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Department of State ~ ./
TELEGRAM
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ACTION EUR 20 

ACDA 16oNIC 011RSR 011/125 W 
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PR 211744Z AUG 68 
FM AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7084 
INFO AMEMBASSY BONN 
AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG 
AMEMBASSY PARIS 
AMEMBASSY ROME 
USMISSION NATO 

C 0 ~-T I A L BRUSSELS 8842 
SUBJ: CZECH DEVELOPMENTS 
REFs BRUSSELS 8820 
lo FONOFF (VAN BELLINGHEN1 ACTING CHEF DE CABINET) HAS TOLD Us ACTING FON MIN SCHEYVEN CALLED IN SOVIET AMBASSADOR GROUBIAKOV EARLIER TODAY TO ASK HIM FOR SOVIET "SIDE OF THE STORY"• ACCORDING VAN BELLINGHEN, GROUBIAKOV SAID HE HAD VERY LITTLE 
INFORMATION• AS BELGIAN GOVERNMENT KNEW, CZECHS AT BRATISLAVA HAD UNDERTAKEN CERTAIN COMMITMENTS BUT HAD NOT LIVED UP TO THESE• CZECH GOVERNMENT AND "PARTY INST:.\NCES" HAD ASKED SOVIE;T UNION 
TO HELP• SITUATION WHICH HAD DEVELOPED IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA WAS CAUSED BY REACTIONARY ELEMENTS IN THAT COUNTRY WHO HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH THE WESTo GROUBIAKOV SAID THAT THE PROBLEM6 HOWEVER6 WENT FURTHER THAN CZECHOSLOVAKIA• QUESTION OF SOVIET SECURITY AND SECURITY OF ALL OF EUROPE WERE INVOLVED SINCE DEVELOPMENTS · IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA THREATENED TO UPSET THE BALANCE IN EUROPE• iF IT HAD GOTTEN OUT OF HAND IT WOULD HAVE LED TO UNFORTUNATE DEVELOPMENTS INCLUDING AN ACCELERATION OP THE ARMS RACE• 
• DECLASSIFIED E.O. 13292, Sec. 3.4 By(LJ./h /JL NARA, Date/ ---/d= '0~ 
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Department of State TELEGRAM 
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2o SCHEYV EN ASKED GROUBIAKOV WHO IN THE CZECH GOVERNMENT HAD 
ASKED FOR HEL P SINCE HE UNDERSTOOD · DUBCEK AND OTHER PRINCIPAL 
LEADERS WER E UNDER DETENTIONe ACCORDING TO VAN BELLINGHEN1 
GROUBIAKOV GAVE NO EXPLICIT ANSWER OTHER THAN TO REPEAT THAT 
HE INFORMED CZECH GOVERNMENT AND PARTY INSTANCES HAO MADE REQUEST 
FOR MILITARY ASSISTANCE• 
3• PRIMIN EYSKENS ALSO SAW GROUBIAKOV THIS AFTERNOON1 WHETHER 
ON EYSKENS• OR GROUBIAKOv•s INITIATIVE IS NOT CLEAR AT THI$ MOMENT• 
WE HAVE NO REPORT AS YET OF PRIMIN'S CONVERSATION WITH SOVIET 
AMBASSADOR SINCE EYSKENS WENT IMMEDIATELY INTO A CABINET MEETING 
CALLED TODAY TO CONSIDER EVENTS IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA, PRIMIN JS 
SCHEDULED TO GIVE PRESS CONFERENCE FOLLOWING MEETING• 
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GP ... 311 KNIGHT 
COPY TO CCO• 
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