Telegram from the leaders of the Communist states of Eastern Europe to the government of Czechoslovakia, July 1968. (Catalogue ref: FCO 28/47)
Transcript
EN CLAIR
IMMEDIATE WARSAW TO FOREIGN OFFICE
TELNO 359 18 JULY 1968
ADDSE TO FO TEL NO 358 OF 18/7 RFI SAVING TO MOSCOW, PRAGUE 22 JULY 1968
Communist Summit in Warsaw.
Following is translation of joint letter sent to central committee of Czechoslovak Communist Party by Communist leaders meeting in Warsaw 14-15 July, as published in Trybuna Ludu on 18 July.
(Text as in Polish News Bulletin pp 1-6 No. 167 of 18 July attached).
- The letter was signed by all participants in the meeting (My Te. No.347 of 16 July).
Begins. To the central committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
Dear Comrades, in the name of the Central Committee of the Communist and the Workers Parties of Bulgaria, the GDR, Poland, Hungary and the Soviet Union, we address to you this letter which is dictated by a sincere friendship based on the principles of Marxist-Leninism and proletarian internationalism, and a concern for our common affairs, for strengthening the position of socialism and for the security of the socialist community of nationals.
We are filled with profound anxiety of the development of events in your country. We are deeply convinced that an imperialist-supported reactionary offensive against your party and the foundations of the social system in Czechoslovakia, threatens to push your country off the socialist path, and therefore strikes at the interests of the entire socialist system.
We have expressed our anxiety at the meeting in Dresden, in a number of bilateral meetings, and also in the letters which our parties have recently addressed to the Presidium of the CC CPCZ.
We have recently suggested to the Presidium of the CC CPCZ another joint meeting on July 14 1968, to exchange information and views on the situations in our countries, including also the developments in Czechoslovakia. Unfortunately the Presidium of the CC CPZ did not participate in this meeting and did not avail itself of the opportunity for a joint party discussion about the situation which has arisen. That is why we have considered it necessary to submit to you in this letter our joint standpoint with complete sincerity and frankness.
We hope that you will understand us correctly and correctly appraise our intentions.
It was not, and it is not our intention to interfere with the strictly internal affairs of your party and your state, or to violate the principles of respecting independence and equality in the relations among the communist parties and the socialist countries.
We do not approach you as advocates of yesterday who wish to hinder you from correcting errors and distortion, including the infringements of socialist law and order which have taken place.
We do not intervene in your methods of planning and administrating Czechoslovakia’s National Socialist economy or in your actions which are aimed at improving the structure of the economy and developing socialist democracy.
We shall welcome with satisfaction the settling of relations between Czechs and the Slovaks on the just principles of fraternal cooperation with the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic.
However, we cannot agree to hostile pushing your country off the road of socialism and threatening to tear Czechoslovakia away from the Socialist Community. For this not only your affair. It is the common affair of all communist and workers parties and the countries united by alliance, cooperation and friendship. It is the common problem of our countries which have signed the Warsaw pact to safeguard their sovereignty and peace and security in Europe and to erect an impenetrable barrier against the designs of the imperialist forces of aggression and revanchism. Our nations paid a high price in blood and sacrifices for victory over Hitlerite fascism, for freedom and independence and for being able to follow the road of progress and socialism.