SF FP93£ 
DEPARTMENT OF S'I'ATE
.... ,...._........~ ........._.....,,,_ 


·.~.i_t.CL~t f.on R9..P..2!!_.Q2.QQ__hours li~L Sup,t~1b~~.1....J 96f! . 
1. 12Ybcc}s,J~~obg~~J.... '!nd ~!!~tk~ysb'_.§e~J~ befill.£ll£l11'.fil._c;_9~..~·: The 
full text of the communique issu~d September 1 by th~ plenum of thr 
Czechoslovak Central Commit tee is now avl\ilRblc and is c.ompoo.<!d largely 
of a summat:y of Dt.1bcek •·s ,speech, a possible sign of concern on the 
Commit.t('.C' B part :th.at Dubcek• s popularity would have to be connected closely with the rather discourae;ing . p1.cture to be c:onveyc~d of the occttpation situati.on • . In acldi.ti.on to Dubcek's uxplanati.on tha..t th~ Czech Party had lost the CPSU' s conf idencc~ on the eve of the .i.nvasi.on (see last· SitRt'\p) 1 ol'l1cr highligl~ts of hi.s speech were: "In foreign policy we shall continue: t.he ~xisting >.·elations wi.th the socialist countri~s and consisl'cntl>' .fulfill our commitments which we acceptec1 on the basis 
I 
of trcatf.cs. We regard the Worsaw Pact t.mf.on as perman.ent, and WC 
I
empha tJ c~l ly oppose clemtmd.s· for neutrtllity,. which cnnnot in t.he prc:-.sent 
wortd insuie the lntorosts of our nation~, the interests of socialist 
·da\1clopment," ))ubcek alsC> Sttltf)d that · thE:! withdra~ol Of the occupation 
fore.e s -would be gradual and in three stages; the first stage bad alre.ady 
bcgun.....withdra.wal from towns to special mi.litary Areas "whei·evcr the 
consolidat!on· of the sttuati.o~ is guaranteed by c~eclloslovak orgaris and . 
·where protection . of the socialist system is insured.~• (He apparently did not describe the n~xt two •tagea·~) 
Svoboda• according to the· comnunique, ~~plained that he considered his job C\fter the· invl3sion. instead of 1·csigning, was to g~t the lcgill organs of t.hc country functi.oning again. Whil~ admit.ting the results of the Mosc Ot-l talks. might cBusc disappointment. he stated thnt the organs were now futictioning, the cl.ties we1·e 1·~t:urning to no1inal, and the post­Jantiary pi-ogran1 "Vias still valid. ne ·wal.·ned that. 81\Y effort t.o evade 
1
the Moscow Clbligat.ions would c.ar1·y a ."gigantic risk•" and at the sflme 
time advised B cautious c~rrying out of the obligations to avoid losing 
popular confidence ..j n the Pa.rty • 
Smrkovsky is &<lid t.o ·hAve read to t.he plenum tho text of the "protocol" of the Moscow talks; the exact nat.u1·e of the concessions forced on the O~~chs f.n MO RC OW DlllY therefore~ become BVB:f.labJ.0 shor~ly to Wes.tern observers fn Prague . (FBI~ 38, 40, 42, 44, 47, 48. 49, 50, 55, 56, Sept l; 05, 06, 11, 
16_~ s€: p t • 2) 
.2. P.1£.!ittnt R~portpclJ.y_V<?J:.ced Co_rrU c1eJl_£~L1-1l_Q~tr.~!-~olJsx.: l'hc communique st11.tcs 0 t.he ovc•rwhclming majori.ty" tlgi·ccd t\.lat: the Party's task wl's "to 
m:liJ.ntBin  its leaci'ing r1osit:f.pn  in  the  s. tr. ug· gl~ for  Che  inaU.cnable rlghts  
of  the sovcre.isn  stat~,"  The.re  were  ".t.sollltcd  statements" crlticf.zinr.  
DECLASSIFIED  
E.O: 12356. Sec. 3.4  
NLJ  9D  -I~~  
By~.  l'llARA. Date /f>.,;i-9ZJ  


.. 

the '·po_st-J'anua1:r. roliby, ptu·s "stat.em~nt.~" di.sre.gnrdS.ng present reality snd expre~si.ng extremist views~' which would violate the Moscow agree· mc.nt.s; these tendencies apparently were beaten b.ack. In addi.t.ion to giving the .1>1·esi.~U.um of .~he Centra.l Conunittee a li'beral. .majority through expanding it from eleven to 21 me:mber~ (see lllst. Si tRep), the plc.num enlarsed the C:entl·al Committee itself by adding 87 membe:rs, 80 of whom had bean elected 
. 	by 1·~gion,n 1 party conf.et·enc<~s as d<!l.~ga t~s ·to the llsth Congress; this p1·esuut~bly had 1 the san1e effeet., 
A group of p1:ominent Party men who had been suspect.eel of collaboration in the first days of the ·occupation w~re given a ch~nce to defend them.. selves a11d 1 according to the communiql1e, their explal\ations that they had done nothing but ·tQ work toward the resumption by the legal organs of their dut5,cs were ·accepted by the plenum. These were .Bilal<, Pille.r, Jakos, Koldcr, "and others". 
The plenum pagscd -res.olutions (to be published later) voiding the 
September 9 date for the 14th Congress; cresting a commiss1.on to submit 
proposals •1ss p.srly as poss:lhleu on pr~parattons for 0 the congress of 
Communist~of the Czech 'lands;" and formali~illg th¢ personnel changes. 
While the commo'niquc d'id not explicitly it\clicatc t.hat the clandestine 
Party Congress of Augu·st· 22 was to be .regarded as nli.l, this was impli~d. 
(Same FBI~ items.) 

3, !.!.!!~~Q~Jm ~1f!l?.ls.~-Cze_ch.JEtern~_l_Si_!:.'~~tion: Embassy Pr~gue rt:~pl'>rted Lhllt d~spile rumors of ·Sn impendinp; wave . of· arrests, the E1nb~ssy had as yet heard of none. ·The Soviet comma~der in the city stated that his forces would not leave.. town l1nt.il obje.ctionable signs were removed fr.om bu1.ldi.ngs. Rude Pravo denied . rumors that Dubcek was ill or injured. Prag~e news­P"$"rer·;-;;ere still ~ppearing, written in c8h1ler though still some.what rebellious tones, two papers stating they intended to test the limits of the new c~nso>.·shi.p. N~wsp~pc1: cottditions 1.n Pil.sel\ wei:t'.! said to be better. An opinion pt,11. tak~n i.n Pragu~ Auglist 28 had b~e.n publi.she.d; of quc:stionablc rt=!li.ab:l.lity~ lt showccl strong popular support for Dttbcok end the regime. · One c~ech source desc1•!b(~d the· situation inside the country 
.as now cntorins · the "Mach:fnvol.l:J.sn phase." Czechs outside the country ~re being eall<-'.d to ·return home wlth a pt:omisa that th~y will not he molested. There is Also suspic.ion that the Soviet~ are beguiling Czech wi:i ters wi rh rela t1.ve. len1.ency in prc.ss ce nso>:6hip i.n order la tcr t.o ttpic.k them off." (Prngue 3311 a'nd 33i2) ~ . . . 
4. !2.f~~..~.L..:N.o N~••J:-1.l~t.~JJo~.t...Ju.&_Osl~.Y-s_JlES!!.t.t:aLn: According to wil:e 
sarvices, a Department spokesman late Septemb~r 1 indicated the US still 
had no 1.nfot·m~tion shpwing whether the USSR :l.s, or is not, intending to 

invade Roma1li.a; as of 06.00, tl&is commcnl: holds. The Yugoslav Foreign 
·Minister .said to our Ambass·l.ldor Septe.mhe1: l · t:hat: J. t. wtts sti11 not C'.1.eAr t·o 
him whether the Se>vJ.ots had in mitid .anothe·r . resort to force in ~ast~rn 
Eorop~. (UJl1I; Bc.lgrlldc 4179)'