The world’s mighty have just about finished plastering over the splotches left by the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. De Gaulle did not find it necessary even to mention Czechoslovakia in his customary review of the past year’s notable events. Following de Gaulle’s lead, President Nixon also omitted reference to Czechoslovakia when he urged Congress to ratify the nuclear nonproliferation treaty and announced his eagerness to resume arms control talks with Moscow. “Negotiations, not confrontations” with the Soviet Union was what he sought, he explained. If it weren’t for those irresponsible Czechs themselves, last summer’s embarrassing gaffe could be dropped from public records.
How different things were six months ago! All those fine big words about “Soviet aggression,” “reversion to Stalinism,” “heroic Czech people”!
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