~ Prague, August 21. Tass. The ‘oliowing is the text of an Ap- ‘tte Central Committee of the ~~ Citizens of Czechoslovakia, nworkers, peasants, working in- >» fellectuals, men and women, » young people, to all, irrespective Neff political affiliation, national- Rofity, creed, and social standing, ‘to all who cherish our Socialist (Motherland and for whom it really is a Motherland, to all of fyOu we appeal in this minute, hen the destiny of the country fis at stake, in the minute which for always will remain a crucial ~enoment of our history and our rther socialist‘ and democratic development, a minute when it is for us a question of the values, gained through our 20-year ef- _fforts, our sacrifices, our labor, “im a minute when everything is t stake. < We appeal to you in a period when the results of our Social- ces which abuse the progressive steps launched by the Party it- self at the January Plenary eeting of the Central Commit- ee of the Communist Party of echoslovakia and sincerely im- plemented since then by the arty for the sake of achieving enuine democracy and genuine humanity, the ideals which are herished by all honest citizens of our country. At the initiative of the Party e embarked in January upon road of searching and finding a new look of Socialism, which would accord with the way of life and thought of our people and with which all prospects of society and the individual would be linked. The Party openly cri- ed past mistakes. It emphati- cally dissociated itself from the period of the reginie of personal power, which really deformed e humane and democratic nature of socialism. With the active participation and support pf all honest-minded patriots, it e cisively entered into the new period with the most honest intentions to remedy the past mistakes and to create condi- tions for full-blooded rich and happy ‘:fe in our country. The fundamental civil rights, Thich have always been vitally ssociated with our people’s ideas of democracy and humani- > were restored in the thoughts d progressive spirit of a Pro- am of Action, this long-term atform of our socialist ad- ance, the Program which en- st order are threatened by for- © listed the unprecedently massive support of our people. Above all, this unanimous support reaffirmed the justice, the strength and force of attrac- tion of our new road. This fact - has proved particularly that not- withstanding all shortcomings of the pre-January period, the ideas of socialism have struck deep rocts in our people,: that our people regard socialism as the natural medium of their life; our people’s profound aspiration for ‘rights and justice found their real expression precisely in the progressive ideas, outlined by the January Plenary Meeting. Through these ideas society was led out of a state of unsound indifference and, thus, the gates were thrown wide open to a powerful current of sound, un- tapped initiative. Our people brilliantly passed this historical test and again proved their high maturity. Unfortunately, this period of quests and transformation of: our society has been abused for their purposes, for active entry into the political arena by those forces that for many years wait- ed for such a favorable moment to discredit the Party and chal- lenge its political and moral right to guide society. Certain forces inside the Party and in Party bodies factually met these Right-wing forces half way and thus they came into contradic- tion . with the principles and purposes of the Party, the ideas of proletarian internationalism. Jointly they directed their for- ces towards the systematic vio- lation of the constitutional na- : ture of our political reform and ‘concentrated them on the strug- gle against the positive efforts of the Party and state organs in attaining the aims set in January. They organized a smear cam- paign designed to discredit indi- vidual functionaries, including some from the new leadership of the Communist Party of Cze- choslovakia, who found the courage to publicly draw atten- tion to the threatening danger and to see the real state of af- fairs in all its complexity. They violated public order, aroused base nationalist passions. They did not even disdain slander against the honest labor of our people, our Party, army and se- curity agencies, they demanded changes in our foreign policy. Their smear campaign even went to the lengths of attacking the alliance with the Soviet Union, especially in connection with the staff exercises of the armed forces of the Warsaw Treaty, and also attacking the friendship with the Socialist countries. In this way they cre- ated an atmosphere utterly unac- ceptable for socialist countries. The Communist Party of Cze- choslovakia, the Government of the Republic and the National Front maintained exceptional patience and _ understanding. ing. However, it was emphasized more that once, especially at the May Plenary Meeting, that the . paramount task now was to frustrate the plans of the Right- wing anti-socialist forces. and not to let any mistake place in jeopardy the implementation of the Program of Action, make sure that the question of the further Party line be settled not by exponents of the extremist views but by the sound, progres- sive nucleus of the Party, to render in public full support to the Party and state machinery, the army, security agencies, the prosecutor’s office,’ the judicial agencies, the people’s militia. In one word—to consolidate the situation. . However, the extremist Right- wing forces, that regarded this magnanimity and patience and really democratic means of solv- ing a serious political problem by the Party as a sign of its weakness and not its strength, still further stepped up their activity. - As is known, during spontane- ous meetings in Prague attended by many thousands things went to the length of gross indignities when different elements attack- ed the Party and _ insulted its representatives whom they themselves made more than once attend such meetings. A -public campaign was launched in the centre of the city to collect’ signatures in favor of liquidat- ing the people’s militia. Com- munists who spoke at these spontaneous street meetings from their viewpoint: were rude- ‘ly silenced and force was more than once used against them. Many of those who signed the letter at the Auto-Praha works were shamelessly persecuted, up ‘to dismissal from work. The press continued, though indirect- ly, to abuse leading function- aries by other, more sophisticat- ed methods, and this organized subversion came to a head in recent days when a group of Right extremists openly attacked the premises of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Czechoslovak Communist Par- -ty’s appeals and stepped up their subversion in an effort to pro- voke at any price a conflict in our country. Thus, there arose a situation when commitments following from the Bratislava Declaration of six fraternal Communist and Workers’ parties which was al-: so signed by representatives of our Party, are being systematic- ally and publicly violated. Citi- zens, everything that our work- ing people have built in the last 20 years, all the gains of Social- ism are at stake today. Placed in jeopardy is not only our road of Socialist democracy on which we embarked in Jan- uary, but also the very founda- tion of socialism, our Republic. Being conscious of our su- preme responsibility to our peo- Appeal ple, filled with the feelings of true patriotism and international socialist solidarity, and consci- ous of our international com- mitments we have assumed the initiative of rallying all patri- otice forces in the name of our socialist future and our home- land. The danger of fratricidal struggle which was prepared by reaction and which would be a tragic repetition of Lipany (bat- tle of Lipany of 1434) has faced us with the need to take a his- toric decision and appeal to the Soviet Union and other fraternal socialist countries for help. Our allies came to our help as they did in 1945 when the problem for us was to be or not to be. We urge all citizens to give every support’ to the military units of our Allies, After the danger of a reactionary group is removed the Allied troops will leave Czechoslovakia. All for- eigners staying now -in Czecho- slovakia may and will enjoy further our hospitality, ‘their security and immunity will be fully guaranteed if they abide by our laws. Guided by a deep-felt sense of responsibility to our people, to our working class, to the peo- ples! of our country and to the international working class and the world Communist movement, we appeal at this crucial mo- ment to you, citizens of the Republic, to rally around the realistically thinking core of the Party which holds dear the cause of socialism, progress, the new post-January path and which holds dear the cause of friend- ship with. the people of the Soviet Union and other fraternal countries. Firmly believing in your com- mon sense, maturity and politi- cal consciousness, we urge you, all honest citizens of our home- land, workers, peasants, intellec- tuals, men, women, youth, the healthy forces of the National Front, servicemen, workers of security organs, communists and non-communists, all honest peo- ple to prevent by their concrete deeds and actions an onslaught of any reactionary forces in or outside the Party. Don’t permit any spontaneous actions, disor- ganization, anarchy; maintain calm and order. We reject pre-January policies. We shall not permit any sign of return to the discredited pre- January methods which met with a strong rebuff from an overwhelming majority of our people, and which placed in jeo- pardy the leading role of the Party and the socialist gains of our working people and helped create a situation really fraught with a conflict involving the use of force. On the contrary, we want to defend and to carry fully into life the progressive January ideas which leads us to the creation of a socialist socie- ty, really up-to-date, regenerated, humane society which the foun- ders of Marxism-Leninism and those who began translating them into life after the victory of the October Revolution, had in view. ! We are loyal and shall be loyal to the end of our progres- sive national traditions connect- ed with the 50th anniversary of the Republic, with the behests of anti-fascist struggle, national and democratic values, with the traditions of the Slovak national uprising, the Prague May upris- ing of 1945 and the Revolution- ary Appeal of February, 1948. “Onward, not a step back!” We shall guard as the apple of the eye our fraternal bonds of allied relations and friendship with the Soviet Union, its people, the peoples of all countries of the world socialist community and all the forces of peace, democ- - racy, progress and socialism— the values which give us a guar- antee of our independence, na- tional and state sovereignty, ‘without which we would come face to face again with the dan- ger of a new. Munich and those who were behind it in 1938. Czechoslovakia can develop only as a socialist country and as an inseparable part of the socialist community, its power and strength lay down the founda- tions for a further prospect of the international revolutionary movement. Any weakening and disorganization of the socialist camp would do harm to the cause of revolutionary progress and socialism in the world, a harm which is hard to imagine. We appeal to you, esteemed citizens, being sure that by joint actions we shall raise a barrier to the imminent danger and that by joint efforts we shall over- come the present difficult situ- ation and secure a happy present and future for our homeland and for this and future generations. We urge all of you, from the Sumava border mountains to Ci- erna Nad Tisou, from Krkonose to the Danube banks, to realize the magnitude and gravity of these days when the matter in question for us is everything we associate with the concepts of democracy and socialism, to re- alize your responsibility and maintain unity and mutual trust with which we must enter the days to come. Our guiding principles have been and remain foresight, or- der, progress, truth and prospect of socialism, state sovereignty and close solidarity. Long live and flourish demo- cratic socialist Czechoslovakia! A group of members of the Central Committee of the Cze- choslovak Communist Party, the Government and the National ~ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 13, 1968—Page 9 3Qo9 SOP Of RAMMENIS —IwHIT DIAIDAY ris