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I ve been discussing matters a good deal with A. Dubcek, and perplexed and has become withdrawn. He has consulted with
I say to him:  Sasha (and I myself lament), why don t you me several times. I support him in every way.
return to Bratislava, this isn t what you were after, Sasha. If J. Janik:32 He s a principled Communist; he firmly
today Slovakia were to deviate from the line of the KSC CC, supports Leninist positions and believes that without the
this would lead to the collapse of the Czechoslovak republic. Soviet Union there can be no socialist Czechoslovakia.
We will do everything possible to preserve Czechoslovakia as Against him, too, the rightists are waging vicious attacks and
a socialist country. In Slovakia threats have been made are trying, through all possible means, to find or create some
against Communist activists. If something extraordinary pretext for compromising him.
should happen, we request that you grant refuge in Uzhhorod C. Cisar: He has known Moscow for many years and
to our wives and children. The directives of the minister of has been to the Soviet Union numerous times. Outwardly he s
internal affairs are not being carried out in Slovakia because well disposed toward you. But now his position toward you
we know that he is taking part in another  center, headed by has changed 180 degrees; he has even begun displaying a
Kriegel and Spacek.27 certain degree of contempt for Russians. I don t myself
The loss of Czechoslovakia would be equivalent to understand what happened, but it s obvious that it was
sacrificing the gains of the Great Patriotic War.28 This spawned under the influence of the rightists. Cisar has great
cannot be permitted. Czechoslovakia occupies a very influence in Czechoslovakia and especially in the Czech
important place on the map of Europe; the dark forces simply lands. For the sake of achieving his aims, he s capable of
want to blackmail the entire socialist camp. You are our engaging in all manner of political fraud and deception.
friends, and you won t allow this to happen. We are ready to A. Indra:33 He s the most honest and truthful of all the
move openly against the creeping counterrevolution, even to KSC CC secretaries. He s 46 years old and is a railroad
the point of waging an armed confrontation. We re certain engineer who acquired practical leadership experience from
that you will help us in our trying hour. Perhaps if this should work at a factory. He knows economics reasonably well.
happen, even that  apostle A. Dubcek would sober up and He s a cultured and thoughtful man with a good moral
COLD WAR INTERNATIONAL HISTORY PROJECT BULLETIN 10 239
character, but unfortunately he doesn t have adequate slovakia. Nothing was known about this meeting not
schooling in political leadership. Dubcek could rely on him even the fact that it was held until Shelest released his
in his work, but for some reason he ignores him, seeing in him diary in the mid-1990s. Other information that had
a rival. previously been available, particularly about Shelest s
V. Bil ak: I ll speak personally about him.34 I also knew contacts with hardline, antireformist members of the KSC
him previously. I d met briefly with him on occasion, and had Presidium led by Bil ak, lends strong credence to the diary
heard a lot about him from the comrades in Transcarpathia. account. The excerpts below are therefore of immense
He is a fine and vigorous Communist, who is himself a historical significance, filling in a crucial and hitherto
Ukrainian, a native of our Transcarpathia. His mother, unknown part of the 1968 crisis. All existing accounts of
sisters, and brothers live in a mountain village in the crucial period between mid-July and early August 1968
Transcarpathian oblast. Bil ak often visits them. He has will need major revision.
good professional contacts with the party and council As noted above, in early May 1968 Brezhnev and the
officials of Transcarpathian oblast, particularly with the first other members of the CPSU Politburo designated Shelest
secretary of the oblast committee, Yu. Il nyts kyi. Their to act as a liaison with the anti-reformist members of the
families are friendly with one another. V. Bil ak is a politi- KSC Presidium. It is now clear from Shelest s diary that
cally literate, cultured, and well-read individual, with a fine this role took on enormous importance in the latter half of
knowledge of the history of his country, especially the period July, shortly after the Warsaw Meeting (14-15 July) and [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]