"At 12 o'clock we'll leave for the front courtyard..." "ELECTIVE AFFINITIES" "Then a review of the Castle Guard will take place." "Then we'll have go back to the Castle for a little rest to wait for the official delegation..." "Yesterday comrades from the General Staff came to see me from the Ministry of Defence, from the Military Academy..." "They thanked the Committee, Dubèek being unable to receive them, for us having elected you as the President." "The Army was and remains my love." "And who else?" "I think the Pioneers, the Youth Union, farmers, workers, intellectuals, right across the social spectrum." "The entire republic, from Dukla to Aš, as they say." "A strange position to be in." "Can't be helped." "And future generations..." "We must prepare the ground for them, complete our tasks well." "What's up, lads?" "They're shooting a documentary." "That's a mistake!" "Don't put us up against the people." "Can't help it." "They're foolhardy." "10 days with Dubèek, Šik, Smrkovský, Goldstücker" "Císaø, Èerník, Svoboda and others between March 15th and 30th, 1968." "6 hrs 20 minutes of recording was made with a 16 mm camera, from which this picture was compiled showing the two weeks preceding the election of the President of Czechoslovakia" "Review of the Guard is coming up." "Then upstairs to the official salons." "We'll meet after the parade." "Afterwards we'll go to the castle." "I need to talk to you." "Have they announced it?" "They announced the abdication of President Novotný." "Damn..." "How do you assess the situation?" "Looking forward to it." "Looking forward?" "Really?" "It is a process of renaissance." "We just mustn't lose." "It mustn't get over to the other side." "It's very clever." "It has the necessary communist ethics." "Yes, with a new face." "It was a difficult time for comrade Novotný." "But he should have realized all this long ago." "Why didn't he?" "He lived apart from real life, from the real situation, in the personal conviction that he was being wronged," "that we aren't behaving correctly towards him, that the communist ethic is neglected." "But we were determined to achieve it all without any earth-shattering problems." "Those were wonderful times, I as an ordinary communist could ask questions on ideology about the party programme." "I could ask at the Central Committee!" "Most people never heard of such a thing." "We remember comrade Smrkovský in 1945." "The rumours about who was arrested..." "Nobody told us what people had done... I think that this process..." "As I said at the beginning, that as a woman, I feel this as a very humane party." "Thank you!" "I'll answer questions as they come, so let's get going." "Let's begin with what the comrade said." "It's connected with what comrade Jodas said." "General statements were made of the kind we had never dared make." "I have examples here." "He was one of the worst." "Whenever anyone said anything he made him into an "anti"." "You spoke of progressive forces saying in your mind the word progressive always comes with "progressive paralysis"." "is that the way to speak about our leading functionaries who want to deal with decisions of the Central Committee." "But if people make statements that can't be proved..." "Novotný did that sort of thing often." "It could all have happened quite peacefully had he not made such a fuss about protecting labourers." "Why this 3-day political course?" "!" "This is the first in Prague, nobody dares say all this aloud so it is progressive to start working things out." "Bring new ideas into the workplace." "We need to get people focused, to get them to think for themselves not all express one and the same opinion, we must get all this going." "Will we go for it?" "Yes, time is priceless." "When it was being decided at the Party Central Committee that this whole process of democratization it didn't come from the communist Presidium but from the members of the Central Committee, one from Prague, one from Ostrava, from a factory," "some from a village..." "They all spoke independently, not knowing what who would be saying." "This was a common thought based on experience, no arrangements made beforehand." "In fact we should have had some concept prepared." "We have to catch up on that now." "03:08 No, nothing was "prepared ahead of time"." "Don't ask me about the putsch and all that, but I must speak of the Jews again." "I'm ashamed of the fact and I'll tell you, comrade Jodas" "I want to tell you!" "Your article stinks of the ideology left behind by the Germans, your pamphlet is full of anti-semitic dirt!" "I'll tell you about the Jews!" "There are practically none left in Czechoslovakia." "And they fought in the army with Svoboda too, when our unit went into the battle of Sokolovo, five hundred of those men were Jews!" "And this group went into the first lines!" "Half of them died there, died in battle." "Yes, I am pleased with this meeting, pleased every time." "If we don't make it work they'll kick us out in 6 months!" "The nation wants to know where we are going, what about the national economy, everything." "That represents fantastic capital when a socialist country starts making its own decisions." "The strength of millions lies in that!" "I declare plenary meeting of the Unions Central Council open." "I welcome the Premier, comrade Èerník" "and the Minister of Finance Sucharda." "Today we shall begin talks about the government proposals..." "Damn, what is it?" "Concerning the living standards... lt's not working, someone cut it." "So I'll shout." "We'll talk about the proposals the living standard, shorter work-hours." "That's a problem." "Why don't they answer our specific questions." "We subsidize one ton of coal by 200 crowns." "A miner gets 7 tons out a day." "7 tonnes!" "In fact, we subsidise with 1 400 crowns per miner." "So can you imagine that, the problems." "The journalist isn't interested in that." "If you suggest reconstructions of the mines which would decrease the loss to a third, then they criticize you." "So they did not answer?" "The politbureau decided to make trucks, which will increase the amounts of rolled metal going through the factory 32 times." "Any explanation from the experts?" "No." "No, I spent two hours with comrade Novotný, we said it was nonsense." "I had spoken to comrade Khrushchev and he agreed with me, did I get a telling-off for having spoken to him!" "Would you mind for a minute?" "We've a comrade there..." "You'll get the official party statement for the radio any minute." "It'll be any minute now." "Information for the Unions Central Council, in order that others aren't in know, from the Press..." "The President will be sending a letter to the national assembly, one hour before that the radio will get the report and then you'll be able to read the letter." "What?" "We are working on the government proclamation." "Yes, please tell me about it." "Yes, Èerník speaking." "is comrade Dubèek around?" "Hello Sasha, this is Èerník." "I've got the material ready." "All right, but that can't be published." "No, I don't think there's any danger." "No, there's quite a difference there." "Yes." "All right." "Yes, I said I'd be coming." "When I come back?" "Yes, I'll ring you." "Be seeing you." "So we botched it up again." "Out of good will, for the union people not to hear about it from the radio or from someone else, I said I'd be at their meeting and I'll tell them." "Whom?" "Unions Central Council!" "The unions made a resolution that he is to abdicate." "I told them that he'd do it today." "But we're not used to all the journalists." "As soon as I said that, it was out and through the media all over the world!" "So they probably know sooner in France than here!" "So let us talk about the action programme." "How is it going?" "When they realise two options..." "Comrade Jan Krlek i here." "Tell him to wait." "Only for the Bohemia Club!" "Lojza, you been celebrating?" "No." "Only if it was for Bohemians!" "The government will take over the function of President." "They mustn't resign or we wouldn't have anyone." "They might have a tip." "Theoretically anyone can be elected." "But in practice we end up with 10 - 15 people who are investigated as possible candidates." "Do you have a private opinion?" "Yes, we are people with opinions." "If it's off the record we can tell you." "Depends in the character we wish to give the presidency." "If it's to be a representative function it'll come down to a different set of people should it be as it used to be..." "And it shouldn't be, there's a wider choice." "And it shouldn't be, there's a wider choice." "I remember..." "When I was commander in Kromìøíž" "Once left a unit waiting in the yard and went to look at their dormitories." "In two dormitories 12 beds were pulled apart, I called in the man on duty and he reported with pride that the beds hadn't been made properly." "All twelve of them so untidy you had to pull them apart?" "Not all of them, but they have to pull together!" "I said you stay here, I'll get the men in." "I want you to make the 12 beds!" "And we'll tell the soldiers next time they'll be this tidy!" "The man nearly knelt before me." "He said he'd lose face if he made their beds." "I said all right, we'll wait outside." "How long does it take?" "30 minutes." "We waited in the yard and then we came in." "He thought we wouldn't come." "But we arrived in tandem." "I showed them the beds." "They were made up most untidily!" "I told the boys the beds had been weren't right, the corporal had to do them all again!" "From now on they must be ship-shape like this!" "They all started criticizing those beds!" "This incident was the talk of the regiment!" "And the corporals stopped pulling beds apart in fear of having to make them up again and be criticized by the soldiers..." "May I?" "l'm not throwing you out!" "l know you have other duties..." "But the authority of the army has not diminished, on the contrary." "Couldn't get inside." "It was that full." "I couldn't get to the platform." "A lot of political activity here." "(talking in German)" "We'll continue next Wednesday." "In the large hall, at the Congress Palace." "I didn't have much of a life but I did achieve some things." "But I didn't come here to tell you that." "Now I'm killing myself for progress and you're telling me that what I'm saying is demagogical?" "I consider that truly uncultured." "Those of us who think they belong to the intelligentsia should re-think." "Thank you." "This just came in:" ""We are not interested in the questions you choose to answer!"" "We select the questions so there's no repetition." "Some questions have already been answered, prior to the question coming up." "Next." "How can a word like humanism have the opposite meaning to what it did last year?" "Even when expressed by the same lips?" "!" "I wonder whom the writer of this question meant." "I meant the condemnation of the writers' speeches..." "The writers who will be rehabilitated will be taken back into the Central Committee." "After all they were proposed democratically." "It might not be too late." "The situation will be progressing swiftly." "There's no postponing it till autumn." "Yes, the conference could straighten out the Union." "It must be co-ordinated, to settle the main issues at least." "It's not a good thing to expel them, I explained why." "But they were expelled anyway." "I lifted my hand too, you know, when they expelled people." "But I felt ashamed." "You say: turn to the people, but we didn't have a chance." "We had to wait for things to ripen for the Central Committee majority to stand up for progress." "It took time." "People differ." "Realise that even Central Committee was influenced by some choice." "Only a few progressive ones." "I want to talk about the economy, let us drop the political problems now, but I do want to say we often saw and people felt it," "people were chosen for functions according to - the "will you support me or not" aspect." ""Will you improve my position or not."" "Such criteria for choosing colleagues, according to the personal support, that was typical for the whole of society from top to bottom." "We verified this several times." "We were the first to apply, at the Central Committee, first thing in the morning, and were only given leave to speak next day or not at all." "Same thing at the party Congress, all discussion points pre-arranged." "The Congress was more of a gala affair." "They magnanimously let me speak last but one which had little if any effect, too late to influence the words of those before me, and yet I had showy applause." "But afterwards comrade Novotný told Kolder:" ""l shouldn't have let him speak, you urged me to let him."" "I'm very sincere about what I shall say now." "I am hoping for our country and nation to get a better president than me." "No, nonsense." "That's not the issue!" "People are very worried." "That is nonsense." "There is no surfeit of buying power." "We only need to produce more of some and less of the other." "People worry about a financial reform." "No, nonsense." "Thanks, goodbye!" "What?" "He was a journalist." "Ever think of the National House?" "What is your programme today?" "My programme?" "Yes." "I have two more hours for this and then back to ministerial business." "When will you go to bed?" "As usual, about midnight." "I think most people know me." "It is hard to talk about myself." "I've been talking progressively before this." "I spoke out at a time when it was difficult." "They'll ask about Novotný..." "That he isn't speaking at all, that things aren't working..." "They're expecting an abdication speech people will be curious." "You'll have to say what should be said." "So let's get going." "It should be in our party." "Those people who were so great..." "Great courage was necessary, they were accused of wanting disruption in the party." "As if disruption was a bridge to power!" "How is that?" "Let's do it this way..." "We agree with the manner" "in which the Central Committee approaches..." "to the development of democracy..." "No, we want to mention discussions." "That we agree with them taking place so that nobody says we don't." "We take discussions..." "l wouldn't say it that way..." "Actually the whole nation is one debating-society." "We agree with the manner... lt's not only the Central Committee that's talking." "The whole nation is discussing ideology." ""We agree with open discussions"." "Yes, that's right." "We agree with open discussions..." "For those in the big black cars." "We are communists too, and ailing, but we walk, it's healthier..." "When we said they are becoming estranged the comrade chairman from the municipal committee said:" "Comrades, we don't want our leaders and officials to walk around in rags." "We wanted good pay for good work everywhere." "And then at the next meeting nobody said we weren't well off and they told us the living standard was improving." "That was another thing." "And when the prices went up a comrade came to our meeting." "He used to be a cadre at the state farm." "He explained about the advantages of having prices go up." "It must be steered... lt must be steered responsibly..." "We devoted lots of time to this and now are we to run away only because a few clowns start shouting?" "We are sorry about court trials against anti-state centres, the Strahov events too." "But on principle we shall stand up proudly for what was achieved." "We're all sick of all that, we know what was legal and now when you read it, we behaved like the Gestapo." "That we must condemn." "Because that's terrible." "Let's say that we do care about that." "Or say they shamed our party." "If we want the things that are good we must first eliminate the bad." "No need to be specific we can just say that in general..." "Let's do it like that!" "This afternoon I'll be writing a speech... lf it's cleverly used, it'll be true..." "This is the harvest period, for the film people." "Let's have lunch now..." "Afterwards I'm to call up some people." "I'm working on the final version for the Central Committee plenary session." "So we'll talk afterwards, right?" "We're off to lunch." "We'll be here." "And he knows about you?" "An excellent idea." "I'd go, and who else?" "Comrade Šik?" "Šik's coming on Tuesday." "He doesn't have to go." "Pavel Kohout." "He's coming as well." "Hanzelka?" "You sure pick the right people!" "I'd like somebody to be there with me." "If it's the students then we want somebody from the intelligentsia." "I'm not their spokesman." "Conservative communists, in the industrial quarter." "It's just wonderful, I beg you young people to bring back old glory to the workers' sessions because the official guys sure make us feel ashamed." "You have the chance to set things right." "So that's agreed." "Thanks for the interview." "We'll just settle some details..." "Yes." "Yes?" "Hello." "I wanted to express my support..." "Exactly, because we..." "My wife reminded me last night..." "Marie Švormová rang..." "...to help cope with present burdens." "Marie Švormová rang..." "...to help cope with present burdens." "Should you feel very down I'll come over." "Right." "Take care." "Thanks." "We don't want to repeat the old stuff." "Right." "It just sounds like a call for improvement" "and we don't want that." "We'll try." "What else?" "Then there's the last paragraph." "We'll repeat it at the end and express empathy for comrade Dubèek and the new trend he represents." "There'll be some voices raised..." "These things should be put differently." "Things started moving here in Prague." "Aren't you afraid things'll get out of hand here?" "Today?" "l mean here in Prague." "I think it's pretty well under way." "What do you mean, out of hand?" "Off to where we don't want to go." "Where we don't want to go... I am worried how it'll go today." "We are overcrowded in this wing, please, proceed to the right wing where you will hear..." "Any of the organisers present?" "You managed to get in, after all!" "Smrkovský's quite a speaker." "Are you staying on?" "Until next week." "ls it interesting for you?" "Yes, very." "How much have you written about all this?" "Hang on..." "Comrade Marie Švermová." "Minister Josef Smrkovský." "Gustav Husák, vice-chairman." "Prof. Ota Šik." "Prof. Eduard Goldstücker." "Pavel Kohout, writer." "Jan Procházka, writer." "Are you coming home?" "Shall we travel together?" "I'll get my papers." "The union of anti-fascist fighters commented the matter of Professor Hagara." "There's great bitterness about it." "One resolution after the other." "A thoughtless step." "He expressed fear about developments in Czechoslovakia." "He is even drawing conclusions..." "Yes, we asked for the official document and we want to answer Hagara." "Nobody is going to interfere in whom to name or not." "You know I was always an optimist!" "The official attitude, the official government attitude must be stated in public." "Should that not come about I would have to speak myself tonight." "One more thing..." "The official report should be written for the press." "That the Minister of Foreign Affairs received the GDR ambassador to tell him the negative attitude towards this matter which does not correspond with our mutual relationships." "It is necessary to write down that the Secretariat approves of the text to the letter from Karel Matìjka who accused the writers of insulting the working class" "That some writers attack the working class." "Take down the official minutes report to the Czechoslovak Press Centre, for the press, radio and television." "All right?" "I'd like to see it." "Make sure Czech News Agency gets it." "We want the public informed that we reacted." "During the big meetings these things were said right out." "And now that we need to tidy up this democratization process." "we need some comrades to speak again." "I didn't want any more public speeches to influence things further, but I'll do this." "Yes." "Happy to." "I think it would be sensible." "It's like going against the current, but I'll do it." "Will you leave us alone now, boys?" "Another minute, it's interesting." "Interesting, yes." "It'll be even more interesting when you leave." "Our party is turning to the public..." "Greetings." "I called you in, it's a bit sudden." "I wanted to ask you this... I'd wanted to keep the day free, I looked forward to Teacher's Day." "When I worked at the regional office we always had such a good rapport, human, and as communists..." "Now we had a meeting, I couldn't come so I had to write to them. lt was such an opportunity to talk to them." "I was so sorry I couldn't go." "You saved the situation, I couldn't cut these talks short" "..." "Central Committee assembly plans." "l must tell you about it." "I saluted them on behalf of the CC of the party, and personally, your letter, which I read, was accepted with great enthusiasm and even after it was over the old teachers told me..." "Do you remember old teacher Václav Pøíhoda?" "Do you remember old teacher Václav Pøíhoda?" "Císaø!" "Císaø!" "Shall we sing for you?" "We haven't had a drink yet and you'd sing?" "Don't listen in!" "Did it smoke?" "This is the first time at the Rudolphinum." "The Carolinum is under reconstruction?" "Remember how we got together the fountain?" "Frágner." "And Makovský!" "Some mistake." "That wasn't me." "But we did the Carolinum..." "And all that together!" "I know about it from the Castle ideology Council., but I didn't..." "You remember Novotný's footbridge and B. Smetana's museum..." "You must have had a council for that." "We put the whole idea through." "And what'll come out of that fountain?" "What can come out of a fountain in Prague?" "!" "At the Carolinum it should be Karlstejn wine!" "We have our own Karlštejn grape." "ln memory of Charles iv.!" "Louder!" "Allow me to hand over a letter from the Czechoslovak Youth Union:" "a unanimous decision was made to propose as President:" "Dr." "Èestmír Císaø." "Thank you." "We are getting many proposals." "Let me read some..." "Telegram from YU with a proposal for President of Czechoslovakia:" "The Central Committee of the Youth Union, who use their right to make the proposal." "In view of the young people's conception of the personality of the President, we propose Dr. Èestmír Císaø." "...as President of the Republic - Dr. Èestmír Císaø." "That's All." "Young people consider him to be an educated politician, a fighter for the ideals of socialist humanism." "Young people consider him to be an educated politician, a fighter for the ideas of socialist humanism." "Others proposed their candidates so we said let's propose ours too!" "Nobody will be angry with us because of that." "It'll be the national assembly that decides." "And we'll support whoever is elected." "Whoever is elected?" "!" "No..." "We think the right man will be elected." "And we find all the candidates nice." "So, we can afford to say even such things." "How right that there are several candidates." "We proposed Císaø." "A pleasant man, never cross, an intelligent and diligent person." "Top-class and tenacious man." "Highly qualified too." "But that doesn't mean the other comrades aren't good." "They are great, we support them all." "Hello, Jirka." "Hello." "I shouldn't have left the house today." "On the contrary, this is great!" "Everyone'll be after you now." "The evening paper Veèerní Praha wrote..." "Not aware of that." "I had accepted the candidature - nonsense." "On the contrary, I warned the young people not to stand me up against..." "Congratulations!" "We looked forward to having a pal as President." "I explained I think they must reconsider." "These youngsters made their decision about us without us!" "Come on to the steps!" "Up there!" "We're here in order that finally we're not just left with promises." "...not only let Novotný resign for health reasons he'd be getting a president's salary." "He's got millions by now." "They want to do as they like..." "But we're not that stupid any more..." "Now that things are changing for the better here, the socialist countries don't want it to spread to them." "They were sort of embarrassed." "There's nothing worth envying, it'll be hard." "Are they taking photographs?" "Just say it, they record it." "Say something wise, please." "They push it at us so we can let out things we don't mean to." "I already did!" "Everyone has the right to a better life, so that when the bell rings early in the morning he knows it can only be the milkman!" "Not a policeman!" "That's what we've got to fight for!" "Císaø!" "Císaø!" "Television's taking us!" "Let them see we're not satisfied!" "They've done lots of evil things and have to go!" "Honest people must follow!" "There must also be non-party members!" "When their positions are endangered they're capable of anything." "They are political prostitutes!" "They have to go!" "Presidential elections should be postponed for things to become clear and not for them to do as they like!" "That would be spitting the nation in the face!" "Smrkovský was one too and he's a candidate today!" "Let deputies demand a vote of confidence in their areas!" "We want to vote for the programmes!" "We want to elect new members of parliament, so the old ones who shouted hell till now will be kept out!" "Do you think it's that simple, to ring up and say come?" "lmpossible." "Please excuse me with your young people." "This can't be pushed forwards like that, I'm busy these days." "We never had such problems before." "The situation has been saved." "I mobilized all possible means." "I can't speak the way you want me to." "You know the army better than I do." "If you want to place it on my tongue, all right." "But I can't speak for myself." "A few words will suffice." "Excuse me?" "A few words." "Our army has high qualities, they are capable of fulfilling tasks" "given by the Warsaw pact." "One can observe in various places many small or large deficiencies." "You know all about that." "I heard about boys returning from the army criticizing it, speaking about it like Švejk." "We have many political workers there who are not up to standard." "They don't care about their education." "But even if these people were good they wouldn't do these days." "We must get a special TV programme for them." "What is it called?" "Their own sector?" "Channel!" "We have many good men cultural and political sections." "But they must do other things than lecture here and there." "If we have our own channel and talk to the whole army if there are questions tomorrow we can answer on the third day..." "lt's broadcasting time you want." "Sorry?" "Question of time." "No, their own channel, and the army would see to the young people." "I've been wanting this for a long time." "I'm angry that they discontinued the army daily and gave them a weekly." "The candidate proposed by the Communist Party and then to the National Assembly is General Ludvík Svoboda." "The two other candidates suggested by the public," "Smrkovský and Císaø, joined in the Central Committee proposal and resigned from their candidature." "The proclamation published by cultural workers particularly on the characteristics" "necessary for the President saying they are against a soldier being President, they stress the General's age" "and suggest another solution..." "I have to tell you because I must." "Or I'd be told off by Karel Ptáèník." "That the other candidates proposed are:" "Goldstücker, Císaø, Smrkovský." "This happened without my knowledge, I appreciate it but it is of manifestation character only and should it have any realistic result." "Otherwise I would have to adopt a different attitude." "This is the state of affairs, comrades." "Let us have your opinions." "The Central Committee session is still on." "The politbureau is in session today." "They are expecting reminders from us." "Now in this critical time..." "So we must react to these facts..." "Central Committee meets at 5." "Comrade Jariš and then Otèenášek." "The other artistic unions do not fully understand our situation." "They think our President must have the sort of power the United States president does." "That is not so." "I think the proposal for Svoboda the most sensible, he is capable of bringing our two nations together." "I see no reason to change my opinion." "I see no reason..." "Since we drafted the proclamation we knew that it wasn't the person of the president but a question of method by which the new President is elected." "I have an oppressive feeling that the first big political decision is being made in the criticized old methods." "Why does the presidency have to be decided on within hours?" "That is an unhealthy phenomenon." "We should not put our commitment to persons but to this fact." "Are you filming us?" "Why don't you introduce yourselves?" "If it had any connection with this meeting I'd think it funny." "Sing for us!" "Unpleasant thing when he gets into such a situation blamelessly." "Those folk want an article and some views along with it." "We are fighting for the development of schools, more schools to help the economy." "My daughter recognizes you on TV by your voice." "But you shouldn't get so angry." "My daughters say that too." "The way they criticized me!" "But they set matters right with a kiss." "Hanka said:" "He got so angry, he must have been mad at something!" "You're well in with the kids." "They'll vote for you." "The young'uns." "Electioneering?" "My daughter recognises his voice." "She said:" "Mum, Mr. Smrkovský is speaking again!" "And that's my little one." "But now we want less passion, comrades!" "Aren't we talking sense, then?" "lt just has to settle down." "Proper work back on the agenda." "May God move our patriotism from mouth to hands!" "May God move our patriotism from mouth to hands!" "Exactly what we meant!" "Let's vote!" "Discussion to continue or should we come to a decision?" "We want to vote!" "Let us vote on the original proposal." "National Assembly decision by which method it elects the President in the Vladislav Hall on March 30th, 1968." "Those in favour will lift their hands." "Thank you." "Who is against the motion?" "Nobody." "Who abstained?" "Nobody." "The proposal is accepted unanimously." "The renaissance chandeliers were removed..." "The column capitals will hold searchlights, to light up the vaulted ceiling the light travelling upwards to create that monumental architectural effect." "I know nought about carpentry just pointing out the chandeliers." "The podium has been set up here for the speakers." "Hello, comrade." "Here are the screens..." "l must see how things work..." "We'll be standing about timing it all." "So that's how it works." "I too think... it would have been difficult to find a better candidate." "Of course!" "What are we saying?" "How indiscreet!" "When women talk it's a state secret." "A woman at the tram told me" ""l'm a non-party member but for you, choose Svoboda, he's a man for us all."" "On our State farm it's unanimous." "He's a patriot." "The problem of other parties won't be so difficult." "Here he is!" "Your signature, please." "I was just thinking this is the way they talked in Paris after the Thermidor." "But we're having no Thermidor here!" "They listen to what the members are saying." "And that's fine." "We must also mention that in the last decade when the president was simultaneously first party secretary people pointed out all the mistakes made." "Are you coming to vote too?" "Yes, with a clear conscience." "And a peaceful mind!" "With firm conviction." "Please..." "But there is a difference between members of parliament." "Also whether they are paid for their jobs or not." "I'm one of those not paid!" "How'll they go back?" "Pull up the scaffolding." "How can we get hold of it?" "Do you want to tip it further?" "We'll cover it. lt won't show." "We'll turn round with it." "No need." "It's a bit confusing." "Numbering them 1 - 300 would have been simpler." "We're no great organizers either!" "I heard you on TV, comrade Pacner." "They got hold of me, so, I Told them the way it is." "You put it very well." "Just was coming up here." "I came out from the secretariat." "Your stance is all mashed up." "Stop all that now!" "They are filming!" "l know." "I'm asking about General Svoboda." "At what distance does it record?" "Depends on the setting." "Up to 10 metres." "Wow." "In the street, walking 10 metres behind a person..." "What make is it?" "It doesn't work from car to car?" "In 1958 I reminded Khrushchev of these things." "Moskalenko and Marshal Koniev were there." "I asked him to improve these relationships that there would be ever greater problems" "but they took no notice at first." "Now I was there for the 50th anniversary they both told me that first day at dinner that they remember my suggestions of 1958..." "He favours the Tøebíè region." "In Council he wouldn't hear a bad word." "He was persecuted there and worked as a bricklayer." "These are the presidential elections and we're talking about farming!" "Sensible." "People are tiring." "We keep it in an old hayloft that's all wood." "Talk about something, they're shooting this." "What shall I say, we're good friends, you tell them!" "We're talking about all sorts of things." "When you've finished come and talk to me!" "Even university students support us now." "Come when you've thought it out." "Brno must be especially acknowledged, it's size..." "The Great Moravian impact." "We'll work it out." "Put it inside..." "Let's see... lt's ruined if it falls out." "It's ruined if it falls out." "At this moment he stood up chairman of the National Assembly." "The members of parliament are standing up, looking towards where General Ludvík Svoboda sat, on seat no. 1 72." ""The National Assembly of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic has elected you President of the Republic."" ""l promise on my honour and conscience to be true to the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and to Socialism." "I shall fulfil my duties according to the will of the people and in their interests shall tend the good of the Republic preserving the constitution and laws of the Socialist State." "So it worked out after all." "I wish you good health and may we enjoy our labours together." "Ludvík, good health to you!" "From all my heart, comrade!"