European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 01, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Ceausescu s reign of terror by David Lauter los Angeles times he Young woman. Her dark hair lied to Back in a Ion t raid. Sat in the chair by the Al fire her lace pulled tight by the h unsuccessful Ellort to hold Back tears i am sorry Dmitra said to do not mean to offend but the rest of the world journalists. Everyone watches this like some kind of movie something not real for she said it is real we have a different kind of psyche now it is something manufactured by Ceausescu " during his 24-year reign Over Romania. Nicolae Ceausescu sentenced those political prisoners Well known in the West to House arrest for others hellish prisons and sudden disappearances were the Norm but Lor the vast majority of Romania s 23 million citizens people who Only now Are beginning to speak freely about their lives the horror of Ceausescu s totalitarian Rule was something less dramatic but More insidious totalitarian Rule bruised minds and warped relationships Romania under Ceausescu was a land of privation fear and constant intervention in the intimate decisions of daily life ii was a land thai killed dreams for Petre like All others in this article this is not his real name the dream was to pursue his chosen Field of study mathematics a talented University student Petre was among the lop members of his class but upon graduation he and his classmates told that they would a not be allowed to continue their studies or teach at the University level they would have to leave Bucharest and take jobs leaching Grade school arithmetic in the Countryside i tried to do research As a Petre said he would travel hundreds of Miles on weekends to the be libraries sporadically allowed to receive Western scientific literature there or would copy papers by hand to get around s Nan on the private use of copying machines these Are my Best years to do research and work it s a ,." he said i wanted to get a scholarship to attend a school abroad and get my pm d he said Bui i was very Good and they were afraid i would not come Back go i could not " in the 25 years of his life. Pere has been allowed to leave his country Only once to travel several years ago to a mathematics conference in East Germany where he said. People looked Freer to act they were Able to speak they were Able to have contacts they were Able to work " East Germany he concluded was a real Paradise " Dmitra and her husband loan had a More Domestic dream1 wanted a child not be child. I wanted six cd Dmitra said with a Short and bitter laugh Duy i remember1" she asked her husband we got married in 1977.1 was 21." the two Are Quick to say they led comparatively privileged lives sophisticated and intelligent both Are Well educated professionals loan s 0b has allowed him occasional travel in the West and Access to goods Coffee perfume clothing. American cigarettes that could be resold providing Money cushioned the Gran life in Ceausescu s Model state " i consoled myself with these said Milra. Pointing to the color television and video recorder in the Small silting room of their House but consumer goods could not Block out the reality of Dail life in the mid 197ci Ceausescu. Who assumed Power in 1sc5. Had Only recently begun to Lull impose his grotesque plans on the nation seeing what was happening the Young couple put a Ide thoughts of a family what could we offer tins child Dmitra explained what life mass Graves were dug in Bucharest Lor the victims of the More than 60,000 people were reported killed in the Lighth a treasured Uncle had a son who fled to the West loan and Dmitra fell they had no Choice but to Cut off All communications the Uncle was now a watched Man. And even a simple Telephone conversation might Cost loan his passport or his Job in Eastern Europe s richest agricultural Region 1 women Young old were struggling at the shop when they brought pig s feet and without meat Only Bones and Gristle " chickens were like crows. No. A Crow was too big eight chickens one kilo 22 pounds last month loan s father had to stay four Days in line from 5 in the morning until dark to buy 2 Kilos of meat " Dmitra. Who had dreamed As a child of travel to see other places other had to abandon the idea because loan already had a passport. I could t even dream of Lamg her outside the country he said it would have meant becoming an informer that was what the Price was " i was t oven Able to Cross the Friendship Bridge to mifa said broadcasts of radio free Europe and videotapes of Western movies eagerly passed from hand to hand brought evidence of the deprivations romanians faced the program guide to bulgarian television became one of Bucharest s most hotly sought underground publications As romanians sought any kind of diversion from their own television s constant ref a we Buha in go i to like me in. T ref we gyre co cd than ii be in tin de we Page 14 stars an d stripes
