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

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