.~ I .. ' ·: ... ~·.. , DEPARTMENT OF S'fATE DO-/]­ \ CZECH TASK FORCE Si tu At:i ou._Report, ,0,600 h~urs ED1', Auau2J 24, 19.6~ l. ~c.£i1Lllnd C~_t.it.Lls..Jiqp_oJ1..t!:L_1 n Mosco!!: Prague Radio retayed a .report from the l1ree.··slovak Rac1,io ~t NitrA that five Slovak Communist · leader~ who h~d hl'cn R>:re.sted 1'"'riday mo1·ning were t:elea&ed later in 'the dt1y. The radio stated :thnt whi.le in detention the f1.ve W£'te able t.o speak with Bilak a·nd nus~k who are in Mosco¥.' with Preei.dent Svoboda, ... Husak 1·eportcdl.y told the? ,group that Dubcek and Cern1k had been taken to Moscow ahead of the· i·est of thp delegation and had been !pC:!rm1t'l:ed to join the delegation, · •I 2. ~umors ~f. Soti.£.LM~ ABRinst JiomAni~.n A variety of reports of differins relinbi1i. ty re r leel's growing concern over the posstbi11.ty of .a SovJ at mi U.tary move asains t: Romania. The Romnniflna are· s trenuou ely · collecting inte~li.genc~ on Soviet troop mov0mcnts, especially in.botdc't' Bl:eas; .,:-eporLed J.y, the Romanians have baen told that Soviet and Hungarian · . forces ~re cleploye.d in llungary bo. tw~an the Ti sza River and · the Romanian ED 12958 3.4Cb](lJ> 5Yrs -r. . ...-:,, bord~i:. , nt.c}.ligcncc services are disturbed CCJ by report ~ movements toward Romania. The Soviet Ambase~dor in London haa reportedly informed a Soviet official to' cancel his vis1.t to ~uchar~.st b~.cause of "great event<; thel:e soon;" The Romanian Ambass1Hlo1· t.n WnshJ.ngton claimed no il\lormation on such rumors of troop mov€lmG!nts, disc.laimed full tnobiU.zation in Romania, and said country has no intention or leaving Warsaw .Pact. The Israelis -·· ·· 1'epo1·t· Vi~c_u~" telephOL\e· opet:al:or unable to contact thelt: Bucharest r~mba&sy, ··..,, ~'\_ ~_.. . . ~ . . '··---~ --3. Soviet Press Stresses Conspiracy Thesis~ Tho· Sovi-e.c l'\e.dia &tt'ess the incrcAslng Ctcchoslovak resistance es proof ·of"~xt.el.·nal f'nd domestic conspiracy against socialism in Czecho$lovakia, Izveatiya's Prag~e cor1·c.spot\dcnt r.cport·e" ..that the "provocateurs and countcrrcv.olutionaries" are stirring up ten&ion· ~nd trouble· in Prague and arc slandering the Warsaw Pact ' powe14 s in publications such as f:!'!.££ and 1.!J!.erar·ny Li.stY.,•. Vi~hn~vskiy in Pravda blames Wcst~rh propagand4 for fortt~nting an anti­communi.st mood ancl not~s without elaborat1.o~ the dispute at the Geneva EbiDC. The TASS annouricem~.H\t of the arrival of Svoboda is pcg&e.d to a ·denuncia tJ.on of · the Czec.h PAi:ty Congress a~ i l l~sa1. C~ech broadcasts calling for the neutrality. of· tho counti'y i\re vicwod 88 proof of a long· · prepared conspiracy against socialist Czcchoalovakl~. I . 11. Pr~suc Situatiq_111 · Pt·ague r~niai.n~.d retat.f.vety eatlm dui:tng tha n;ght wtth only a few scatt~ced inci~onts of shooting reported. ln one incident, some shots fired at a etuden't dotmitory near lhe American Embassy xeportedly .. fell into the Eml>Assy compound. No d.£imag~ has been rcport~d by the Embassy. 5 • . j'ug2£Jav_B.~st!011) Fr~dny ~0~1ling Ti to told our Ambassi'dor in Bolgrado that iitronn Yugoslav co1\domna t1.on of Soviet inter.ventlon would intcnsify · and tha~ Spvlot•Yuaosl~v relation& will be devoid of trust and confidcnc~. A Yugoslav letter circplatod At the UN torined Sov1.et: invasion ''in no way justift.od, 11 In an ovtning speech at a Yugoslav Cormnulllf\.L.Pa.r.t.v.. .maa~.ht:arw • I '. ·I j . . . ' . ; ' : . . . ~ !. :jECR&!i -· . _:____..;,_~·--.--·~. --:·~·.-.. ---.... . ·.. --·--·--""' --· -... . ..· .. ~... ~, ....... '""· "{'' .. ......·......·-·····•....'.:---·....... ·... :.. : _:_,..:-'·-:-. .,, 2 ....... 'Li to blamed Soviet ff!ar o.r. the ;,praad of the Czechoslovak exAmple to other c.ountrie9 for. intcrvcnt1.~n; he llt-.cuscd Soviet leaders of miscalcu.lal:ing consequenccs =snd of ~oc considering rcAction ~mong Commµnist parties ind nonaligned countries. Tito w~rned Yusoslavia will defend its ind~pcndence . if a threat should nrls~. Por.clgn ~inlster Nlke~l{ termed intervention tho fins1 collapse of a· pol icy of 20 years duration. I 6. . Sec~_t:i ty Counci 1.....11£.ba tc: T.hc . Security Council on August 23 conti.nucd its consideration of the Canadi~n dra£l: resolution which would have the Sccrcta1:y Gencr~l <119patch 11 speciRl r.cpr(Jsentative to 'P-rasue to cns~l're thcr safety of Czech leaders, and th~n adjou~ncd until 1130 hours tDT. August 24. During the diRcussion a notn· from Czc.c.hoalovak Deputy Premter Sik waB • c!rcu la tcd which au t:horizad Czo·ch l~orcign Mln.ister.' Hajek to reprei;~·nt . c~~choslovat~a · in the Security C~unc~l an4 the United Nations. Hajek is expect~d to part.iclpatc in r.odAy' f'. Secui:1ty Counc.tl a~ssion, although he {nd!cated ~o ncwamcn ycst<.'!rClsy, nf"t:cr " mee.tfng with Sncretary Gcnc1·al U 'l'hant, that ho would not nlake a finl\l !.·..".lQMJration· in ·waah.ington: A· demonstration. tnvo1v1.ns an es tLma ted l, 000 personB. is plsnried for ~400 houi.·a ETD Saturday near th~ soviot Embassy. 'l'he peaceful demonstration may last. t.wo hours. Vai.·ious . Huniu-ian· Freedom Fighter:s and a_nti.... Castro Cubans _pla_n_ to--part:icipate. A ~emonstratlon against th~iSo~ie~ ~N Mlsalon in New ~ork may be held at the aame time. · : ' .. : I ' ... ! .. ' . . ! . I .: .· · I I INR:DGraves/EE:}lW~niek;mf 8/24/68 . !' -... ----~­---'-·-·:~-.---~~JmJU~A­. __-: ...,.---.­... . , • .. ,, .,. t.,. I ... ~ • ·•. -.­ . --~ .-*.:~ . l. -· . .... · ~.. • .t.# •.• ...-·--.---­·­