Ceausescus 'lost their dignity near the end'·
SYLVIU BRUCAN had the last laugh. He stood rapt by the television as it replayed the trial and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu. "The satisfaction of the execution is immense. You cannot imagine it."
Brucan has seen the first photographs of the couple lying dead and the uncut film of the execution. What did he feel when he first saw the pictures? "I enjoyed them", he replied, and his face creased with laughter at his own frankness.
Brucan has played a leading role in the Romanian Revolution of the last week. He is a member of the Council of the Front of National Salvation. He describes himself as its mastermind. Under the former regime, he was ambassador to the US and the UN. In 1987, he took his first stand against Ceausescu, after the brutal suppression of the riots in Romania's second city of Brasov.
Earlier this year he was instrumental in the writing of the letter of the six, the former officials who protested against Ceausescu's dictatorial rule. He then remained under virtual house arrest until Ceausescu was overthrown.
Brucan described the trial with all the vividness of an eye witness. He denied he was actually present, but informed diplomatic sources are convinced he was. He explained the dignity and defiance of the Ceausescu couple on the screen. The time between their capture and the trial was short, he said. They were well fed. "They didn't have time to adjust. They still acted as if they were in power." But, he added - and this no broadcast has shown - "they lost their dignity towards the end; they were scared."
Brucan was not impressed by the occasional tenderness Nicolae and Elena showed for each other as the charges were read. "It was a great love affair. At $ 1 billion, what do you expect?" The most remarkable feature of the episode was the insistence by all the soldiers guarding Ceausescu that they, too, should be allowed to execute Romania's former dictator.
The film stops and showed a still of Ceausescu lying dead on the ground, blood on the left side of his head. He had 100 bullets in him, Brucan explained, smilingly. Brucan has good cause to hate Ceausescu and rejoice at his execution. His daughter lost her job. Her husband was posted far away. Brucan could not receive visitors. He was followed everywhere. Initially, he was interrogated in shifts, allowed to go home only to sleep, and then summoned for more questioning. In May [TEXT OMITTED FROM SOURCE]
