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BOX-FOLDER-REPORT: 15-5-67
TITLE:             Czechoslovakia Adheres to Russian Coexistence Policy; Deprecates Dogmatic-Leftist Views
BY:                Baldassari
DATE:              1960-7-8
COUNTRY:           Czechoslovakia
ORIGINAL SUBJECT:  Czechoslovak Unit

--- Begin ---

RFE EVALUATION AND
ANALYSIS DEPARTMENT
Czechoslovak Unit
1960

News Background

CURT-CZECHOSLOVAKIA ADHERES TO RUSSIAN COEXISTENCE POLICY:
DEPRECATES DOGMATIC-DEFTIST VIEWS F-221

Munich, July 8 (Baldassari) -- Czechoslovakia has made it
unmistakably clear that it fully supports Khrushdev's coexistence
policy.

A page-long "Rude Pravo" article (July 2) and the
resolution of the just-ended Party conference leave no doubts as to
whose side Czechoslovakia is taking in the ideological rift that
has developed in the Soviet bloc.

The "Rude Pravo" article, written by top Communist and
deputy editor-in-chief of the paper, Dr. Cestmir Cisar, all but
mentions the Chinese Communists by name as it chastises, in a
number of passages, the leftist-dogmatists within the Soviet bloc
who advocate the inevitability of war. While rejecting the theory
that there has been a change in the nature of capitalism it
maintains that "those leftists are not right either who stick
dogmatically to the tenet of the inevitability of wars until imperialism
is destroyed completely....."

The author fully agreed with the decisive Moscow "Pravda"
article of last month which was a verbal slap at the Chinese and
strong suggestion if not a directive to get back into the "centrist"
ideological ranks. In reviewing Lenin's book, "Left-wing Communism:
An Infantile Disorder", "Rude Pravo" said, the Russian newspaper
"criticized the assertions of the contemporary leftists within the
international Communist movement who contradict Leninisn". These
leftists were described as those who "underestimate the enormous
changes which have taken place and are taking place in the world,
(are) afraid of imperialism and brandishing of weapons, (do) not
have confidence in the policy of peaceful coexistence, (do) not
believe in the strength and ability of socialism, to prove its
superiority in peaceful competition with capitalism".

The leftist-dogmatists' approach to the East-West struggle
was characterized as simplified, not corresponding to the "much
more diverse and multiform" approach of the socialist camp led by
the Soviet Union with a decisive emphasis on economic competition.
The socialist camp understood peaceful coexistence and competition
as one of the forms of class struggle, the most acceptable and
most realistic under present conditions.

Also, the dogmatists' view that all imperialists are the

[page 2]

CURT - 1 CZECHOSLOVAKIA ADDRES F-222

CZECHOSLOVAK & BACKGROUND REPORT, 8 JULY 1960,

same and that negotiations with them on any subject can only be
of propaganda value was deprecated. "Rude Pravo" maintained that
there was a difference between a capitalist who wanted to compete
in peace and one who wanted to compete only in astomic destruction,

Conference Resolution Promises Fight Against Dogmatists

The Party conference resolution published July 7 also pledges
allegiance to Khrushchev and promises to fight against left-wing
dogmatism. Support of peaceful coexistence did not mean, however,
that "the aggressive acts of West German revanchists" would be
tolerated --a stipulation for peaceful coexistence which
Czechoslovakia never fails to make when treating of this subject,

In essence, the "Rude Pravo" article is a firm declaration
that the Soviet bloc will continue to pursue an opportunistic, but
peaceful, policy in international affairs. It exudes confidence in
the military superiority of the East but maintains that the bloc
does not want to prove the superiority on the battlefield and that
there are increasing signs that the West is beginning to see the
hopelessness of trying to destroy socialism by war. "Rude Pravo"
states that it is apparent, furthermore, that the time is coming
when the socialist camp will be able to compel the imperialists
to sit down to realistic and constructive Negotiations. The time
was now, however, to compete peacefully with the West and to exploit
the deep conflicts not only between bourgeoisie and proletariat but
also within the bourgeoisie.

End

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