Politics in July

Right at the beginning of July, on the fourth, an invitation of great importance came to the ÚV KSČ. The Party´s leadership was invited to a meeting with "brother parties", in Warsaw to talk about the situation in the ČSSR. This was not a good sign. The ÚV KSČ presidium first met to discuss the invitation on 8th July and then again four days later. These were not going to be easy and probably not even unambiguous discussions. There was a general presentiment of ultimatum threats and requirements from the part of the "allies". This is why, in the end it was decided not to accept the invitation and propose bilateral negotiations.

Czech National Council Came Into Existence

Another interesting and for present times important event that took place in July. On 10th July, the members of the National Assembly elected 150 deputies of the Czech National Council (ČNR) as the supreme legislative body. Čestmír Císař was elected the chair. It was the first step towards elimination of the asymmetrical model of state structure. ČNR was established by virtue of the Act No. 7/1968 Coll. "on the preparation of a federal organization of the Czechoslovakian Socialistic Republic". This "temporary body of political representatives of Czechoslovakia" was charged with undertaking the establishment of an autonomous Czech Republic and its parliament, which meant the elected Czech National Council. After many years of discussion, the number of deputies rose by fifty. With the termination of ČSFR and independence of the Czech Republic, the Czech National Council was renamed the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic following article 106, paragraph (1) of the Constitution of the Czech Republic.

Party in Hrzánský Palace

There is a little known episode which took place on 12th July 1968 in the prestigious Governmental rooms overlooking Prague. It was a legendary soirée, officially named as meeting of top representatives of the Party and the Government with mainly writers and artists. There may be disagreement over why this meeting happened, however, it is clear that the "Prague Spring politicians" needed to find out, what exactly was on the minds of the "Prague Spring writers". It was just a few days after the publication of Vaculík's 2000 words and the politicians might have wanted to ensure backing on the part of the artists at least until the planned September meeting of the KSČ. The evening was so interesting that we will get back to it in a special article named "Party in Hrzánský Palace".

In Warsaw without us about us and what our reaction was

On 14th and 15th of July, representatives of Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany, Poland and the USSR met in Warsaw. Our representatives were absent, as they refused to play the role of the accused. Naturally, Czechoslovakian absence was noted in the course of the "brother parties" dealings. Nonetheless, Brezhnev was prepared for such a situation so it was no wander that the five countries easily approved his draft of an open letter to Czechoslovakian Communists. It was a mixture of a very serious warning with clear elements of an open threat, since "Counterrevolution organized itself in Czechoslovakia". There was also an appeal for a peremptory action against right wing and antisocialistic forces.

The governing body of the ÚV KSČ approved of a reply to this essentially offensive and threatening letter on 17th of July and two days later, it was approved by the whole central committee. The tone of the letter was sober and discreet and it even admitted that "the socialistic activity is accompanied by extreme tendencies" and it even contained a declaration of readiness to use "all means in case of danger to the socialistic power", yet the letter fiercely contradicted all the ungrounded accusations and the whole critique, which it described as unjustified. The reply resolutely refused the proposition of international help of the "brother parties" to defend socialism in another country.

An interesting thing is, that the KSČ did not really wish that the Czechoslovakian public knows the content of the "Warsaw letter". But their efforts to keep it to themselves failed. Newspapers soon published the text and the vast majority of our population reacted in the same way: Such interference into interior matters of a sovereign state will not be tolerated. When the Czechoslovakian reply was made public, there was a "landslide" of agreeing resolutions, telegraphs and letters from the public. All this lead to the unification of citizens and to the reinforcement of trust for the KSČ leadership, in reality, as much as 78 % of citizens. People believed that we had the right for our own Czechoslovakian way of progress. We have made some of the reactions available in a separate material entitled Reactions to the Letter of Five Parties.

American submachine guns

In July, more precisely on the day when writers and politicians debated in a palace overlooking Prague, five backpacks were "by accident" found in a ditch near our western borders. When they were opened, it was a scandal. They contained American automatic guns and bullets. It was clear evidence of what the whole Prague Spring was about and where it was going – that is what the organizers of this stupid provocations wished for!

The press in socialistic countries immediately started to speculate about counterrevolutionary preparations. The speculations stopped when the Criminology Institute found out that the guns came from the World War II and that they were preserved in vaseline, which was at that time made in one neighbouring socialistic country. This event was then not further stirred in order not to further deteriorate our relations with socialistic countries.

Meeting in Čierná nad Tisou

Right at the end of July and the beginning of August, one of the world's biggest railway transhipment stations and mainly two carriages in the station became witnesses of a meeting of the KSČ leadership and the leadership of the Soviet Communist party. Brezhnev and his retinue stayed in the carriages, our representatives stayed in a hotel. We will come back to this dramatic meeting between July 29th and August 1st next month. Right now, it is worth mentioning, that it was probably the first time that the KSČ leadership did not act unitedly. Kolder, Biľak and Švestka often identified with Soviet arguments. Although no document was signed at the meeting, which subsequently lead to a double interpretation of what was said, it was clear, that the Soviet side pushed the Czechoslovakian side to the maximum and left convinced, that "the KSČ leadership committed itself to fight against antisocialistic forces".

One more writer's action should be mentioned in connection with this meeting. The fact is that the meeting was preceded by a so called Message to Czechoslovakian participants, whose author was Pavel Kohout. This topic is also dealt with separately and we primarily focus on the fact that this Message was within only three days spontaneously signed by more than one million citizens.

Sources: totalita, contemporary press and others