Secret archives started to reveal interesting information. Some of them concern the events that happened shortly before the Prague Spring. We can deduct from them that supporters of Dubček's predecessor in the lead of KSČ, Antonín Novotný, were seriously considering using part of the army against the upstart movement. A significant role was allegedly played by the general Jan Šejna who was later on nicknamed by people as the seed general because of the affair and his emigration. He was a head of the KSČ committee at the Ministry of Defence and was also a close friend of Antonín Novotny's family.
According to preserved documents, Jan Šejna interpreted the power struggle of Jan Novotny with the army as a direct threat to socialism in the Czechoslovakia. He also used national activities of Slovaks to claim that the integrity of the whole nation is threatened.
This suggestion was supported by the
events in Slovakia. General J. Valeš who was a commander of the
East military district (Slovakia and part of north Moravia)
already on 2nd January 1968 in Prague discussed with the
general V. Janek (head military board officer) the preparation
of the parade celebrating the 20th anniversary of the February
1948 in Bratislava. On 4th January Janek was visited also by V.
Valo who was the commander of the Central military district
(part of south, central and east Bohemia, south Moravia and
part of north and west Slovakia). According to the later
statement of Janko's subordinate, Colonel Mazal, the general
Janko summoned him on the same day and was questioning him,
with a noticeable nervousness, about the situation in Slovakia
and about the relationship of Slovaks to the president Novotný.
He also asked Mazal to inform him…...in a case something
happened in Slovakia
.
Previously Šejna was trying hard to
persuade general Janko. According to his diary, Šejna met him
13 times between 19th and 31st December 1967. Shortly before
his death Janko complained in his diary bitterly: Šejna is
shameless and I condemn him, he used to visit me, informed me
and had the strangest ideas.
Šejna shared part of his ideas with his colleague and main culprit, Colonel J. Moravec. He offered him the command of garrison in Mlada (13 tank division) and said that the warrant of attorney that entitled the army to take action was signed by general Rytíř..
Šejna was allegedly prepared to arrest the
whole of ÚV KSČ and said, Novotný mustn't fall and those who
stand against him must be done away with.
Three days later, on
26. 12 he said to Moravec that he would spend Christmas days by
driving around with the car and getting support for Novotny.
Allegedly he said: We mustn't miss a single day or we are f….
as is the old man.