Czechs agog as they are to open envelop containing last words of first president
10 hours ago
- #historical mystery
- #Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
- #Czech history
- The Czech Republic is eagerly awaiting the revelation of the last words of its first president, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, recorded by his son Jan Masaryk before his death in 1937.
- The letter containing Masaryk's final thoughts has been sealed for decades and will be opened on September 19, 2024, after a 20-year condition set by its donors.
- Historians speculate the contents may be fragmentary or incoherent due to the hurried circumstances under which Jan Masaryk likely wrote them.
- The letter was smuggled out of Czechoslovakia by Jan Masaryk's secretary, Antonín Sum, after Jan's suspicious death in 1948, and later donated to the Czech National Archive.
- Public interest is high, with speculation ranging from words of wisdom or warnings about future events to more whimsical guesses like recipes or personal revelations.
- Masaryk, a revered figure in Czech history, was the founding father of independent Czechoslovakia and is remembered for his intellect, political skill, and humble demeanor.