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Newspapers are … A reflection of the regime
DOCIJMJZNTS Presidium of the Union of Czech Writers : Jaroslav Seiiert (Chairman), Jiri Brabec (Deputy Chairman), Karel Ptacnik (Deputy Chairman), Ladislav Hradsky (Chairman Translators’ Section), Jiri Hanzelka, Milan Jungmann, Ivan Kriz, Jiri Sotola. Secretariat : Vlastimil Mars&k (Secretary), Jiri Svetozar Kupka (Head of Membership Department), Petr Pujman (Head of International Department), Vaclav Pelikan (Economic Manager).
‘NEWSPAPERS ARE OF THE REGIME’
. . .
A
REFLECTION
Open letter jirorn ‘journalists,” believed to have been circulated in early July 1969. Dear and wonderful Czech and Slovak and Slovak and Czech people! The time is coming when reports and ideas which our public should and must know about will not appear in our papers. Under the violent and shameless pressure from Moscow and the units of Soviet advisers in our Ministry of the Interior, the image of our massmedia will change even more. Do not forget that this is not the fault of journalists. Newspapers are always a reflection of the regime, not of the competence of journalists. Buy a copy of the Moscow Pravda sometimejust for fun. From one issue you will see that it will never be possible, even after fifty akfivs of incompetent journalists, to make our newspapers into anything like that. It is time to think seriously about how the Communist Party should proceed under conditions of the occupation of one socialist country by another. There may be many bought men in the leadership of the party; but bear in mind that for centuries people have been
91
seeking a path to a socially just society with a maximum of freedom. This is the essence of the ideas of Marx and Lenin. As soon as history offers the chance, people will again choose the January road. Husak attacked Ernst Fischer for his appreciative assessment of the significance of our spring of 1968. But it is not Husak, it is Fischer who is right. Wherever there are socialist changes in the world, people will be inspired not by the Soviet style, by the Stalinist mode of socialism, but by the Dubcek model. The significance of Dubcek lies in the fact that he made it possible for the cleverest people in the state to analyze before all the people the situation in which they find themselves, and to point a way. Socialism with a human face is not dead. It has the esteem of the Italian and Japanese Communist parties-two of the biggest in the world; it has the admiration of many other parties, political organizations and of all reasonable people. Those who are today turning the rudder back into the waters of the old system have at least formally to base themselves on Marxism and Leninism. Let us exploit this because Marxist ideas and all they have meant prove them liars at every step. We must not lose our nerve, we must not allow ourselves to get fed up. We must now once more prepare the way to socialism with a human face. It is very probable that in doing so we will make a large number of new mistakes. But it is necessary to arm ourselves with patience and keep our eyes fixed on the fact that things are developing unprecedentedly quickly. Let us help them. Honest party members and nonparty people must never give up their jobs unnecessarily. It is especially necessary to stop the wave of resignations of workers from the party. This plays into the hands of the Bilaks and Indras. They want to make the party as small as possible,
92
STUDIESIN COMPARATIVECOMMUNISM
as manageable as possible; the Judases will not leave the party. We must understand that the party card is only a ticket to enter the ring where the fight is taking place. Party committees must not lose contact with the public, or among themselves; the factories must know about one another. Before mounting any protest or any other operation, we must know ourselves! Study Lenin and at the same time think with your own head. Do not underestimate small acts of solidarity, perhaps five-minute strikes; use them to learn solidarity and good organization. Be as practical as possible; do not become involved in terror and coercion. Prove by well thought-out conceptions and the way you act that we are concerned with socialism, not only with a human face but, above all, with a human soul. The new leadership is calling for a renewal of the Party Training Year. Seize the opportunity! After all, there is a very special situation at the party high schools. It is not known when these schools will again be able to operate. Real Marxism is a danger to Stalinists. Be considerate of one another. Be, as you have been, inventive and thoughtful. It is easy to tear up your party card, to resign. But one day your own children will upbraid you for throwing the flint into the corn. The policy which must be carried out, is to have influence in a circle which is real. “The letter to our ranks” is signed by incompetents. They will not hold their positions for long. Demand in the places where you work that all organs which have to answer to the people, answer. Bear in mind today, that in the elections-any elections-careerists must not win, but responsible people who will present their ideas whether it is a question of life in the country or in the town, in offices, in factories, in cooperatives, anywhere. The sooner we overcome our disgust, the sooner will come the new
wave of struggle for a socialist and democratic Czechoslovakia. Strengthen relations between Slovakia and the Czech lands, see to it that both peoples have worthwhile information about one another, that town and country know about one another. Socialism with a human face and soul will triumph-sooner than its betrayers realize; they have chosen a brief career. We are with you-be Journalists-Communist
with us. and Nonparty.
PROTESTOFUNIVERSITY STUDENTS DecIaration of the Parliament of the Union of University Students of Bohemia and Moravia, July 2.1969. The idea of an independent student organization grew out of the reaction of the student movement to the CzechoSlovak Youth Union, which, as a state monopolistic organization, served the ruling bureaucracy in repressing manifestations of independence of an element in society, namely, the university students. The Union of University Students expressed its political attitude in the basic thesis of its program at its constituent congress thus: University students in Bohemia and Moravia want to share in the creation of a socialist society in this country and to commit themselved by their work to the realization of the humanist aims which socialism has set itself. The students put this thesis into practice for the first time in their reactions to post-August political developments. This reaction culminated in the well-known November strike in
‘NEWSPAPERS ARE OF THE REGIME’
. . .
A
REFLECTION
Open letter jirorn ‘journalists,” believed to have been circulated in early July 1969. Dear and wonderful Czech and Slovak and Slovak and Czech people! The time is coming when reports and ideas which our public should and must know about will not appear in our papers. Under the violent and shameless pressure from Moscow and the units of Soviet advisers in our Ministry of the Interior, the image of our massmedia will change even more. Do not forget that this is not the fault of journalists. Newspapers are always a reflection of the regime, not of the competence of journalists. Buy a copy of the Moscow Pravda sometimejust for fun. From one issue you will see that it will never be possible, even after fifty akfivs of incompetent journalists, to make our newspapers into anything like that. It is time to think seriously about how the Communist Party should proceed under conditions of the occupation of one socialist country by another. There may be many bought men in the leadership of the party; but bear in mind that for centuries people have been
91
seeking a path to a socially just society with a maximum of freedom. This is the essence of the ideas of Marx and Lenin. As soon as history offers the chance, people will again choose the January road. Husak attacked Ernst Fischer for his appreciative assessment of the significance of our spring of 1968. But it is not Husak, it is Fischer who is right. Wherever there are socialist changes in the world, people will be inspired not by the Soviet style, by the Stalinist mode of socialism, but by the Dubcek model. The significance of Dubcek lies in the fact that he made it possible for the cleverest people in the state to analyze before all the people the situation in which they find themselves, and to point a way. Socialism with a human face is not dead. It has the esteem of the Italian and Japanese Communist parties-two of the biggest in the world; it has the admiration of many other parties, political organizations and of all reasonable people. Those who are today turning the rudder back into the waters of the old system have at least formally to base themselves on Marxism and Leninism. Let us exploit this because Marxist ideas and all they have meant prove them liars at every step. We must not lose our nerve, we must not allow ourselves to get fed up. We must now once more prepare the way to socialism with a human face. It is very probable that in doing so we will make a large number of new mistakes. But it is necessary to arm ourselves with patience and keep our eyes fixed on the fact that things are developing unprecedentedly quickly. Let us help them. Honest party members and nonparty people must never give up their jobs unnecessarily. It is especially necessary to stop the wave of resignations of workers from the party. This plays into the hands of the Bilaks and Indras. They want to make the party as small as possible,
92
STUDIESIN COMPARATIVECOMMUNISM
as manageable as possible; the Judases will not leave the party. We must understand that the party card is only a ticket to enter the ring where the fight is taking place. Party committees must not lose contact with the public, or among themselves; the factories must know about one another. Before mounting any protest or any other operation, we must know ourselves! Study Lenin and at the same time think with your own head. Do not underestimate small acts of solidarity, perhaps five-minute strikes; use them to learn solidarity and good organization. Be as practical as possible; do not become involved in terror and coercion. Prove by well thought-out conceptions and the way you act that we are concerned with socialism, not only with a human face but, above all, with a human soul. The new leadership is calling for a renewal of the Party Training Year. Seize the opportunity! After all, there is a very special situation at the party high schools. It is not known when these schools will again be able to operate. Real Marxism is a danger to Stalinists. Be considerate of one another. Be, as you have been, inventive and thoughtful. It is easy to tear up your party card, to resign. But one day your own children will upbraid you for throwing the flint into the corn. The policy which must be carried out, is to have influence in a circle which is real. “The letter to our ranks” is signed by incompetents. They will not hold their positions for long. Demand in the places where you work that all organs which have to answer to the people, answer. Bear in mind today, that in the elections-any elections-careerists must not win, but responsible people who will present their ideas whether it is a question of life in the country or in the town, in offices, in factories, in cooperatives, anywhere. The sooner we overcome our disgust, the sooner will come the new
wave of struggle for a socialist and democratic Czechoslovakia. Strengthen relations between Slovakia and the Czech lands, see to it that both peoples have worthwhile information about one another, that town and country know about one another. Socialism with a human face and soul will triumph-sooner than its betrayers realize; they have chosen a brief career. We are with you-be Journalists-Communist
with us. and Nonparty.
PROTESTOFUNIVERSITY STUDENTS DecIaration of the Parliament of the Union of University Students of Bohemia and Moravia, July 2.1969. The idea of an independent student organization grew out of the reaction of the student movement to the CzechoSlovak Youth Union, which, as a state monopolistic organization, served the ruling bureaucracy in repressing manifestations of independence of an element in society, namely, the university students. The Union of University Students expressed its political attitude in the basic thesis of its program at its constituent congress thus: University students in Bohemia and Moravia want to share in the creation of a socialist society in this country and to commit themselved by their work to the realization of the humanist aims which socialism has set itself. The students put this thesis into practice for the first time in their reactions to post-August political developments. This reaction culminated in the well-known November strike in