PRESS· RELEASE UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBLICS 1 MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS 21 Augus: ~ 136 EAST 67th STREET. NEW YORK 21, N.Y. 1 68 TASS STATEMENT TASS is authorized to state that party and government leaders of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic have asked the Soviet Union and other allied states to render the fraternal Czechaslovak people urgent assistance, including assistance with armed forces. This request was brought about by the threat which was arisen to the socialist system, eJ4 sting in Czechoslovakia, and to the statehood established by the constitution, the threat emanating from the counter­ revolutionary forces which have entered into a collusion with foreign forces hostile to so cia lis m. The events in Czecloslovakia and around her were repeatedly the subject of exchanges of views between leaders of fraternal socialist countries, including the leaders of Czechoslovakia. These countries are unanimous in that the sup­ port 1 consolidation and defence of the peoples' socialist gains is a common internationalist duty of all the socialist states. This common stand of theirs was solemnly proclaimed in the Bratislava statement. The further aggravation of the situation in Czechoslovakia affects the vital interests of the Soviet Union and other socialist states , the interests of the security of the states of the socialist community. The threat to the socialist system in Czechoslovakia constitutes at the same time a threat to the mainstays of European peace. The Soviet Government and the governments of the allied countries -­ the People 1 s Republic of Bulgaria, the Hungarian People 1 s Republic, the Germa.n Democratic Republic, the Polish People's Republic-- proceeding from the priri­ ciples of inseverable friendship and co-operation and in accordance with the existing contractual commitments 1 have decided to meet the above-mentioned requests for rendering necessary help to the fraternal Czechoslovak people. This decision is fully in accord with the right of states to individual and collective self-defence envisaged in treaties of alliance concluded between the fraternal socialist countries. This decision is also in line with vital interests of our countries in safeguarding European peace against forces of militarism, · aggression and rewncl:ewhich have more than once plunged the people of Europe into wars. - 2- Soviet anned units together with armed units of the above-mentioned allied countries entered the territory of Czechoslovalda on Auaust 21. They will be immediately withdrawn from the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic aa ~:toon ac the obtaining threat to the gains of socialism in Czechoslovakia , the threat to the security of the socialist counties is eliminated and the lawful authorities find that further presence of these armed units there is no longer necessary • The actions which are being taken are not directed against any state and in no measure infringe state interests of anybody. They serve the purpose of peace and have been prompted by concern for its consolidation. The fraternal countries firmly and resolutely counterpose their unbreakable solidarity to any threat from outside. Nobody will oo ever allowed to wrest a single link from the community of socialtst states. **** PRESS-RELEASE ·UNION OF SOVIET SOCIALIST REPUBJu~s~;;, 1968 MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONS 136 EAST 67th STREET. NEW YORK 21, N.Y. Moscow, August 22, TASS. According to reports coming in from Czechoslova­ Jda the situation in the country remains normal on the whole. Industrial and agricul­ tural enterprises, government institutions are working as usual. The Czechoslovak population, responding to the call of President L.Svoboda, remains calm displaying a sense of civic responsibility. The command of the allied forces which keeps in touch with the command of the Czechoslovak People's Army helps ensure the internal and external security of the Czechoslovak Socialist State. As reported earlier 1 the anti-socialist forces are trying to disorganise normal life in the country and create complications in the hope of stirring up nationalistic passions and hostility toward the healthy patriotic forces of Czechoslo­ vakia which are devoted to socialism and toward fraternal countries which came to the aid of the Czechoslovak. people. Hostile elements are trying at any cost to aggravate the situation, committing grave crimes. Thus they arrested Svestka, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper Rude Pravo and member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Czechoslovak Communist Party 1 and printed a special issue of this newspaper 1 organ of the Central Committee of the Czechoslovak Communist Party, attacking the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. Comrade Svestka was released from under arrest by Soviet troops. The counterrevolutionary forces, particularly in Prague, are resorting to dangerous actions. In the central district of Prague they staged an act of sabotage: burned four Soviet personnel armoured carriers and caused fire in neighbouring buildings. These saboteurs are also trying to put out of operation means of communi­ cation and transport and interfere with food supplies in the city. The counterrevolutionaries are using clandestine radio transmitters and prin­ teries which were prepared beforehand. The slanderous fabrications and inventions cooked up by counterrevolutionaries and transmitted in this way 1 are taken up by dmperialist propaganda which is trying to pass them off as an expression of the offi­ cial position of Czechoslovakia and its public opinion. In this context should also be viewed the groundless attempts by certain Western powers to take "the question of Czechoslovakia" to the Security Council for cd!scussi.PA.The Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry pointed on August 21 to the untenabi­ lity of this attempt to take the matter to the U.N. 0. , stressing that Czechoslovakia will not agree to its discussion in the United Nations because the relations bet~een Czechoslovakia and other socialist countries are decided by themselves within the framework of the socialist community. President L.Svoboda spoke on the Czechoslovak radio again on the e~n~g of August 21 appealing to the population of the country to remain calm and guard the mainstays of socialism, freedom and democracy. PRESS· RELEASE ~ ~ UNION OF SOVIET. SOCIALIST REPUBLICS MISSION TO THE UNITED NATIONs22 August_, 1968 136 EAST 67th STREET. NEW YORK 21. N.Y. N 65 PRAVDA ABOUT EVENTS TIT CZECHOSLOVAKIA The historic decision of Czechosloval;: p~ty leaders and statesmen to a~peal to the U33R and other allied states for help was pro.:~rpted"by the danger of fratricidal struggle pre~~ared by 11 reaction in Czechosloval>:ia , Pravda nrites today in a lengthy editorial occupying two pages and entitled 1'Defense of socialism 11 is supreme internationalist duty • Pravda stresses ·i:;hat relations with Czechoslovakia and its . CoLununist party have always held an i Ll}ortant ylace in the policy of the CPSU and the 3oviet Gove~~ent. "To the century - old tradi·!Jions of Slav affinity have been added since long ago the unbre~~able ties of joint struggle for 1 the freedo!.l, independence and social · prosress of our peoples ; . The newspa:?er recalls that over a l;mndred thousand Soviet sol­ diers lie buried in Czechoslovak~a. Pravda -vn-i tes: :;Our Party, the Soviet peo:)le are convinced that the wor~:ing class, peasan·i:iry and honest intelligentsia of Cz.echoslovalda have never changed ·i:iheir attitude to our colillllon cause of building a new society , ·tihat ·i;heir feelings remain as f r iendly as 1)efore to our yeo::}le and the cause of socialism in . 1 1 the Czechoslova..t: Socialist 1.e:L')ublic i. ;For our part,-r1e are devot­ ed to ·che friendship r1hich our -'Guo :;?a.rties have been strengthe- ning throughout ·the :)ost-v1ar :years:;. · 'l'he ar·!Jicle no·Ges that the CPSU showed understanding to­ wards the ~.~e cisions of the January ::::lenary ueeting ·of the Central Coru:ai ttee of the Czechoslovalc Communis·!; :?arty . During the talks betueen CPGU und Czechosloval: leaders in IIoscow (January) and Pra5"Ue (February: , it was stated ·that the choice of uays towards socialism, the chci.ce of forms and methods of :;arty leadership ful­ ly and e::.;cclusively rests ,-,ith the Central Committee of the Czechoslova1: Communist Party. iJ.t the same time, the attention of the Cen·Gral Co.mmi ttee of the Czechoslovak Communist Party was, already ·chen, called.;. to the c;rowing activities of right wing revisionist eleillen·i;s. The developments ·t;hat followed showed that the true situation VIas develo:.;ing in the way more :.and more different from the predictions of Czechoslovalc leaders. • - 2- 11The events showed ·that in the Czechoslovak CorJr.'lunist Barty itself ·there was develo :.~ing a situation of dis~ray, vacillation and uncertainty. TI.eactionar:~r, anti-socialist forces VThich relied on world .. im:_1erialism for support were rearing their heads in the country ~: . The liarch-l~pril ::. 'lenary meeting of· the Central Committee o:t the · Czechoslovak Comnunist Party failed to s ·iiabilise the .s-1- ·t;uatio:'l. Some · of the points of the Party's action :proGra.Ll, . adopted at this Plenar~ meeting, as er~erience showed, actually began to be used by right-~ngers as a sort of a legal platform for fu~ther attacks on the Comimniat P~J on the foundations of socialism, on friendship between the vzechoslovak1 and Soviet i:)eoples== . At ·the I:oscow meeting o:f' Llay 4, Czechosloval= Comnnmist Party leaders sj?ol;:e themselves of the gravity of the situation in their countr~. Tihat is more, they stated that negative fea­ tures in internal :.Jolitical develo::;>ment in Czechoslovakia "go beyond the bounds of our ~1urely internal affairs. and affect fraternal count:t.'ies, for instance, the Soviet ·)nion and ~·?ol~d: :. This is \1hat they literally said then: ':The enemy is ·active.