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DEPARTMEN'l' OF STATE 
'I i CZECH TASK FORCE 
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fil.t':lC:..t!.<W.Jl~E£rt l 7QQJ~s EDT'· Se_pt~.m.ber ~ 1968 
l~ Yus_'?_~lf\_~~~tands Firm: : 'In. a public speech, Tito has repeate.d 
· his call for ·the withdrawal of Warsaw Pact troops from Czechoslovakia e.nd t:eitcrstcd his belief that the. Cz~.choslovaks ·could have solved their problems by themsGlv~s. (Riuters 006) · 
B~lgrade's press treatment of the harsh Soviet statement to Tito on August 30 seems to' imply Yugoslav expectations of unfriendly Soviet . attitudes. On September 2 1.£.nyug_ carried the full text of Soviet ' amhassado'r Bencd'iktov' s state:nent to ·Tito, though TASS had retrac.ted 
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it after issutlnce. The !~QY~ account includes the statement about Yugoslavs .being held reaP,onsiblc. for their uunconcealed campaign against the. USSR. 0 (Bclgra1le 4224) The Soviet ton~ is tho toughest 
.'in years, almost reminiscent qf Cominfol.~m blasts. 
2~ ~..P.fl...t:.~t~~_Q~~~h.lS..Q..~~~.l _ke.rid~t~hip_.-Jj~~ti'lS.~Ji~~r.t.~.d.: With Premier · Ce.rnik invc.hG ch~ir, the Czech govern'"e;n t convened at 1400 Prague time to prepat"e · ~ eteteri1ent expressing "the principles and tn~ks or . 
. the government. stemming from the present situation.n Acco:rding to · another unconfirf;l~d report,. the Soviet· le~ders we:re simul~aneously meeting in Mos~ow, (AP 1261 ~ms 50 Had1o Czechoslovakia). 
3. Sve8tka DeQi,Q£...11.~traxa,1 J..~kk.. ~n R~ut~Bp~: I~ Rude Pravo today, fo.rmor ed;i tor Svestka describes as complete fabrications reports ·that ! e wa·s one of those to ask for the Wars-9.W Pact farces 'to enter Czochoslovnkia. I.n a generally self-critical article ,
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~e cla \·us ttI have ,neyer b~trayed my people n~thc Communist party." 
The Czechoslovak Embassy in Berne has · conN.rrried a report that Foreign 1inister Hajek is ~et.urning to Prague. (Reuters 1456) 
bcek, Svobod~, and Cernik were reported touring factories this morning nan·attempt to revive the country's econom.v.' (Reuters, 1356, FBIS. 51-Radio Czechos.J ovakia.) 
· 4. Sovi et Pror:a..E~nda Pressure:_ So\1. et troops have boen C\sked to stay ::.n Czechoslovakia until 11 anti-s.tnte elements" are crushed, according 
·to TASS. Letters arc allegedly. pouring into the ·Soviet EMbassy in Prague • approvlng the noble act of aict.u. One of the letters quotEXi by TASS.stated that the strength of .0followors of the countorravolution••• sti.11 in the:i r places11 ahotq.d not be underrnted, sup,gesting that Moscow 1s. pushinB for further di.smissals. (Reuters 1434) 
'DECLASSIFIED I ~cm~"7 E.o. 12356, Sec. 3.4
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.~ . . Rv 4:1)2:; :NARA. Date10 -.)-70 
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