CZECHOSLOVAK OFFICIAL'S COMMENTS ON CZECHOSLOVAK-EAST GERMAN RELATIONS

Created: 8/6/1968

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

A/LJ.jy

INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

Intelligence Information Cable

IN

1 OF PAGES

DI'

IStCOCC JCB ABU* NAVY All) CIA/NMCC NIC SOO t CHS

a/ay

Hilinouini lotorwiioa BSemn* Um MMlonM DeftDM of Uie CnitMUlwn Dm idhiuw of in* Tin- itm Ana m. me trammiiwoa or trraUiPm ofidoon s>

USE ONLY

YrllSn IMfoAMAVibV* UPPflRT.evaLUate6 INTELLIGENCE

WST UG"8

AST GERMANY DOl

CZECHOSLOVAK OFFICIAL GERMAN RELATIONS

'S COMMENTS ON CZECHOSLOVAK-FAST

THE DETERIORATED CZECHOSLOVAK-EAST GERMAN RELATIONS ARE

CHARACTERIZEDEPORT

EETING IN EAST GERMANY BETWEEN FOREIGNI

rs HAJEK, KOLAR AND MI LOS PARIS - CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT I (USSR, POLAND is)

AND EAST GERMANY) OF THEISTP. , AND AN EAST GERMAN GROUP COMPRISING SOCIALIST UNITY PARTY (SED) FIRST SECRETARY WALTER ULBRICHT, PREMIER WILLI STOPH, SED SECRETARY HERMANN AXEN. PF.TER FLORIN, EAST GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO CZECHOSLOVAKIA, AND EAST GERMAN AMBASSADOR KEGEL.

COMMENT: THIS MEETING TOOK PLACE IN LATE Jl'.NE.) THF

uiooemnnAoiu.noi>r-

USE ONLY

APPROVED FOR RELEASE

HlMilJWMIMim

f 5 PACTS

i;sk oa

ici

i SECRETnacifrt- nis?FM,

REPORT SAID THE DISCUSSIONS WERE POLEMICAL IN NATURE, ALTHOUGH SOME MODERATION RESULTED FROM THE FACT THAT BOTH PARTIES KNEW THEY HAD TO MAKE EFFORTS TO MAINTAIN ACCEPTABLE RELATIONS AND COOPERATION.

ULBRICHT SPOKE VERY FORCEFULLY AND CONFIDENTLY. HE SAID HE DID NOT HORRY ABOUT ALL THE MEASURES TAKEN BY WEST GERMANY AGAINST EAST GERMANY AND THAT AT THE TIME WHEN BONN WAS RAILING AGAINST PANKOW FOR IMPOSING PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS ON WEST GERMAN TRAVELERS TO BERLIN HE CALMLY WENT TO THE COUNTRY FOR THREE DAYS TO TALK TO THE FARMERS. HE BOASTED ABOUT THE SED'S STRENGTH AND REFERRED TO THE COMPLETE APPROVAL GIVEN HIS CORRECT POLICIES. THE SED TOOK JUST THE RIGHT COURSE IN TIMING ITS COLLECTIVIZATION DRIVE, HAS PRESERVED ARTISTIC FREEDOM, ALLOWING EVERYTHING EXCEPT ABSTRACT ART, AND IS FULLY BACKED BY THE "CULTURAL WORKERS."

THE MEETING WAS TAKEN UP MOSTLYONOLOGUE BY ULBRICHT. HE REACTED VERY UNOBJECTIVELY TO REMARKS BY HAJEK TO THE EFFECT THAT REPORTS SUCH AS THOSE OF THE EAST GERMAN PRESS REFERRING TO ALLEGED AMERICAN TANKS IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA WERE HARMFUL TO MUTUAL RELATIONS. THE OTHER EAST GERMAN DELEGATES STRONGLY SUPPORTED ULBRICHT'SAND PARTICULARLY ATTACKED EDUARD GOLDGTUECKER,HARLES UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR, WHO ALLEGEDLY CRITICIZED EAST GERMANY WHILE

ICI

PAGE F 5 PAGC5

secretOj nmrnvHOwawartcwaauwn

CZECHOSLOVAKIA AN ARMS CACHE FOUND NEAR MOST. j

MKNT. TASS ORIGINALLY REPORTED THE FINDING OF THE CACHE, SAM) TO HAVE BEEN OF AMERICAN WEAPONS.)

7. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CZECHOSLOVAK FOREIGN MINISTRY INTENDS TO PROTEST TO EAST GERMANY BECAUSE OF ARTICLES APPEARING INDEUTSCHLAMP, AND PARTICULARLY BECAUSE OF ANTJ-CZECHOSLOVAK ARTICLES BY AN EAST GERMAN NEWSPAPERMAN, KRETSCHMANN- WHO, ACCORDING TO THE CZECHOSLOVAKS, HAD COOPERATED WITH THE NAZIS AND BEIONGED TO NAZI ORGANIZATIONS. FURTHER EXCHANGES OF PROTESTS OF THIS ORDER CAN BE EXPECTED. REAT DEAL DEPENDS UPON THE RESULTS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE CZECHOSLOVAK AND SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTIES WHICH WILLARGE DEGREE AFFECT THE LINE TAKEN BY EAST GERMANY, POLAND AND BULGARIA AGAINST CZECHOSLOVAKIA. HAJEK IS COUNTINGOVIET-CZECHOSLOVAK UNDERSTANDING TO SOFTEN THE ATTITUDES OF THE OTHER COUNTRIES.

i DISSEM: AIbMMSYrs

(0

. SECRETBIOODM/HO dt33eif. ABROAD; LU.MHUL.LE.Ll Ul53EID UAL HL-htU'UlJ

Original document.

---

---