Selected text
When I returned to Czechoslovakia from Munich, cadre [political] interviews were taking place. These interviews ended badly for me. They designated me as a traitor and imperialist. They attributed things to me that I never done or said. They expelled me from the Party and I wasn’t allowed to lecture. Despite the fact that I wasn’t lecturing, I continued to receive a salary. This was unpleasant to me, and so I turned to Professor Krna, the head of the Department of Journalism at the time. He said: “You know what, Jozef? Pick a theme, if it’s interesting we’ll approve it and you can work on it. Whether it’ll be published though, that I don’t know.” So I worked on the theme: Information, Journalistic Information, or journalistic intelligence and facts. This is how it was for a half year. I wasn’t allowed to publish. Finally in 1971 they summoned me to the cadre department, where the department head informed me: “Comrade, you can no longer work here.” He gave me a form letter, that I’m leaving voluntarily. I had to sign it, there was no other option.
I visited my former colleague and the then secretary of the UV KSS [Central Committee of the Communist Party of Slovakia]. He received me, and I told him: “Comrade, I’m unemployed in socialism. I’m not allowed to publish.” He said: “Comrade, it’ll all settle down, that was a political earthquake. They also threw out my brother, the director of the Bardejov shoe factory. It’ll all settle down. You can work, but you can’t work in areas of ideology. Find some other type of work.” The deputy of the Minister of Industry was a very decent person. I had already met him. I contacted him through the wife of the former director of Czech, later Slovak Radio. The deputy received me and I told him what sort of situation I was in. He said: “The Academy of Industrial Systems Engineering belongs under our ministry, you’ll work there. I’ll call the director right away.” They gave me a job, and I got my first position, the director’s secretary. My job was to take minutes and besides this to serve coffee. So as a college lecturer I served coffee to functionaries who were discussing issues connected to industrial automation in Slovakia. There I learned that some programs are compatible, and some aren’t compatible. But what kinds of programs they were, I had not even the slightest idea. I didn’t understand a thing. When I came home, my wife asked me: “So, how was it?” And I answered her: “Well, besides preparing coffee, I didn’t understand anything.”
But it didn’t take long, I’d guess no more than a half year, and after a half year the academy moved, to Prievoz. And as a pedagogue they asked me to develop techniques to convince the directors of Slovak industrial companies to not be afraid of computers. And they were afraid that hidden reserves would be discovered. So I had to first know what that automated control system was, and what that computer actually is. I began reading books, but it wasn’t enough. They put me in touch with one excellent computer expert, for those times, from Slovnaft. I don’t remember his name, otherwise he was also physically disabled, very talented and intelligent, and lectured excellently for me, as a layman, and led me to understand it. And so it happened that after a year or two, I gradually worked on that methodology and became the leader of one team that was responsible for this. The team was composed of sociologists, journalists, psychologists and economists. I was the manager and would send them out into the field to put my methodology into practice. Along with the rest of them, I also went about and lectured at various companies. I lectured for directors, and that methodology, when it had already been published as a whole, had great success at the general directorship of Skloplast in Trnava. When we had a departmental conference, I received thanks and even a diploma from the director. And in 1976, at the age of 60, I retired.
I visited my former colleague and the then secretary of the UV KSS [Central Committee of the Communist Party of Slovakia]. He received me, and I told him: “Comrade, I’m unemployed in socialism. I’m not allowed to publish.” He said: “Comrade, it’ll all settle down, that was a political earthquake. They also threw out my brother, the director of the Bardejov shoe factory. It’ll all settle down. You can work, but you can’t work in areas of ideology. Find some other type of work.” The deputy of the Minister of Industry was a very decent person. I had already met him. I contacted him through the wife of the former director of Czech, later Slovak Radio. The deputy received me and I told him what sort of situation I was in. He said: “The Academy of Industrial Systems Engineering belongs under our ministry, you’ll work there. I’ll call the director right away.” They gave me a job, and I got my first position, the director’s secretary. My job was to take minutes and besides this to serve coffee. So as a college lecturer I served coffee to functionaries who were discussing issues connected to industrial automation in Slovakia. There I learned that some programs are compatible, and some aren’t compatible. But what kinds of programs they were, I had not even the slightest idea. I didn’t understand a thing. When I came home, my wife asked me: “So, how was it?” And I answered her: “Well, besides preparing coffee, I didn’t understand anything.”
But it didn’t take long, I’d guess no more than a half year, and after a half year the academy moved, to Prievoz. And as a pedagogue they asked me to develop techniques to convince the directors of Slovak industrial companies to not be afraid of computers. And they were afraid that hidden reserves would be discovered. So I had to first know what that automated control system was, and what that computer actually is. I began reading books, but it wasn’t enough. They put me in touch with one excellent computer expert, for those times, from Slovnaft. I don’t remember his name, otherwise he was also physically disabled, very talented and intelligent, and lectured excellently for me, as a layman, and led me to understand it. And so it happened that after a year or two, I gradually worked on that methodology and became the leader of one team that was responsible for this. The team was composed of sociologists, journalists, psychologists and economists. I was the manager and would send them out into the field to put my methodology into practice. Along with the rest of them, I also went about and lectured at various companies. I lectured for directors, and that methodology, when it had already been published as a whole, had great success at the general directorship of Skloplast in Trnava. When we had a departmental conference, I received thanks and even a diploma from the director. And in 1976, at the age of 60, I retired.
Location
Slovakia
Interview
Jozef W.