TNAG-0033-FCO40-69-Relations-with-China-1968 — Page 149

CONFIDENTIAL

REFERENCE NEWS OF 10 JULY TC 4 AUGUST

Digest No. 12

Czechoslovakia

In contrast with the official press, which has only just reached the stage of publishing (on 10 August) the Albanian view, the bulletin followed recent events in Czechoslovakia in even greater detail than hitherto. Frequently an entire page of the newspaper's four sides was devoted to the latest developments in Eastern Europe. At first, Soviet diplomatic and military pressure on the Czechs was emphasised, though many reports suggested that these pressures had only served to stiffen Czech resistance. Many articles from the estern press underlined the Soviet dilemma, and some suggested that the Czech problem could lead to a split in the Soviet leader- ship. Repercussions in other East European countries were also carefully noted, and reports of Polish, Hungarian and East German attitudes figured frequently in the bulletin's round-ups.

The bulletin gave a clear picture of the extent of support among East European countries and other communist parties for the reform movement in Czechoslovakia. Several items reported Rumanian statements pledging support for Dubcek, and opposing armed intervention, In a heading given to a report of Jugoslav support for Dubcek, China's somewhat ambiguous position on Czech events was reflected: "Renegade Tito does his best to boost new Czech revisionist leaders, and condemns Soviet revisionists and others for interfering in the internal affairs of Czechoslovakia",

The forthcoming visit to Prague by the Rumanian and Jugoslav leaders was also noted.

Czechoslovakia's internal affairs were presented as a mixture of confusion compounded with rampant rightism. The "two thousand word letter" was given considerable publicity, and it was often suggested that counter-revolutionary forces were at work in the country.

Some space was given to accounts of the US attitude to developments in Eastern Europe, and Western policy of restraint and non-interference was fairly objectively presented.

Ilowever, the bulletin reported Rusk's approach to the Soviet Ambassador in Washington, in which he counselled the Soviet Union against armed intervention.

The bulletin quoted a brief UPI report on China's view of events in Eastern Europe, noting that the Chinese official press had so far made no reference to the Czechs, and con- trasting China's failture to take an official stand with her more active role in 1956.

However, more recent issues have given a clearer picture of the Chinese position. An article from a pro-Chinese Bolivian newspaper (published at the end of May) appeared in the bulletin on 30 July. This took the line that the Russians did not object to developments in Czechoslovakia on idcological grounds, but because they felt that their economic and national interests were threatened, During and after the Soviet/Czech negotiations, the bulletin reproduced an increasing number of reports suggesting that a compromise between Czech and Soviet "revisionists" had been reached.

CONFIDENTIAL

../Vietnam