Later that evening when the Gestapo were about to release them, the arresting officer, eager to please the Nazis, spoke up, saying: “This one witness of Jehovah is Klaas de Vries, from the boat Lichtdrager, the one you have been looking for for such a long time.” At that the Gestapo officer turned into a virtual demon.

Gestapo chief Könings was called, and the interrogation began. But with Jehovah’s help Klaas betrayed nothing. Finally he was led away to solitary confinement for 12 days with bread and water. When that ended, he was brought in for more questioning. With a revolver pointed at him and under threat of death, he was given two minutes to divulge the whereabouts of Arthur Winkler, of the printery, and of the Lichtdrager, as well as other vital information. The only thing Klaas would say was: “You will hear nothing more from me. I have signed all I have to say and if you want to know more you will have to try it with someone else, as I will not become a traitor.”

[Picture on page 147]

The boat “Lichtdrager” provided mobile housing for pioneers