I Must Betray You(69)

     Romanian students in Timi?oara during an exchange with the Romanian military, 1989





          Fortepan / Urbán Tamás / Wikimedia Creative Commons

     A Dacia draped with a revolutionary flag, 1989





AUTHOR’S NOTE


    “When justice cannot shape memory,

remembering the past can be a form of justice.”

—Ana Blandiana





I Must Betray You is a work of historical fiction. The Ceau?escu dictatorship and the extended suffering of over twenty million Romanians, however, is not fiction. It was hauntingly real yet remains unfamiliar to many.

I am indebted to the many incredible writers, poets, historians, scholars, photographers, and journalists who have chronicled the dictatorship and communist period in Romania. I am also indebted to the many people listed in the “Research and Sources” section who shared their stories and knowledge with me. If historical novels stir your interest, I encourage you to pursue the facts, nonfiction, memoirs, and personal testimony available. Those are the real stories—the shoulders—that historical fiction sits upon.

As a child in a Lithuanian American family, I watched Romanian athletes compete in the Olympics. Unlike Lithuania, whose name was removed from maps during the Soviet period, Romania walked under their own flag in the opening ceremony. Their uniforms featured the word romania, along with their own national colors. I remember marveling at what I thought was their good fortune. Of course, at the time, I knew nothing of their suffering. I knew nothing of their history. How many others were unfamiliar with the plight of Romania?

I first explored Romania while on tour for my debut novel. At each turn, the Romanians showed incredible generosity and hospitality. They not only welcomed me warmly, they showed tremendous empathy for the hidden history described in my work as well as those who had experienced it. They focused on others rather than themselves. It was only after repeated requests that stories of their own recent history began to flow and my bald ignorance became fully apparent.

Following World War II, Romania became an allied nation of the Soviet Union. Under Soviet influence, communism took hold and Romania’s King Michael was forced to abdicate and leave the country. Nicolae Ceau?escu came to power in the 1960s and ruled until he and his wife, Elena, were executed by firing squad on December 25, 1989.

Though Ceau?escu had only an elementary school education, some have called him a mastermind. Building and maintaining his dynasty was a family affair. It’s estimated that at one time over thirty of his family members served in key positions for the regime.

Ceau?escu’s criticism of the Kremlin convinced leaders of many countries that he was a maverick, when, in reality, his reign revealed him to be a monster. Ceau?escu understood that in order to rule through tyranny, his first step was isolation. He isolated Romania from the rest of the world and then proceeded to further isolate individual citizens by separating and positioning them against one another.

The Securitate, Ceau?escu’s brutal secret police force, served as a repressive tool for the regime. My research interviews revealed episodes of cruelty, punishment, and human rights abuses to Romanians that were indescribably barbaric. In addition to arrests, torture, and murder, the Securitate recruited, intimidated, and commanded an enormous network of civilian informers. Some recruits were pressured and told that informing was a patriotic duty to their homeland. Others were promised favors or food for their family. The desperation for survival ran so deep that many had no choice. It’s estimated that one in every ten citizens provided information.

Although Securitate agents were often identifiable, informers were not. They bridged all ages and demographics—even children. The result was a national atmosphere of fear and suspicion. Romanians were unable to speak freely, and the inability to trust created obstacles for friendships and even family relationships. As the years progressed, the Securitate controlled the population through their own fear.

Fear, suspicion, and the constant threat of listening devices forced Romanians to divide themselves into public and private personalities. Spaces often considered personal, such as a home or even a bathroom, were not private. Under the ever-present threat of observation, behaviors were modified and thoughts were rarely voiced aloud. Instead, they were imprisoned within an internal mental landscape, repressing the psyche and soul of a population.

When I began researching I Must Betray You, my thoughts immediately turned to the Romanian children and students living under the Ceau?escu regime—innocent young people who felt deeply and passionately as they were coming of age but were powerless to direct the course of their life. Radio Free Europe and Voice of America provided crucial links to the free world. Books, films, magazines, and music were windows to democracy. Some scholars have stated that VCRs and movies from the West exposed teens to concepts of freedom and loaded the guns that eventually killed Ceau?escu. As with my other novels, it was the desperate plight of the young people that I chose to focus on.

Although most communist regimes in Eastern Europe transitioned without violence, when revolution arrived in Romania, brave citizens faced a hail of bullets and bloodshed. Students took to the streets in Timi?oara, Bucharest, and many other cities, armed with nothing but courage. Hearts defiant and desperate to free their country, young people willingly put themselves in the path of destruction and in some cases, attacked Ceau?escu’s weaponry with their bare hands. Their bravery, their heart—it was astounding. They gave their lives for freedom and will forever remain heroes of the revolution.