At the castle in Lány on Friday, experts with the participation of Czech President Petr Paul and the descendants of the first Czechoslovak President Tomáš Garrigu Masaryk opened a sealed envelope with his alleged last words recorded by Masaryk’s son Jan. According to the initial analysis of archivists, the document is true, but it does not come from 1937, but apparently 1934, when Masaryk thought he was dying. Among other things, in the letter he also mentioned Slovak politician Andrej Hlinka, who said he was a fool, Informs TASR newsletter in Prague.
- Experts examined a letter allegedly written by Tomáš G. Masaryk.
- The document refers to Masaryk’s views and the latest instructions.
- It is noted that the document may be from 1934.
- Masaryk criticizes Andrej Hlinka, but emphasizes forgiveness.
- The archive submits to further examination of its authenticity and content.
Immediately after opening the envelope, the experts had only a few minutes to assess whether it was a forgery. Archivist Dagmar Hájková from the Institute of Masaryk and the Archives of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic said that the text is very difficult to read. “I can confirm with a high percentage that the document looks authentic. It is almost everything in English. The manuscript is quite difficult to read. I believe it is not from 1937. He records the words of Masaryk when he felt bad and thought he was leaving this country, but that it was written at another time,” She said an expert.
Subsequently translated several passages from the letter: “I’m sick. Seriously ill. It’s over, but I’m not afraid. You’ll continue to work. You know how, but you have to be careful. But you know how to behave. And I don’t have to tell you anything more. I’m incapable, really completely incapable,” He dictated to his son Jan Masaryk.
According to Hájková, it is possible that other people, such as daughter Alice or Edvard Beneš, could also be there, because it is also a political message, How to treat other residents of multinational Czechoslovakia. For example, the Germans said there is written: “Give them what they deserve, but not more.” According to Hájková, Slovak politician Andrej Hlinka, according to Hajkova, speaks of a fool who made a mistake with the Hungarians, but it also says, “We must forgive him.”
Masaryk repeatedly comments on its funeral in the letter and what it should look like, and adds several links, for example:: “If people are uneducated and stupid, you can’t do much.”
The letter will now return to the National Archives where it will be detailed to explore several experts including historians from Masaryk’s Institute, who then definitely confirm what year it comes from and deliver to it the context.
Just twenty years ago, the document was handed over to historian Jiří Křesťan of the National Archives by secretary Jan Masaryk Antonín Sum with the instruction to was open up to twenty years. Claimed that It contains the words of the first Czechoslovak president, which he dictated to his son to Jan shortly before his death.
He had a letter until his death in 1948. All the documents were taken over by his secretary Antonín Sum, who sent them to Scotland, where they were in charge of Masaryk’s former secretary Lumír Soukup. After his death in 1991, the whole collection of documents came again in the hands of the sum, which in 1996 handed over to the National Archive. He kept the envelope itself until 2005. Its content was reportedly read, it was disturbed by the granddaughters of TG Masaryk apparently agreed that it until 2025 to seal it. Sum died in 2006, so probably none of the living people have known so far.
