Czech Republic citizens are waiting with breath to solve the mysteries of many years: what was the last words of the first respected president, Tomas Galig Masalik?
The last thoughts of the politician who ruled the Czechoslovak Republic from 1918 to 1935 are believed to have been recorded by his son Janmasalic, who died in September 1937, and have since been sealed in letters, according to Czech Public Radio, which set a special section of the website covering Friday’s envelopes.
Dagmar Hakova, director of the Department of Modern Social and Cultural History at the Masalic Institute and an archive of the Czech Academy of Sciences, is an archive of public research institutes focusing on modern Czech history, said radio stations are believed to have written down words from his dying father while he was sitting at his bedside.
“If you imagine the moment, handwriting may not be easy to read, as he may have quickly and nervously wrote it on his lap. It may also be more fragmentary and not in a form of consistent speech,” she said.
Masalic has been in poor health since 1934, said Mr. Hakova, so the letter could be dated earlier than 1937, which may not seem to live much longer than 1937.
Almost nothing is known about the content of the letters, but the journey that followed is well documented.
When Yang Masalic died in suspicious circumstances a few days after the Communist Party coup in 1948, he left a letter to his secretary, Antonin Sam. The total smuggled it from a country that had become a Soviet satellite state in the aftermath of World War II.
Yang Masalick’s other former personal assistants, Sam and Lumir Soukup, kept their letters safely for decades before making a donation to the Czech National Archives in 2005, provided they remain sealed for 20 years.
That period ends on September 19th. In other words, the Czechs eventually find out what their first president said just before he died.
The mysterious envelope case attracted a huge wave of interest across the country. All major Czech media covers the event, and social media is full of speculation about the contents of the letter.
Many people expect wisdom and premonitions from Masalic. Perhaps it’s a warning from Russia about impending wars and threats.
“I don’t think it’s going to be political. Maybe something about the intergenerational relationship?” X user Lenka Lubicova said.
Others are looking for a more practical message. Teacher Klára Voláková said in X she asked the children in her class what she thought was within her.
“They ran their imagination into the wild, so I got answers like “(traditional Czech cuisine) recipes for Subiczkova, Strudel or other delicacies, or information about his father.”
The letter was sealed at the ceremony at Lany Castle, about 30 miles (50 km) west of Prague, with current President Petr Pavel present and live streams by Czech public radio.
Masalic, often simply called TGM, was the founder of Czechoslovakia, which became independent after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Originally a professor of philosophy from a poor working class background, he played a leading role in European issues during and after World War I, serving as Czechoslovakia’s first president from 1918 to 1935.
Masalic is one of the most respected historical figures in the country, and his legacy is covered in an almost mythical aura of praise.
He is widely viewed as an extraordinary politician with a unique blend of intelligence and political abilities, and has remained the humble and friendly father figure for his people during his long tenure.
