European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 27, 1948, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Reporter in route Pilsen after dark Pilsen the United states government i and Public Haven t been exactly Shyin expressing their disapproval of the Way things have been running lately in Czechoslovakia but the attitude of the czechs toward the critics of their government is not unfriendly. An Amer ican is something of a curiosity in Pilsen these Days. Presumably the czechs Haven t seen Many of them or their automobiles since the government changed hands last month. On the streets adult passers by Stop in their tracks and stare and urchins screech in Monotone from across the Street hello Toots. How you possibly these Are local practices of Long standing having nothing to do with current political issues. On the level of politics the attitude seem rather More reserved. Just Down the Street from one of the numerous still draped memorials to Jan Masaryk is a Large sign announcing that a Monument was to be built on the site in Honor of the american soldiers who fell in liberating Pilsen. It was being sponsored by an organization called the. American Institute in Czechoslovakia. When i was in the Bank exchanging traveller s checks for crowns i asked the Teller who spoke very Good English what was with the Institute it does t exist any More lie told me. Closed  As with every one else i talked to in Pilsen conversation on anything resembling politics seemed to be the last thing he was interested in. I water found out that tie Bank clerk was wrong. The american Institute was still open and functioning when i visited them but they too were extremely Reti cent. They were  plans for the memorials on almost everything else. As i came out of the Institute a company of soldiers came swinging up the Street singing a marching song. They were a Motley group almost half invaded bluish uniforms about the color of the Ofaf s and the rest in what looked like British Battle dress. The military is very much in Evi Dence throughout the Bleak Gray Bohemian Countryside. Earlier As i was coming to terms with the finicky Cus Toms guard at the Border a patrol Farmed czech soldiers had come out of the Woods. Each of them had a pistol plus a Rifle or Tommy gun and plenty of ammunition they stopped and looked things Over but since their Job was apparently to keep people in rather than out of Czechoslovakia they Why Russia flirted with Germany continued from Page 10 fiction that the soviet Union was tenuously preparing itself for War and for All possibilities arising from it. Twas of course a very risky policy. But i insisted to my collaborators that  continue very reserved in their political attitude toward the soviet Union wailing patiently without com promising and that they should no give in to the very Active anti soviet propaganda then being spread in the West and. In America. After. I. Had obtained this confirmation of probable soviet intentions my political calculations on the participation of the soviet Union in the War against Germany became merely. Question of time. The question was whether it would happen As the communists supposed at the very end of the  i the form of a Revo Lution with the help of the German communists which i completely doubted or whether it would be As thought in the near future and without revolution. I directed All my subsequent activity according to this belief. At the endow january 1941 i invited the head of the polish government in exile Gen eral Wladyslaw Sikorski to visit our  units in  were then in the midst of negotiations for a czechoslovak poli Haccord. It. Was. A very suitable occasion to go Over thoroughly the whole problem of the War. This happened in a conversation lasting Long into the Early morning hours. For me the first. Question was our common. Policy toward the soviet Union. I told Gener Al Sikorski directly and frankly How i viewed the situation we must expect the soviet Union s participation in the War against Germany very soon must act accordingly and come to an agree ment with the soviet Union on the military conduct of the War. Sikorski s reaction considerably sur prised me and again proved to me How difficult would be an agreement be tween us. And the poles even in the Case of general Sikorski. He stood up began walking nervously around the room then stopped in front of. Rne almost in an attitude of military at Tention and with great Gravity declared what you Are saying would be a catastrophe for All of  nevertheless we went Over in detail the possibilities of the soviet Union s entry into the War. Sikorski expected some kind of repetition of the first world War. He thought England would stay in  against Germany and. To ult receive help from the unite states which would itself finally come into the War and put France Back units feet. For him the War and Victory 22 crossed the Road waving to the Cus Toms men and continued their patrol into the Woods. Just possibly they were out Hunting but the Bohemian rabbits must be pretty ferocious customers to warrant that kind of armament. Within the first Twenty or so kilo meters beyond the Border i counted Twenty three More. Armed  the inhabitants of Pilsen itself the czech gis seemed to be out numbered Only by their officers. If 1 understand the czech insignia of rank there Are probably More Middle aged lieutenants in the czech army than inane other military Force in the world. The saluting All of them did when the passed each other would have warmed the cockles of any constabulary lieu tenant s  he Pils Nefs paid Little attention tothe soldiers and their saluting. The Good citizens were scurrying about doing their afternoon shopping. The store windows Are full of goods electrical appliances stationery dolls toys except that very Little clothing is in Evi Dence and what there is seems to be pretty poor stuff. The food store s see fairly Well supplied and Are still featuring american canned goods from Nora tinned beef and Gravy corned beef hash the rest of the 10-in-l  Coffee was Selling for the equiv Alent of around three dollars a Pound and if it s the same As i had by the cup it s the biggest swindle in Pilsen.  like the worst French cafe National. The bread however is far better than the Frenchman s loaf. Most would be decided by the United  Britain and Poland he Felt must Orient themselves accordingly. Later when the soviet. Union was attacked by Germany Sikorski and Ith him the rest of the pole expected that Germany in its victorious March would crush the soviet Union. Then the United states and England they thought would crush Germany and with Poland establish a Victor Speace. At the Lime of our conversation january 26, 1941sikorski considered himself at War not Only with Germany but also with the soviet Union. He did riot even care to listen to any proposal for an Accord with the soviet  told him that England alone and perhaps even with the United states would not  to  with Germany without the soviet Union. I emphasize the geographical situation of both our countries and said that we poles and czechoslovak on the. Other Side of Europe could not win the. War with out the soviet Union. I failed to con a Vince  we returned to this discussion in Many personal conversations and we had quite serious quarrels Over it. Of. Korski never fundamentally " changed his views even when a year after Germany attack on the soviet Union he went to Moscow and began serious negotiations with Stalin for a soviet polish agreement at. That time his chief aim was to get tens of thousands of poles put of the soviet Union and into his army in the West. The other London poles were even More uncompromising and never changed their ideas on the second world War. This ended with the Complete collapse of the polish London front during 1943 and 1944.t he talk with Sikorsky and conversations. During the polish Czecho slovak negotiations made me realize the Basic conflict Between us. I was therefore very cautious in All negotiations with the London poles. I did not change my own opinions. First with Sikorski and then with Mikolajczyk i attempted Franny to persuade the that it was in their own interests to work for real agreement with the soviet  we received from Prague fully confirmed my expectations. The soviet Union still hoped to postpone participation in the War As Long As possible however during the Battle for England Hitler had failed to crush British resistance and Force England to make peace. The  then became obliged like it or not to note the desperate dilemma of Germany what would happen if the British still resisted continuously strengthened by Aid from the United states and if the , either for War or a great social Revo Lution should reach their maximum intensity while Britain was still in the. War. Of it is nearly White and there Are a Lotof variously shaped Rolls. Everything you can think of is rationed. The ration cards however Are not perforated so every waiter an shopkeeper carries a pair of scissors to snip out the coupons. The  Ness is booming in Czechoslovakia. Buildings except Public buildings Are unheated in the daytime. Czech Industry has first Call on the Coal. Pilsen  Skoda works bombed late in the War have been repaired and. Are going full blast again. They Are huge and sur rounded by a pretty thick Wall it take about five minutes to go the length of one Side of the works by Auto but  t see much from close up. From a distance it s apparent that Skoda could easily outstrip the Sunshine bakeries if it Ever came to a window count. A few years Back Skoda was. Among Europe s largest producers of arms and  being what they Are i thought it might be indiscreet to ask them what they were making but i did see several trucks and Small automobiles bearing the Skoda Mark on the Radiator Grill. Night life in Pilsen is practically non existent. Everything closes Down Early and the Pils Eners retire  is however one huge electric sign which would be spectacular evenly Broadway standards. It s a huge Neon Hammer and sickle mounted atop the local communist party Headquarters. It must be fully fifty feet across and it revolves slowly like a Beacon to All the Points of the Compass. Grace  v for Germany this was a catastrophic Outlook. Hitler As always at once made the fatal decision expecting with his inadequate political skill that he could somehow get out of the situation. Since the United states was not yet in the War he decided that he must forestall soviet military preparations and later soviet entry into the War by a Quick attack before soviet Power could be demonstrated in sufficient measure. And he hoped he. Could convince the Western Powers of soviet plans for world revolution and move them to make peace with Germany Toffee his hand in the East. Vichy France was undoubtedly willing to do this. At the beginning of March 1941colonel Moravec brought me in formation that Germany was pre paring to attack the soviet Union. Atthe same time we received very detailed information on German preparation against Yugoslavia  the Mussolini Hitler agreement to Divide Yugoslavia Between Germany and Italy. I immediately gave All this information to the yugoslav minister in London Subotich and warned Belgrade. This of course had no influence on the policy of Prince Paul. Long before Munich he had Beeton the other Side of the barricades. We received information on German preparations against the soviet Union More and More frequently. Finally atthe beginning of. March we received definite news in London the expedition against the soviet Union has already been definitely decided. Assoon As Germany finishes the yugoslav. Campaign at latest in the first half  there will be