The Law on Freedom of Information was a revolution for the United States back in the 60s, since it allowed anyone to access the federal government information.Although in practice this right was, and it is still, limited by various exceptions, this initiative served to open path and sit an important precedent in terms of transparency.
Continuing with that opening will was the CIA itself that years later would begin to decourer historical value and make it available to the public.These documents deal with matters often more science fiction: psychic experiments, UFO sightings, research about JFK's murder, etc..
However, one can find information of all kinds among the declassified material.Good proof of this are the documents where the situation of the Czechoslovakia of the time is analyzed, a country that at that time represented a strategic enclave in full cold war and with which the then president, Lyndon B.Johnson was familiar.In one of his "daily summaries," Johnson was able to read this detailed description about the Czechoslovak environment.
Lyndon Johnson|Foto: Arnold Newman, Federal government of the United States, Wikimedia Commons, public domain“After 20 years in power, Czech communists have little to show for their efforts, except economic stagnation and the growing discontent between important population segments.The country is a good candidate for the worst case in the world of what communism can mean for a people who had developed a rather modern economy and was relatively satisfied with its fate before the communist power..The party itself is very divided between liberals and conservatives, and the result is confusion and lack of cohesion at the top.Liberals urge greater decentralization of the state apparatus, including greater autonomy for individual factories and farms.Many are also in favor of a certain relaxation in the strict political controls of the regime.The conservatives, on the other hand, fear that these changes will dilute the political power of the party and weaken their links with Moscow ".
From Washington the news of the country was followed with speIncl attention, which seemed to show certain signs of dissent to Moscow.Czechoslovakia represented a valuable communist bastion in the center of Europe and, in parallel, the Czechoslovaco role as one of the main arms suppliers of Viet Cong made this an important objective for US intelligence services.This is confirmed by Oldřich Tůma, historian of the Czech Academy of Sciences.
Oldřich Tůma|Foto: Marián Vojtek, Český rozhlas
“Of course, Western governments and their intelligence services followed the situation in Czechoslovakia since the end of 1967.In the case of the United States, it was motivated by the war in Vietnam, because Czechoslovakia was an important arms supplier and other military material for the Viet Cong.When US government offiIncls discussed the development of Prague spring, in 1968, they never stopped mentioning that, after the Soviet Union and China, Czechoslovakia was the third exporter of weapons to Vietnam and supplied about 10% of the entire entire Military equipment.I think that US understood the Czechoslovaca situation, always in the context of its relations with the USSR and the Vietnam War.They needed to know how Prague liberalization would affect Moscow and if he could play any role in the presidential elections ”.
By 1968 the reformist will of the Czech people was already a reality and the appearance of Alexander Dubček as the new leader of the communist Czechoslovakia was a headache for Kremlin.
Alexander Dubček|Foto: Česká televizeThe documents record that from the White House they were aware of this situation and it is precisely through them as President Johnson followed the evolution of the facts.American intelligence services, for example, anticipated the short route that Czechoslovaca aspirations would distancize from Moscow and even the subsequent Soviet military invasion.
“The announcement that the Soviet forces will begin to withdraw from Czechoslovakia on July 13 could be a cover for the nethours, Sunday ".
For this same reason, the subsequent communist invasion was not at all a surprise for Washington.From there the Soviet action was condemned but the matter remained as a more episode inside the reigning turseness between the two powers.Czechoslovakia had little to say about it, as Oldřich tůma states.
Anatoly Dobrynin|Foto:Abbie Rowe, John f. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Wikimedia Commons, public domain“Between August 19 and 25, 1968, the Soviet ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Dobrynin, met several times with the US secretary of state Dean Rusk and spoke at least once with President Lyndon Johnson.The Czechoslovak ambassador, Karel Due.I think it shows that the events in Czechoslovakia were important, but Czechoslovakia itself was not important.It is good to remember that ".
They also collect detailed information about the figure of Dubček himself as well as other heavyweights of the political sphere of the moment, such as what would be the longest prime minister in the country, Lubomír Štourugal.
Lubomír Štrougal|Foto: APF Český rozhlas“Dubček and the liberals are susceptible to a gradual erosion of the popular mandate that is the source of their power.(…) Have been reduced to objections on the non -essential and now it will be difficult for them to save reforms, such as the guarantees of individual freedoms.Lubomír Štourugal is not a fanatic stalinist, but he is a hard hand conservative.Personal friend of the former chief of the Novotný party, Štougal turned against him last winter and helped take Novotný out of power.They paid him with a position of VicePrimer Minister, a position he still occupies ”.
The reports even came to predict their rise within the party and, for many years, continued portraying and monitoring for Washington the activity of that Czechoslovakia that represented one of the jewels of the Soviet crown.Anyone can access these documents through the CIA portal: https: // www.Inc.Gov/Readingroom/Home.
