Hermina Vlasopolos - April 9, 1984
Working in the Factory
How close was the camp to the factory?
Oh, it was close. We were right there. I think it was about a mile...
Uh-huh
...walking to the factory. But they had that uh, I mean nothing was taught in the, in the factory. They had the cable cars, you know, which uh, which took everything--we saw it--in the mountains they had cable, whatever. They had, you know, storage units for their--for everything which was done in this factory. I cannot, I don't know until now the--exactly what we did. I don't know what we did in Reichenbach. I know that it was a radio factory. And one day I asked the masters, do you think that after what I do here I could put together, you know, a radio--there were...
Mm-hm.
...no television yet. And he said oh, "What is a radio in comparison with what you are doing here?"
Oh, see.
You know. So uh, I know that it was a thing which had five layers, you know, like a book...
Mm-hm.
...it was not bigger than a book. And one day, he put the, in order for me to work on one shift, he put the whole book, you know, with the plan book what I have to glue, what...
Mm-hm.
...wires I have to use as resistant to go into each other. And, all of a sudden, the alarm rang, you know, and this thing was on my--because he was watching me that I don't look in one, one more, you know, thing or--so I, I turned back like it was open like this. I think I wanted to see what I, I'm doing. And it was--it had a title and then it was written "State secret and such to, to consider." ???. And uh, he realized that he let us hold the seal, you know...
Yeah.
...on my table there. And he came back and he looked at me wanting to, to see did I look what, what I had...
Mm-hm.
...and so on. And at one moment he told me, "Be careful girl." You know, just that much. And uh, I didn't ask him what and I didn't ask him why, you know. And uh, well, little by little you survive and it think it was uh, for me, it was the fact that I didn't come with any family there...
Mm-hm.
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