fact, he was in Prague the day of the escape but did not stop at the Joint office in Prague. Furthermore some Czech officials were more than happy to be bribed to help Toman's escape for they felt threatened enough by his arrest that they were willing to help the escape plan. The plan, of course worked like a charm.
On June 23, 1948, the signal was given to launch the operation. Toman was cleaning the jail's lavatories when he suddenly locked the door of the lavatory from the inside. He freshened up and changed some clothes that he had been wearing since his arrest. He dressed and went to one of the windows and lowered himself to a balcony that led to a large hall. He entered the hall, tall and erect, saluted some officers and continued to walk. He left the jail and entered a waiting vehicle, disappearing from sight within seconds. Toman was driven to a secret hiding place out of town. He was told to stay put until his rescuers arrived for him. Most of the major participants including Jacobson left Prague the same day. Thus, there were no traces and no clues.
Toman did not need lessons in hiding. He was very familiar with police procedures in such cases. He was aware that he must stay underground or he would be spotted and reported to the police. Meanwhile, inmates tried to use the lavatory and found it locked. They banged on the door but got no response. The janitor was called and he forced the door open. Nobody was there except for the cleaning tools. The alarm was sounded. All inmates were sent to their cells. Rosters were checked and rechecked; Toman was missing. The event was immediately reported to Nosek who reported it to Slansky and Gottwald. Police and army units were ordered to establish road blocks throughout the city. The area where Toman lived was surrounded by the police and searches were conducted throughout the neighborhood. Toman's picture was circulated amongst the police. Agents were ordered to patrol the streets to look for Toman. Hours passed and days passed and still no Toman. Slansky was furious. He revealed to some members of the central committee that Toman knew a great deal of state secrets. The Soviet NKVD was livid. They had to report to Moscow that Toman had escaped from jail. To raise the moral of the secret services, the Czech secret services released rumors that Anglo–American imperialist agents helped Toman escape but he would never leave the country. He would be apprehended. The security forces were ordered to place tight security at the entrances of foreign embassies and western agencies like the Joint offices.
Mass arrests of guards took place, relatives of the guards were arrested, people that worked with Toman were arrested and still no leads. In a letter to the Joint in New York, Julius Levine, director of the Joint in Prague states that his personal driver, a Mr. Spits, was arrested on June 24, 1948 at 3.30 in the morning and was questioned until 7.30 and then released[8]. His apartment was searched. He was again arrested later in the day. The Czech police wanted to know some details about the use of Joint cars. It appears that a particular car of the Joint was seen in front of the Toman residence some months earlier. The letter mentions that Jacobson had arrived in Prague from Budapest on June 16, 1948 and spent the night there. On June 17, 1948, Jacobson visited Levine at the Joint office in Prague and they discussed the Toman situation. Jacobson then left for Zurich, Switzerland. On June 23, 1948 Jacobson passed through Prague on his return to Hungary[9]. Levine himself was invited to visit the police station where he was questioned mostly about his relationship with Toman and Rosenberg. He was also asked about Jacobson's relations with the Tomans and the Rosenbergs. The Joint director was then informed that the Czech authorities were of the opinion that the Joint was involved in the escape. They expressed a desire to question Jacobson who was no longer in Prague but in Budapest. Levine informed Jacobson that the Czechs wanted to talk to him. Levine urged Jacobson to come to Prague and talk to the police. Levine reasoned that the Czech police only wanted to talk to Jacobson. The latter
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| Group of Zionist youth members leave Hungary with the help of the Hungarian Brichah |
took Levine's advice and went to Prague where he was arrested on arrival at the airport. He was taken to prison and interrogated for many days about Toman's escape. He was lucky and managed to leave the prison and head directly to the American embassy in Prague. The American ambassador immediately made arrangements for his departure. He was taken directly to the airport and boarded a plane for Budapest where he resumed the Joint activities of helping the Jewish population and assisting the Brichah in taking Jews out of Hungary. These operations became more difficult as the days passed. The Cold War intensified and the Hungarian authorities followed the Russian line. Eventually Jacobson was arrested and interrogated. He was forced to leave the country[10]. The Hungarians also closed down the Joint offices in the country.
Toman was still in hiding and lived on bread and onions according to Szulc who interviewed him[11]. Szulc also reports that Toman supposedly went to the house of Levine following his escape from jail in order to get help but Levine refused to help him. Szulc also reported that Toman obtained a passport and took the train to the German border, which he crossed and reached the West German hamlet of Ash. These stories are an attempt to confuse and mislead the reader. We already mentioned that Prague was bristling with police forces that checked everybody and everything, notably the homes of Westerners. Yet Szulc wants us to believe that Toman was strolling through the streets of Prague looking for help – hardly likely! Toman did not take the train since they were tightly controlled, especially those heading to the German border. The borders were closed and people arriving near the border were thoroughly checked and rechecked.
False identity papers were prepared for Toman and he was removed from his hiding place and probably driven to the border where professionals took him across the border near the hamlet of Ash in West Germany. The area was the main crossing point for Jews leaving Czechoslovakia and entering the American zone in Germany. On entering Germany Toman proceed to the first American military establishment and requested political asylum[12]. Toman knew that the Czech and Russian secret services were looking for him, as well as the various Czech Nationalist groups that would have liked to get their hands on him. He therefore decided to procure his safety by placing himself in American hands. According to the American military intelligence records he was flown to Camp King located near Oberursel near Frankfurt–
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Seated: Itzhak Ayalon and Blatberg Standing from left: Yossef Reissman, Moshe Breitbart, Shlomo Haft, Moshe Podor (Amir Doron) |
am–Main, Germany. This post was a major debriefing place for defectors from the Soviet bloc. Apparently Toman insisted on a passport and visa to Venezuela where his brother Armin Goldberger lived. He also demanded transportation and safe passage to Venezuela. South American governments, notably Venezuela, were reluctant to grant visas to Jewish refugees. The fact that Toman was a high Communist official in the Czech government made the situation worse. South America was terrified of communists especially Jewish communists.
The entire Toman story was of course widely publicized when the Czech government published a request through Interpol for help in locating Zdenek Toman who had committed serious crimes against the state. The request appealed to all countries to help arrest the former Czech official Toman, and send him back to Czechoslovakia to be brought to justice and stand trial
Toman provided the Americans with information regarding the preparations and execution of the plan to seize power. He explained that Russia pressed the reluctant Czech Communist leaders to act. Slansky and Gottwald hesitated; they were comfortable with the existing Czech political situation that depended on their support. Both Czech leaders knew that seizing power would abolish the existing political system. Stalin insisted on action according to Toman in his revelations to the American intelligence. As the Cold War progressed and intensified, Stalin wanted full control of his satellites. He had no intention of repeating the Yugoslav mistake where he permitted Tito to escape his hegemony. The fact that Russia had no military forces in Yugoslavia enabled Tito to seize power and arrest all pro–Soviet elements in the country. Stalin was determined not to repeat the same mistake. He insisted on action. Toman also provided a picture of the members of the Central Czech Committee and their interrelations. The Americans received pages of information regarding the preparations, the implementations and the actual seizure of power. Toman was also very familiar with the workings of the Russian secret service in Czechoslovakia and abroad. He was able to provide the scope of Russian–Czech penetration into Western society. Toman was an important catch for the Americans since he provided many keys to the Czech and Russian espionage systems. Of course Toman was always aware that his son was being held by the Czechs and he had to play a careful game. This fact was also known to the Americans.
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