840.50 Recovery/7–1047: Telegram
The Ambassador in Czechoslovakia (Steinhardt) to the Secretary of State
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876. The same reliable source from which the information contained in my 872, July 10 was received has furnished me with a copy of Gottwald’s telegram to Czechoslovak Government of which following is a free translation.
“I have had two audiences with Generalissimo Stalin.1 The first shortly after our arrival, the second at 11 p. m. At the second visit there were present from the Czechoslovak side Masaryk, Drtina, Horak, Heidrich2 and from the Soviet side Molotov and Bodrov (Soviet Counselor in Praha). The principal item of discussion was our participation at the Paris Conference, Stalin brought up first of all the questions which the governments of Yugoslavia, Poland and Rumania asked of Moscow before arriving at their decision. Both Stalin and Molotov did not conceal fact that they were surprised at the decision of the Czechoslovak Government in accepting the invitation to Paris. They emphasized their conviction that the real aim of the Marshall Plan and the Paris Conference is to create a western bloc and isolate the Soviet Union with loans which the initiators of the conference would not be able to grant and even if the loans should be granted sometime in the future by America they would not be without decisive limitations on the political and economic independence of the recipients. In view of this situation the Soviet Union would regard our participation as a break in the front of the Slav States and as an act specifically aimed against the USSR. Stalin declared that the question now under consideration involves our friendship with the USSR. There is no one in the Soviet Government who has any doubts about our friendship for the Soviets. However, our participation at Paris would be proof to the people of the USSR of the fact that we have allowed ourselves to be used as an instrument against the USSR, something which neither the Soviet public nor the Soviet Government could tolerate. Therefore, according to Stalin, we should withdraw our acceptance to participate and he thinks we could justify this action by pointing to the fact that the non-participation of the other Slav nations and the other eastern European states has created a new situation [Page 320] under which our participation could easily be aimed against the friendship with the Soviet Union and our other Allies.
Therefore, immediately call together all the members of the government within reach and inform them of the substance of our conference with Stalin and Molotov. We regard it as imperative that you agree to the withdrawal of our acceptance to joint conference at Paris and communicate it in such a way that it will reach here officially Thursday afternoon. In addition, telephone immediately your decision. We will bring a detailed report of the conference with us. Signed Gottwald, Masaryk, Drtina.”
I have learned that after a lengthy debate in the Cabinet a decision was reached to comply with Gottwald’s instruction; no vote was taken. The Cabinet is at present debating the text of the communiqué to be issued.
For obvious reasons I urge the Department to take every precaution to prevent the fact from becoming known that the Embassy has furnished the Department with the text of Gottwald’s message to the Czechoslovak Government.