Foreign Relations of the United States, 1977–1980, Volume XX, Eastern Europe

112. Telegram From the Department of State to the Mission to NATO and the Embassy in Czechoslovakia¹

Washington, October 27, 1979, 0015Z

279993. Subject: (U) Dissident Trial—US Response. Ref: A) State 277357; B) Prague 3720.²

1. (C-entire text).

2. The following are the steps which we are taking in response to the outcome of the trial of the six dissidents in Prague.³ We believe these steps will impress the Czechoslovak Government with the seriousness of our concern.

A. Return of Ambassador Meehan for consultations. We are asking Ambassador Meehan to return to Washington at his early convenience for about one week of consultations to discuss US-Czechoslovak relations in light of the trial.⁴

B. Press statement. The Department spokesman issued a strong statement condemning the trials and the unreasonably harsh sentences on October 24.⁵

C. Protest to Czechoslovak authorities. DAS Barry called in Czechoslovak Ambassador Johanes on October 25 to express strongly held US views about the trial.⁶ Ambassador Meehan was instructed to follow up in Prague.

D. Visits. We cancelled the visit to Prague of DAS Barry scheduled for November 5 and 6 and informed the Czechoslovak Government in Washington and Prague that the cancellation was a result of the trials.

3. For USNATO. Please advise the NAC of the steps we have taken and report steps taken by others.⁷

Christopher

1. Source: National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790491–0026. Confidential; Immediate. Also sent for information to Belgrade. Drafted and approved by Barry; cleared by Larrabee, Gilmore (EUR/EE), and Gharrison (EUR/RPM).
2. In telegram 277357 to Prague, October 24, the Embassy reported the comments made by Department Press Spokesman Hodding Carter at the October 24 press briefing regarding the trials of Czechoslovak dissidents. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790488–0250) In telegram 3720 from Prague, October 22, the Embassy recommended that the Department be prepared to take a position once the sentences were handed down. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790483–1159)
3. In telegram 3752 from Prague, October 24, the Embassy reported that the defendants were found guilty and sentenced to time in prison ranging between 2 and 5 years. The Embassy also reported that the sentences for Uhl, Havel, and Benda were lighter than requested by the prosecutor and an appeal by the prosecution was not excluded. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790487–0513) In telegram 3765 from Prague, October 24, the Embassy described the trial as “a new low in Czechoslovak jurisprudence” and that the defense lawyers had been timid and ineffective. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790487–1133)
4. In telegram 279940 to Prague, October 26, the Department wrote to Meehan “We have decided that it would be useful to consult with you on where we go in our relations with Czechoslovakia in the wake of the dissident trial” and that, after delivering a démarche on the trial to Czechoslovak authorities, Meehan should return to Washington. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790490–1051) In telegram 3799 from Prague, October 29, the Embassy reported that the Ambassador briefly discussed the trials with Jablonsky on October 26 at the Austrian National Day reception and set up an appointment at the Foreign Ministry for October 30. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790495–0258) During the October 29 press briefing, the Department publicized that Meehan had been recalled for consultations. (Telegram 282873 to Prague, October 30; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790496–0986) The next day, the Foreign Ministry canceled Meehan’s meeting with Jablonsky and Meehan left Prague without making an official démarche. Embassy Chargé Morton was called to the Foreign Ministry on October 30, where Sixth Department Director Jancik stressed that cancelation of the Meehan-Jablonsky meeting was due to USG statements on dissident trials. Reporting on the conversation in telegram 3860 from Prague, November 1, Morton suggested that, based on the tone rather than content of the presentation as well as reports from other Western Embassies in Prague, the Czechoslovak “MFA is clearly unhappy about effects of trial.” Morton also noted that while other Western diplomatic representatives “were out in less than 15 minutes,” following their meeting at the Foreign Ministry, “drafters of protest to US obviously emptied their files in searching for grievances to repeat.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790500–0586)
5. The statement was sent to the Embassy in telegram 277357 to Prague, October 24. The statement condemned the trials and the sentences given the dissidents and stressed that the Department would continue to speak out against violations of human rights “wherever they occur.” The statement concluded: “The human rights of Czechs and Slovaks and their freedom to exercise these rights have obviously been a matter of interest to some of Czechoslovakia’s neighbors who have had more than a little influence over the ‘internal affairs’ of that country, in particular during the past eleven years.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790488–0250)
6. Barry called Ambassador Johanes on October 26 to deliver the U.S. protest on the dissident trials. The Department reported the conversation in telegram 279131 to Prague, October 26. Barry told Johanes that the harsh sentences given the dissidents would affect the consultations the Department was having with Congress on a new claims/gold proposal. (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790490–0591) A week earlier Barry had cautioned Ambassador Johanes that Czechoslovak human rights behavior would affect the attitude in Congress toward any new proposal made by the Department on the claims/gold issue. (Telegram 274486 to Prague, October 19; National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790480–0963)
7. In telegram 3928 from Prague, November 7, the Embassy reported the reactions from other Western countries to the dissident trials in Czechoslovakia, noting that while some meetings were to go on as planned, several Western governments had canceled or postponed travel to Prague. The Embassy reported that visits were “hostage to likely reaction pending trial of four more dissidents. Consensus of NATO Chiefs of Mission is that regime has decided internal considerations heavily outweigh foreign policy.” (National Archives, RG 59, Central Foreign Policy File, D790517–1106)