COMMENTS ON GROWTH OF DISUNITY WITHIN CZECH LEADERSHIP AND OTHER ASPECTS OF CUR

Created: 10/11/1968

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

CfNTRAl INTELLIGENCE AGENCY .

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COUNTRY: CZECHOSLOVAK8

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SUBJECT: CWircENtS ON GROWTH OF DlSL'H.itY-.tfiTHIH CZECH LEADERSHIP AND OTHER ASPECTS OF CURRENT STATUS OF SOVIEI OCCUPATION OF CZECHOSLOVAKIA

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CAUTIOUS

OPTIMISM WHICH PREVAILED AFTER DU3CEK* S. FIRST RETURN FROM MOSCOW HAS

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NOW CHANGEDARD REALISTIC RESIGNATION AND PESSIMISM. SOVIET PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE HAS BEEN PARTIALLY SUCCESSFUL AS THE UNITY OF" THE CZECH LEADERSHIP HAS NOW WEAKENED. THIS DRIFT>TOWARDS DISUNITY

IS ACCOMPANIED BY GROWING DISSATISFACTION AND LACK OF SYMPATHY BY THE CZECH PEOPLE FOR SOKE OF THE CZECH. LEADERS': AND POLICIES,

THIS . _. PAVE THE WAY FOR THE EST* HMENT

EW PRO-SOVIET GOVERNMENT.

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DU3CEK AND SMRKOVSKYSTEPPING DOWN FROM THEIR POSITIONS? THE CZECHS HAVE NOT GIVEN THE SOVIETS ANY SUPPORT IN THEIR EFFORTS TO SUPPLY THE OCCUPATION TROOPS WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SANITATION SUPPLIES TO PREVENT POSSIBLE EPIDEMICS IN THE OLD CZECH GARRISONS THE SOVIET TROOPS ARE NOW MOVING INTO. SOME SICKNESS IS ALREADY BEGINNING TO SPREAD IN THE AREAS VfrSRE THE TROOPS ARE QUARTERED.: END SUMMARY.

CAUTIOUSSM WHICH PREVAILED AFTERIRST RETURN FROM

MOSCOW, ALTHOUGH NOT YET TURNED INTO DEPRESSION, HAS CHANGED TO AfriMHrntiFn rvwu nyr-u

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RESIGNATION THAT THE CONDITIONS WHICH- THE SOVIETS HAVE

IMPOSED ON CZECHOSLOVAKIA ARE HARDER THAN EVER IKAGINED.

| THE SOVIET TACTICS OF APPLYING PSYCHOLOGICAL'PRESSURES OK THE

CZECH LEADERSHIP BY CONTINUALLY POSTPONING AND OBSCURING ANY COMMON

UNDERSTANDINGORMAL IZAT ION- IN ORDER TO SOW DISUN-ITY WITHIN

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CZECH LEADERSHIP HAS ALREADY BEEN PARTLY; SUCCESSFUL. FROM PRIORBRATISLAVA, CIERNA TALKS UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF SEPTEMBERCOMPLETE UNITY AMONG THE CZECKOSLOVAKIAN LEADERSHIP. JHISNOW WEAKENED AND THE LEADERSHIP HAS DISSIMILAR OPINIONSON MANY VARIOUS QUESTIONS. THE EARLIER UN AN HI ITY II THE AND GOVERNMENT MEETINGS HAS BEEN REPLACED BY MEETINGSDEVISIVE AND ALMOST DISORDERLY WITH ARGUMENTS AMONG LEADERSPOSSIBLE MATTERS. THIS DISAGREEMENT IS ACCOMPANIED BY ALLTYPES OF RUMORS SPREAD AND CIRCULATED -AMONG THE UPPEnTHE PARTY AND GOVERNMENT DRIFT

TOWARDS DISUNITY IS ACCOMPANIEDROWING DISSATISFACTIONOF SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING BY THE CZECHOSLOVAKS PEOPLEOF THE CZECH LEADERS.AND POLICIES. TREND

|MAY PAVE THE-MAY FORELEVATION BY THE SOVIET UNION OF "COLLABORATORS" TO THE TOP POSITIONS IN THE PARTY AND

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THE GOVERNMENT, AND TO THE ULTIMATE ESTABLISHMENTHERE IS ALSO A EFFORT BY TKEEADERSHIP: TO PRESERVE CALMTO PLACE IN KEY POSITIONS MEN.WITH GOOD NERVES WHO HAVE STATUSPRESTIGE AMONG THE PEOPLE AND'WHO" ARE FRIENDLY TO THELIBERAL ASPIRATIONS OF THE PRESENT.LEADERSHIP*

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THE LAST.MOSCOW AGREEMENT WAS HARDER AND MUCH

LESS FAVORABLE THAN HAD BEEN

THEIR POSITIONS. FIRST, THEY HAVE CONTEMPLATED THAT: NOW'THAT THERE

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IS NO POSSIBLITY TO EXECUTE THE PROGRAM" WHICH THEY HAVE CHAMPIONED Kl AND WHICH THEY BELIEVE IS MORALLY RIGHT AND FULLY SUPPORTED BY THE PEOPLE, IT MIGHT BE BETTER TOS ft .PROTEST AGAINST SUPPRESSION OF THE PROGRAM. SECOND, THERE IS ALSO THE SUSPICION THAT SOVIET TACTICS MAY AIM AT CREATING A'SITUATION IN WHICH THE CZECH PEOPLE THEMSELVES BECOME SO TIRED OF THE jCCPJPROM ISING. DUBCEK AND SMRKOVSKY THAT PUBLIC PRESSURES OR EVEN THE CZECH PARLIAMENT WILL. ASK DUBCEK AND SMRKOVSKY TO STEP Dp.WN,.'^ IN' SHORT, DUBCEK AND SMRXOVSKY HAVE CONSIDERED (AND PERHAPS STILL DO) THAT -'it MIGHT BE PREFERABLE

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TO LEAVE AT THIS EARLY' DATE THAW TO. POSTPONE THE DECISION UNTIL THEY ARE FORCED TO LEAVE AS THE RESULT OF SOVIET

OF THE PICTURE

SPREAD BY THE WEST REGARDING INTERNAL CONDITIONS IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA

ISCZECH FOREIGN POLICY IS NOW STRING-

ENTLY CONTROLLED BY THE SOVIET UNION, THE INTERNAL ECONOMICBYEXARKEDLY REDUCED. ALSOBUTEDUCED PACE, ARE MANY OTHER CARDINAL INTERNALTHE DUBCEK REGIME. ALTHOUGH THEREERTAIN. DEGREE OFOF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE CZECH NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEADERS BYUNION AND ThEIR INCOMING EXPERTS, IT IS ONLY NOTICEABLE:WAYS; LOCAL INTERFERENCE BY THE SOVIET FORCES HASTHE EXAGGERATED EXTENTY THE WESTERNALSO, FUNCTIONS ALMOST NORMALLY, KOVEVER,

| PRESS FREEDOM WHICHEALITY IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA DURINGAND SU3MER, IS NOW COMPLETELY GONETRINGENTREPLACED

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ALTHOUGH THEREROWINGTHE PEOPLE AGAINST THE SOVIET UNION AND ITS POLICIES,BEEN LITTLE OR NO PROVOCATIONS AGAINST THE SOVIET OCCUPATION ZECHS HAVE NOT GIVEN THE SOVIETS

ANY AIDUPPORT IN THEIR EFFORTS':TO SUPPLY THE OCCUPATION TROOPS. THEY HAVE NOT EVEN SOLD BREAD TO THE OCCUPYING FORCES AND EVEN THEIR WATER HAS TO BE TRANSPORTED FROM EAST GERMANY AND POLAND OR MUST BE OBTAINED FROM NATURAL SOURCES. THE TROOPS, THE NUMBER OF WHICHEING SHARPLY REDUCED, ARE NOW MOVING INTO OLD CZECH GARRISONS AND CAMPS. THEREREAT DANGER THAT SEVERE EPIDEMICS MAY STRIKE THE SOVIET OCCUPYING FORCES AS THE SANITARY CONDITIONS OF THESE OLD CAMPS ARE EXTREMELY LOW. SOME SICKNESS IS ALREADY BEGINNING TO SPREAD IN THE AREAS IN WHICH.THE TROOPS ARE QUARTERED BECAUSE OF THE POOR LIVING CONDITIONS. THE ONLY SUPPLIES WHICH. THE CZECHS HAVE GIVEN TO THE SOVIET OCCUPYING FORCES HAS BEEN CHLORINE AND OTHER SANITATION SUPPLIES TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF DISEASE AND EPIDEMICS. THE CZECHS HAVE FELT THAT BECAUSE THERE IS NO AGREEMENT REGARDING AID TO THE OCCUPATION FORCES, THE SOVIETS WILL HAVE TO SUPPLY AND SUPPORT THEIR FORCES AS BEST THEY. CAN. EVIDENTLY THE SOVIETS HAVE: TAKEN THIS CZECH POSITION VERY

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Original document.

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