df ‘ forces and the decisive efforts for the preservation of the socialist system in Czechoslovakia are not only your but also our task. The value of defending the power of the working class and all working people, of the socialist gains in Czechoslovakia demands a decisive and bold offensive against the Right- wing anti-socialist forces, mobilization of all means of defense created by the socialist state. The stopping of the activity of all political organizations coming out against socialism. The mastery by the Party of the means of mass_ information—press, radio, television—and the use of them in the interests of the working class, all working people and socialism. The closing of the ranks of the Party itself on the principled basis of Marxism-Leninism, undeviating obser- vation of the principle of democratic- centralism, the struggle against those who help the inimical forces by their activity. We are aware that forces exist in Czechoslovakia which are capable of defending the socialist system and in- flicting defeat on the anti-socialist elements. The working class, the toil- ing peasantry, the front-rank intelli- gentsia—the overwhelming majority of the working people of the Republic are ready to do everything necessary for the sake of the further develop- ment of the socialist society. The task today is to provide these healthy forces with a clear-cut perspective, to stir them to action, to mobilize their energy for the struggle against the forces of counter-revolution in order Reply _ Standpoint of the presidium of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia to the letters of five Communist and Workers’ Parties The Presidium of the Central Com- mittee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia has thoroughly studied the letter received by the Central Com- mittee of our party from the meeting ~= Of the representatives of the parties of five socialist countries in Warsaw. In the letter it is stressed that it ‘is _motivated by anxiety about our com- _ mon cause and about the strengthen- ing of the positions of socialism. Pro- ceeding from this fact and led by the ' same striving, we wish to express equally frankly also our own attitude on the questions mentioned in the let- er. We are at the same time fully aware that an exchange of letters cannot fully explain such a complex problem as is 7 » » the subject of attention and our stand- point therefore does not even aim at such ends but, on the contrary, pre- supposes direct mutual talks between parties. A number of fears explained in the letter were expressed by ourselves in ~ = the resolution of the May plenary ses- sion of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechosloyakia. However, we see the causes of “the , political situation, which is full of con- _tradictions mainly in the accumulation of these contradictions over the years preceding the January plenum of the _ Central Committee of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. These contra- dictions cannot be satisfactorily solved at once in a short time. In the process of the realization of the poiltical line of the Action Program of. our party it y, © therefore necessarily happens that the ‘-wide stream of healthy socialist activ- ity is accompanied by extreme: tenden- cies, that the remnants of anti-socialist - forces in our soicety-are also trying to tag along and that at the same time activity is being also developed by the “dogmatic-sectarian forces connected - with:the faulty policy, of the time be- -:fore:the January plenum, of, the, Gentral Committee of the Communist Party OF : AoER FRAP ESE s be tRV3 by Cec ‘Czechoslovakia. Not even the party it- «a to safeguard and consolidate socialism in Czechoslovakia. In the face of danger of counter-re- volution and in response to the appeal of the Communist Party, the voice of the working class should ring out in full might. The working class, together with the toiling peasantry, exerted the greatest effort for the sake of the triumph of the socialist revolution. They precisely cherish most of all the safe-guarding of the gains of social- ism. / We express the conviction that the Communist Party of. Czechoslovakia conscious of its responsibility, will take the necessary steps to block the path of reaction. In this struggle you can count on the solidarity and all- round assistance of the fraternal so- cialist countries. On behalf of the Central Committee of the Bulgarian Communist Party: Tudor Zhivkov, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Bul- garian Communist Party, Chair- man of the Council of Ministers of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria. Stanco Todorov, member of the -politbureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulgar- ian Communist Party. Boris Velchev, member of the pol- itbureau. and secretary of the Central Committee of the Bulga- rian Communist Party. Pencho Kubadinski, member of the politbureau of the Central Com- mittee of the Bulgarian Commun- ist Party, Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Peo- ple’s Republic of Bulgaria. self can in this complex situation re- main untouched by internal contradic- tions accompanying the process of uni- fication along the line of Action Pro- gram. The negative phenomena of this process also include violation of the principles of democratic centralism in the dealings of some communists which is mainly the consequence of the fact that, for many long years, the old party leadership applied bureaucratic centralism and suppressed internal party democracy. All this prevents us from only those results we ourselves would wish. We do not wish to hide ‘these facts and we do not hide them from our own party and people either. For this reason the May plenum of the Central Committee also clearly stated that it is necessary to mobilize all forces to prevent a conflicting situ- ation in the country and the endanger- ing of socialist power in the Czecho- slovak Socialist Republic. Our party has also unequivocally stated that if any such danger occurred, it would use all means to protect the socialist system. We thus ourselves saw the possibility of such a danger. We under- stand that the fraternal parties of the socialist countries cannot be indiffer- ent to this either. We do not, however, see any realistic reasons which would justify assertions calling our present situation counter-revolutionary, asser- tions of an immediate endangering of the basis of the socialist system, or assertions that a change is being pre- . pared in Czechoslovakia in the. orien- tation of our socialist foreign policy and that there is a concrete threat of a separation of our country from. the socialist community. Our alliance and friendship nail the U.S.S.R. and other socialist countries is deeply rooted in the social. system, in the historical traditions and exper- ence of our nations, in their interests, their thoughts and feelings. The libera- tion from nazi occupation and the entry onto the path of a new life is for ever connected in the conscious- ness of our people with the historical se gcond ; ar, with respect or he Aroes DAP AGHE On behalf of. the Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party: Janos Kadar, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Hunga- rian Socialist Workers’ Party. Jeno Fock, member of the polit- bureau of the Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Work- ers’ Party, Chairman of the Hun- garian Revolutionary Workers’ and Peasants’ Government. On behalf of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Ger- many: Walter Ulbricht, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the So- cialist Unity “Party of Germany, Chairman of the State Council of the German Democratic Republic. Willi Stoph, member of the polit- bureau of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the German Demo- cratic Republic. Herman Axen, alternate member of the politbureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. On behalf of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party: Wladyslaw Gomulka, First Secret- ary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party. Marian Spychalski, member of the politbureau of the Central Com- mittee of the Polish United Work- ers’ Party, Chairman of the State Council of the Polish People’s Re- public. hoslovak Party who laid down their lives in this fight. This is also the basis of the Action Program of our party, where we pro- claim this tradition to be the starting point: The basic orientation of Czechoslo- vak foreign policy was born and con- firmed at the time of the national liber- ation struggle and in the process of the socialist reconstruction of our coun- try—it is alliance and cooperation with the Soviet Union and. the other social- ist states. We shall strive for friendly relations with our allies—the countries of the world socialist com- munity—to deepen also: in the future on the basis of mutual esteem, sovereign- ty and equality, mutual respect and international solidarity. In this sense we shall contribute more actively and with a well-conceived concept towards ‘the common activities of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance and the Warsaw Treaty. The letter mentions attacks against the socialist foreign policy, assaults against the alliance and friendship with socialist countries, voices calling for a revision of. our common and co- ordinated policy in relation to the G.F.R. and it is even asserted that attempts at making advances on the part of the authorities of the G.F.R. and revanchists are finding response - in the leading circles of our country. We are surprised at such assertions because it is well known that the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic is im- plementing a consistent. socialist for- eign policy, whose principles were for- mulated in the Action Program of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and the Program Statement of the gov- ernment. These documents, statements made by leading Czechoslovak repre- sentatives, and. also our further actions consistently proceed: from the prin- ciples of socialist internationalism, al- liance and the development of friendly relations with the Soviet Union and the other socialist states. We are of the opinion that these facts are decisive and not the irrespon- sible voices of individuals: which are _ sometimes heard in this country. - gxve- erman 0 adpavien ofthe bitsh histories ences of our nations with ~ Jozef Cyrankiewics, member of the politbureau of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party, Chairman ‘of the Council of Ministers of the Polish People’s Republic. Zenon Kliszko, member of the politbureau and secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party. On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union: L. I. Brezhnev, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. N. V. Podgorny, member of the politbureau of the Central Com- mittee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet: Socialist Republics. A. N. Kosygin, member of the Politbureau of the Central Com- mittee of the Communist Party of the, Soviet Union, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. P. Y. Shelest, member of the polit- bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Ukraine. K. F. Katushev, Secretary of the Central Committee of the Com- munist Party of the Soviet Union. Warsaw, July 15, 1968. Pravda, July 18, 1968. (in full) imperialism and militarism it is incon- ceivable that any Czechoslovak govern- ment could ignore these experiences and light-mindedly hazard with the fate of our country. This can be done even less bya socialist government and any suspicion in this direction must be rejected. As regards our relations with the G.F.R., it is universally known that the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, although it is an immediate neighbor of the G.F.R., was the last to take certain steps towards a partial regula- tion of mutual relations, particularly in the economic, field, whereas other socialist countries adapted their rela- tions with the G.F.R. to this or that” extent much earlier without this hav- ing caused any fears. We at the same time consistently respect and defend the interests of the G.D.R., our socialist ally, and do every- thing in our power to strengthen its international position and authority. This is’ also explicity proven by all . the speeches of leading representatives of our Party and the State and the entire period after January 1968. The agreements and treaties linking the socialist countries are an impor- tant factor of mutual cooperation, peace and collective security. The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic fully ‘respects its contractual commitments and further develops the system of treaties with socialist countries which is proved by the new treaties of alli- ance we have recently conclued with the Bulgarian People’s Republic, as well as by the prepared treaty on friend- ship and cooperation with the “Ruma- nian Socialist Republic. Like the authors of the letter we shall never agree to the historic achieve- ment of socialism and. the security of the nations of our country being threatened and imperialism, by peace- ful or forceful means, breaking through the socialist system and changing the balance of forces in Europe to its advantage. The main content of our development after January is the actual effort to increase our internal strength and — Stability of. the socialist i thus sseel cae RRSnott algocgpe bast ape a Chase SRE ETS, ps3 xgen St » ORGAN TA