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A Legend from The Romanian Revolution
Legends stillborn
During the research conducted so far, Project Alexis has investigated many legends and stories (some in-depth, of course), all with a grain of truth in them.But perhaps more interesting are those legends which were born dead, that are the result of special circumstances, or the fantasy of an anonymous designer, so that there is not even a kernel of truth in them.
Thus, in the winter of 1989, during the anticommunist Revolution in Romania, local and national events developed that have created legends, directly or indirectly.
Great writers in Filiaşi
During the days of the fire of revolution (December 22, 1989 to January 5, 1990), Dr Adrian Gheorghe was directly participating in the Revolution, being elected as secretary of the city of Filiaşi's local National Salvation Front, the political faction of the liberation of Romania under communism, and appeared spontaneously in the popular movement that led the country for a short period after the Revolution.
Also, Dr. Gheorghe participated in military action to protect the city against terrorist gangs.
It should be noted that, at that time, Romania was being transited by many visitors, some of them highly suspicious, as to identity and purpose.
There is evidence of a surprising number of tourists from the USSR, many media representatives from Trust sites in Western Europe, and many aid convoys materials (food, clothing, etc..), all from Western European countries.
In those days there was enormous confusion and many errors were committed, an attitude due at least in part to the memory of the dead heroes of the Revolution. Subordinated to specific orders, during the communist dictatorship, the Romanian people did not know what to do with this new found freedom.
On the night of March to January 4, 1990 (approximately), Dr. George was located in the City Hall in Filiaşi, along with other revolutionaries, trying to control and maintain order in the city.
At midnight, the centre's operation revolutionaries received a telephone call according to which two TIR trucks coming from Brittany (France) had just arrived in town, with greatly needed aid for the people.
The then President of the National Salvation Front, Surgeon Dr. Petre Scafa asked Dr. Gheorghe to take over the convoy to ensure safety, to find parking for the trucks, and to organise accommodation and meals for the French delegates till dawn, when legal distribution of the product inventories and donations, as well as the required exchange of documents could proceed in an orderly manner.
Dr. Gheorghe went from City Hall to the Filiaşi school for children with special needs, and directed all the huge trucks to be parked there and guarded by members of the National Guard. Perhaps now, after 20 years, some events appear to be childish or ridiculous, but he can swear that in those days fear, terror, hope and anger were part of our purposeless, meaningless lives, without any control over our destiny.
The Breton delegation was led by a Romanian refugee, who had fled to France many years earlier, and included a total of 10-11 members, whom Dr. George guided to the motel "Jiu" for overnight accommodation, which in fact was the only such establishment of Filiaşi, at that time.
Under pressure of the events of the revolution, and the political instability in the country, the motel was empty, and a young receptionist was the only person there that night.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 25th April 2010
Leadership was essential during the Civil War, and Dr Gheorghe told the receptionist that it was imperative that rooms were made available for the French delegation for the night, and he categorically forbade any contact by outsiders with the visitors during the night, so that they should not be disturbed. The receptionist was possibly overawed by the situation, but nevertheless there were protocols to follow, and the receptionist respectfully said that the regulation was that the identity documents of people accommodated in the hotel had to be provided and checked.
Dr. Gheorghe returned to the head of the delegation, and explained the situation in French to the companions of the physician, and Dr. Gheorghe started to collect passports from each of the members of the French delegation.
The last two foreign visitors, more withdrawn and who maintained a deep silence throughout, were two young men, of an athletic type, with cropped hair. When the doctor came to them with the other passports already collected in his hand, they looked at him with surprise, seeming to not understand what was requested. The doctor asked them for their passports in French, English and German, but curiously they did not seem to know any of these European languages.
This created a moment of tension in the empty motel, where the young receptionist was alone in the guest registration room, and the doctor was aware of the 10 to 11 foreign visitor who seemed to follow his actions very closely.
The place was isolated, far from any form of local support, so although Dr Gheorghe was concerned, he recovered the passports already handed to the receptionist, who had recorded the details, and then handed back two of the ones he had already presented to the receptionist, as though they were the passports of the two silent visitors.
Although he was scared, the young receptionist immediately noticed that the documents were repeated. He saw the tense situation created, and explained, briefly, that no documents were going to be submitted to the headquarters at the City Hall, as collateral for the night.
The situation appeared to be defused, but the receptionist asked the names of the two foreigners. Dr. Gheorghe turned to them and tried again in several widely known languages, asking for their names.
Tension rose sharply, the 11 people were gathered around the doctor and two foreigners continued silent, but watched him very closely. And now, after 20 years, Doctor Gheorghe is convinced that those two individuals were not part of the delegation, but must have been spirited out of the country by the French train, in pursuit of who knows what obscure mission to be accomplished during the Revolution.
The doctor took a decision to this effect and, claiming that he knew the identity of the two, dictated their names to the receptionist, who transcribed the names into the register.
These two names, which had suddenly come to the mind of the doctor in that dramatic situation, were recorded as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Jean-Paul Sartre which came spontaneously to mind, from the doctor's general knowledge.
There are witnesses and documents that can confirm this strange story, so, over the years, it will certify for future generations with great surprise that these great men of letters, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Jean-Paul Sartre slept for one night at a motel in Filiaşi, in the middle of the Romanian Revolution, though both were in fact resting somewhere else, and in another world.
Photos: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
These two names, which had suddenly come to the mind of the doctor in that dramatic situation, were recorded as Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Jean-Paul Sartre which came spontaneously to mind, from the doctor's general knowledge.
There are witnesses and documents that can confirm this strange story, so, over the years, it will certify for future generations with great surprise that these great men of letters, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Jean-Paul Sartre slept for one night at a motel in Filiaşi, in the middle of the Romanian Revolution, though both were in fact resting somewhere else, and in another world.
Thus some legends are born, and, just as we have the great statue of the Romanian poet Mihai Eminescu in front of Filiaşi station, where he stayed briefly in the nineteenth century, so we have the honor to have housed in Filiaşi two important personalities from French literature.
Legende nascute moarte
Pe parcursul cercetarilor efectuate pana in prezent. Alexis Project a intalnit multe legende si povesti (unele dintre ele in curs de aprofundare), toate avand un sambure de adevar in ele.
Dar poate ca sunt mult mai interesante acele legende care s-au nascut moarte, adica sunt rodul unor imprejurari deosebite, sau a fanteziei unui creator anonim, astfel incat, in niciun caz, nu au samburele de adevar necesar in ele. Astfel, in iarna anului 1989, chiar in timpul Revolutiei anticomuniste din Romania, s-au desfasurat evenimente locale si nationale care au creat, nemijlocit sau indirect, legende.
Mari scriitori la Filiaşi
In zilele de foc ale Revolutiei (22 decembrie 1989-5 ianuarie 1990), dr. Adrian Gheorghe a fost direct participant la Revolutie, fiind ales de populatia orasului Filiasi ca secretar al Frontului Salvarii Nationale pe plan local, formatiune politica de eliberare a Romaniei de sub comunism, aparuta spontan din miscarea populara si care a condus tara o scurta perioada, dupa victoria Revolutiei.
Totodata, dr. Gheorghe a participat la actiunea de protejare militara a orasului, impotriva bandelor teroriste, niciodata identificate, fiind membru activ in Garda Nationala, creata in acest scop.
Trebuie mentionat ca, in perioada de mai sus, Romania a fost tranzitata de numerosi vizitatori, unii dintre ei extrem de dubiosi, ca identitate si scop.
Exista dovezi de o afluire surprinzatoare a turistilor din URSS, numerosi reprezentanti ai trust-urilor media din Europa de Vest, precum si numeroase convoaie cu ajutoare materiale (hrana, imbracaminte etc.), tot din tarile vest-europene.
In acele zile confuzia era enorma si s-au comis numeroase erori e atitudine, carora li se datoreaza macar o parte din mortii eroi ai Revolutiei. Subordonat unor ordine precise, pe timpul dictaturii comuniste, poporul roman se trezea- peste noapte- liber si nu stia ce sa faca cu aceasta libertate.
In noaptea de 3 spre 4 ianuarie 1990 (aproximativ), dr. Gheorghe se afla in sediul Primariei din Filiasi, alaturi de alti revolutionari, incercand sa controleze situatia si ordinea in oras.
La miezul noptii, acest centru de operatiuni al revolutionarilor a primit un apel telefonic conform caruia 2 camioane TIR venind din Bretania (Franta) tocmai sosisera in oras, cu ajutoare materiale pentru populatia acestuia.
Presedintele de atunci al Frontului Salvarii Nationale, medicul chirurg Scafa Petre i-a cerut dr. Gheorghe sa preia controlul asupra acestui convoi, sa asigure parcarea si siguranta camioanelor, cazarea si masa delegatilor francezi pana in zori, cand se puteau face inventare si distributii legale ale produselor donate, precum si schimbul firesc de documente.
Dr. Gheorghe s-a deplasat de la sediul Primariei in zona scolii pentru copii cu nevoi speciale din Filiasi si a luat toate masurile ca uriasele camioane sa fie parcate si pazite de luptatori ai Garzii Nationale (poate ca acum, dupa 20 de ani, unele evenimente par a fi puerile sau chiar acoperite de ridicol, dar pot jura ca in acele zile frica, teroarea, speranta si furia faceau parte din viata noastra, fara scop, fara sens si fara niciun control asupra lor).
Delegatia bretona era condusa de un roman refugiat in Franta cu multi ani inainte si cuprindea in total 10-11 membri, pe care dr. Gheorghe i-a condus, pentru cazare pe timpul noptii, la motelul "Jiul", de altfel singurul stabiliment de acest tip din Filiasi, la acea data.
Sub presiunea evenimentelor si a instabilitatii politice din tara, motelul era pustiu si un singur tanar asigura receptia pe timpul noptii.
Photo: Adrian Gheorghe, 25th April 2010
Convins ca a fii autoritar este o necesitate pe timp de razboi civil, dr. Gheorghe a solicitat imperativ receptionerului camere disponibile pentru delegatia franceza si i-a interzis categoric orice fel de contact pe timpul noptii cu vizitatorii. Receptionerul s-a conformat, probabil infricosat si el de situatia generala, dar a solicitat cu respect, potrivit regulamentului, actele de identitate ale celor care urmau sa fie cazati in hotel.
Dr. Gheorghe s-a intors spre seful delegatiei, romanul Marcel (parca), iar acesta a explicat, in franceza, insotitorilor cererea medicului si dr. Gheorghe a inceput sa stranga pasapoarte de la fiecare.
Ultimii doi vizitatori straini, ceva mai retrasi si care pastrau o tacere adanca, erau doi barbati tineri, de tip atletic, cu parul tuns scurt si ochi de culoare deschisa. Cand doctorul a ajuns in dreptul lor cu celelalte pasapoarte in mana, acestia l-au privit surprinsi, parand a nu intelege ce li se cere. Doctorul le-a cerut actele, in franceza, engleza si germana, dar, in mod curios, acestia nu pareau a cunoaste niciuna dintre aceste limbi europene.
S-a creat un moment de tensiune in motelul pustiu, in care tanarul de la receptie era practic izolat in cabina sa cu registrul de oaspeti, iar doctorul era incaonjurat de cei 10-11 vizitator straini care pareau sa il urmareasca cu deosebita atentie. Locul era izolat, departe de orice forma de sprijin local, asadar medicul, foarte speriat, a decis sa inregistreze doar pasapoartele din mana, dandu-le pe rand receptionerului si apoi recuperandu-le, ca in final, pe primele 2 sa i le mai dea o data, pentru inregistrare. Cu toate ca si el era speriat, tanarul receptioner a observat imediat ca documentele se repeta si a atras atentia medicului. Acesta, presat de situatia tensionata creata, i-a explicat, pe scurt, ca documentele lipsa au fost deja depuse la comandamentul Frontului de la Primarie, drept garantie pe timpul noptii.
Situatia parea dezamorsata, dar receptionerul a solicitat macar numele celor doi cetateni straini. Dr. Gheorghe s-a intors spre acestia si a incercat iarasi in mai multe limbi de larga circulatie sa ii fie comunicat numele acestora. Tensiunea a crescut brusc, cele 11 persoane s-au grupat in jurul medicului, iar cei doi straini au continuat sa taca, privindu-l insa foarte atent. Si acum, dupa 20 de ani, medicul este convins ca cele 2 persoane nu faceau parte din delegatie, ci trebuiau sa fie scoase din tara de convoiul breton, dupa cine stie ce misiune obscura indeplinita in timpul Revolutiei.
Medicul a luat o decizie in acest sens si a dictat el, pretinzand ca stie foarte bine identitatea celor 2, numele acestora catre receptioner, care le-a transcris in registru dupa dictare.
Aceste 2 nume, care i-au venit brusc in minte doctorului in acea situatie dramatica au fost consemnate ca Jean-Jacques Rousseau si Jean-Paul Sartre, venite spontan,in minte,din cultura generala a doctorului. Exista martori precum si documente care pot confirma strania poveste, astfel incat, peste ani, se va certifica cu mare surprindere pentru generatiile viitoare ca acesti mari oameni de litere, Jean-Jacques Rousseau si Jean-Paul Sartre au dormit pentru o noapte la motelul din Filiasi, in toiul Revolutiei romane, cu toate ca, locul lor de odihna era in alta parte si intr-o alta lume.
Photos: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Asa se nasc legendele (unele dintre ele) si, dupa cum avem statuia marelui poet roman Mihai Eminescu in fata garii din Filiasi, unde a ramas in secolul XIX pentru scurta vreme, tot asa avem onoarea de a fi adapostit in Filiasi si doua personalitati ale literaturii franceze si nu numai.
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Alexis Project Filiasi/Romania
RC J/263/230/2007 CIF 21464151
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