FOURTH WORLD
47
describe it. We are convinced tha t our views correspond to the
sentiments of the people of our country. These views, however,
were not respected by the Czechoslovak signatories of the Moscow
protocol. We reject this agreement between Czechoslovakia and the
U.S.S.R., just as we reject the agreement on the temporary stationing
of Soviet troops on our territory. This can be likened to the accept–
ance of an illegal prison sentence for our country. We regard this
as an attempt by a Great Eastern Power to reinstate Stalinism in
the CSSR, as intervention in the internal affairs of our country, to
which our State and Party leaders have offered no resistance. On
the contrary, they have made repeated concessions, particularly
under pressure exerted by discredited politicians of the pre-January
type. . . . Our leaders are making one compromise after another.
But every additional compromise weakens the trust the nation has
in them. The "cabinet" policy-making which has been conducted
in the past few weeks, resignations and removals from office of
those whom we trust, like Kriegel, Sik, Ha'jek, Pavelm Palikan
and Hejylar, and at the same time the continued presence of dis–
credited politicians in top State and Party bodies are substantial
concessions to those who are striving for the restoration of Stalin–
ism. We regard declarations about the continuation of post–
J anuary reforms as empty phrases, because the post-January pro–
gramme includes freedom of speech and freedom of association and
assembly and cannot exist unless every citizen has the possibility
of helping to shape his country's political system.... We are con–
vinced that our Army is capable of protecting our Western fron–
tiers and we demand that our Government and National Assembly
inaugurate negotiations on the definitive withdrawal of all Soviet
troops from Czechoslovakia as soon as possible. . . .
I cannot hazard a guess as to what steps the students will take
next: that will depend on the developements in Czechoslovakia's un–
stable political situation ; but I'm sure that whatever actions they take
wiII
be carefully considered and politically mature. At the beginning of
this academic year a spokesman of the Philosophical Faculty warned the
student body:
The activity of the students' organizations will be far more difficult
than ever before : it will not be enough only to exert pressure on
the State and Party organs of this country. We must bear in mind
the existence of the leadership of another State that is more power–
ful than ours. We have a formally independent government, but
not only are foreign troops stationed here, there are also other
foreigners among us, there are the so-called commandants attached
to the District Committees of the Communist Party, in contradic–
tion to the Moscow protocol. Under these circumstances, our argu–
ments, our wishes and protests, our whole logic have a very dif–
ferent weight. The people there seem to have quite a different