. -~ Department of State 
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ACTION EUR 20 

INFO cco 00,sso 001NSCE 001US1E 00,usuE 00,ClAE 001DODE 00,GP~ 041 
SIL 011LAB 061/l'+l W 
P 2316ttZ AUG 68 
F'M ' AMEMBASSY VIENNA 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 498T 

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INFO AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 
AMEMBASSY BONN 
AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST 

AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST 
AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 
AMEMBASSY PRAGUE 

AMEMBASSY SOF'IA 
AMEMBASSY WARSAW 

LlHlTED OFFICIAL USE SECTION 1 OF 
SUBJECf 1 CZECHOSLOVAKIAo 
FOLLOWING SUMMARY OVERALL AUSTRIAN REACTION TO CZECH 
SITUATioN1 

I~ PUBL1Ca SOV INVASION CAUGHT AUSTRIAN PUBL1t COMPLETELY s~· SURPRISE• AUSTRIANS~ WITH MAN~ TIES · TO CZECHS1 FOLLOWED CIERNA1 BRATISLAVA MEETINGS CLOSEL~ AND BELIEVED RESULTS HAD AVOIDED DANGER OF MILITARY INTERVENTION• OVERWHELMING 
REACT I ON TO INVASION ONE OF ANGER AND ' SADNESS MaEo wITH FRUSTRATION THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONEv CONSIDERABLE " I< NE E"' J E R K " RE A C T I 0 N · TH A T U • S • S H 0UL D Dn ~0ME TH ,I NG BY
1 
NOBODY KNEW WHAT• 
2o POLITICAL ' PARTIES• 
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KAI PEOPLE'S PARTY IOEVP) FIRST ISSUED CAUTIOUS STATEMENT 
AUG 22 ' EXPRESS I NG "SAT I SF ACT I ON GOA HAS TAKEN FI RM.1 CALM ATTITUDE1 PRESERVING AUSTRIA 0 S INDEPENDENCE1 NEUTRALITYI" AND "REGARDING DEVELOPMENTS IIN CZECHOSLOVAKIA! LAST FEW MQNT~S AS · PROCESS 0 MERELY INTERRUPTED o BY LATEST EVENTS o" AS OUTCRY OF PUBLIC1 PRESS AND OTHER PARTIES AGAINST INVASION BUILT 
UP1 OEVP RELEASED SECOND STATEMENT AUG 23 THAT FACT GOA PURSUiNG 
NONqINTERFERENCE POLICY FOR REASONS OF NEUTRALITY DID NOT MEAN FUNCTIONARIES AND FOLLOWERS OF OEVP WATCHING CZECH DEVELOPMENTS WITH LESS SYMPATHY THAN OTHER POLITICAL PARTIES6 AND DEEPLY REGRETTED UN CHARTER AND HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION DID NOT DETER CERTAIN GOVT 0 S FROM ARMED INTERVENTIONQ 
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(8) SOCIALIST PARTY (SPOElo PRESIDIUM ISSUED STATEMENT AUG 22 THAT "MILITARY OPERATION OF WARSAW PACT COUNTRIES is ~CT OF INTERFERENCE WITH INTERNAL POLITICAL AFFAIRS OF COUNTRY 
THAT IS AUSTRIA 0 S NEIGHBOR" AND "CONDEMNS IT AS BLOW TO BEGIN~ NIN~ DEMOCRATIZATION." HOWEVER, SPOE CENTRAL COMMITTEE FOLLOWED UP WITH STRONGER STATEMENf THAT EVENTS HAVE SHOWN ANEW THAT COMMUNIST DICTATORSHIP UNWILLING TOLERATE FREEDOM ASPIRATIONS IN ITS REALM. EVENTS ' H~VE PROVED COMMUNIST D!CTAg TORIAL REGIMES EITHtR SUPPRESS SUCH FREEDOM ASPIRATIONS BY TERRORISM OR SUBDUE THEM BY MILITARY MEANS•" tC) COMMUNIST PARTY IKPOEl DAILY VOLKSSTIMME (22NDI STATED "INVASION ••o SURPRISED AND SHOCKED KPOE" AND QUOTED CENTRAL COMMITTEE OPINION THAT "OPERATION CONFLICTS WITH SPIRIT.1 DECISIONS OF BRATISLAVA•" KPOE CHMN• MUHR! STATED "IN THIS SERIOUS SITUATION WESTERN EUROPEAN · COMMUNIST MOVEMENT HAS TO TAKE JOINT INIT1ATIVE• FOR THIS AFFAIR.1 AS DEVELOPED IN LAST 
, 	FEW DAYS.1 IS NOT EXCLUSIVE AFFAIR OF FIVE WARSAW PACT COUNTRIES AND THE SISTER PARTIES ' IN THESE FIVE COUNTRIES• 
THIS IS MATTER FOR ENTIRE COMMUNIST MOVEMENT.1 ESPECIALLY EUROPEAN COMMUNIST MOVEMENT•" KPOE CENTRAL COMMITTEE MEETING TODAYo COMMUNIQUE NOT YET AVAILABLE BUT MUHRI STATED CC · "STILL 
DOES NOT SEE ANY REASONS JUSTirYING INVASION" AND BELIEF CZECH CP JTSELF COULD HAVE HANDLED SITUATION. M~~~I SAW NO "ACUTE COUNTERREVOLUTIONARY TENDENCIES IN CZECH Di~ELOPMENTSo" ICOMMENTa STRONG STAND OF KPOE HAS RAISED SOME SPECULATION IT MIGHT COOPERATE WITH A NEW WEST EUROPEAN COMMUNIST INTERNATIONAL IF SUCH SHOULD DEVELOP ON ITALIAN AND FRENCH INITIATIVE•I 
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. 	EM ATUF• TRADE UNION FEDERATION AUG 21 "REGRETTED CZECHS HAVE BECOME VICTIMS OF MILITARY OCCUPATION'" AND FOLLOWED UP ON 
. 	AUG 22 BY ADVISING ALL MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS TO ABSTAIN FROM CONTACTS WITH FIVE WARSAW PACT INVADERS. ALSO · WITHDREW INVITATION TO BULGARIAN TRADE UNIONISTS TO VISIT AUSTRIA• 
~o PRESS• UNANIMOUS REACTION AUSTRIAN PRESS ONE OF VIOLENT 
ANGER AND BITTERNESS ' DENOUNCING INVASION AS "COMPARAB~E TO HITLERos INVASION"1 "EVIDENCE OF ' PRACTICAL SURVIVAL OF STALINISM'" AND "SHOWING TRUE FACE OF COMMUNISM•" _BY IM?LICATION1 MANY VIENNA DAILIES · FOUND GOA OFFICIAL REAC~ION 
AND I ST ATEMENTS TOO MI LO AND "LUKEWARM o" 
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