"His personal details were never known to him, and he could only assume his origins based on a nameplate he had as a child."

On 24 June 1955, a Czechoslovakian State Security Patrol detained an unknown man near the Slovak-Polish border. Carrying no identification, the man communicated almost entirely through hand gestures. During interrogation, authorities would discover that he was deaf and mute, although both claims were met with a fair amount of skepticism. A comprehensive, nationwide investigation failed to turn up any sign of his identity.

Over the next twenty-six years, through many twists and turns, the man insisted that he was a Czechoslovakian citizen named Karel Novák. While authorities kept him in a constant state of surveillance and harassment, they were unable to determine where he came from...



Research, writing, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan

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