European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 3, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Waits a --t.? in on the main streets of Prague youths gather in the night hopefully restlessly waiting for word breathing the Heady air of change. Czechs queue Pluy papers or read them in window displays. On into the night ignoring pretty girls waiting on benches czechs gather to discuss to question to by Mary Ann Reese staff writer Czechoslovakia is Don t go \4 Home when the Sun sets these Days. They re too excited and there s too much to say. They stand by the hundreds in clusters on the main streets of Prague talking excitedly about what s happening. The talk until Midnight and even later. Visitors to smaller villages say it s the same thing there. Beaming Little old ladies up Long Pas their bedtime stand guard Over Large ledgers where throngs of czechs wait to photos by Jim Cole sign their names in big bold letter showing their support of Alexander dub Cek and his bid for a Freer Czechoslovakia. There s no talk of fear. Only of  re like the Young married couple haying their first baby said one czech philosophy student. When the wife is in the Hospital the husband is very Ner Vous and wants to talk. We Are very nervous while our baby is being  could be a new stalinism. It could be  the czechs Are betting on the  Hope they must believe that rus Sia will not risk another Hungary. The believe instead the soviets will use an economic squeeze or other Means to Dis courage them. If they come with guns in the streets it will be too bad said another Stu Dent. The reasonable people will Sta Home. The unreasonable people will be shot in the streets. And Czechoslovakia will lose her finest  manifestations of new freedoms Are everywhere in Prague. Artists for the first time in 20 years Are allowed to set up their works for Sale along the Beautiful and ancient St. Charles Bridge and Young musicians Strum their guitars and sing in loud if a Little off key voices their versions of Western Folk songs. Czechs walk the streets Reading newspapers including the Western press previously their Only paper  was a British communist Poge 12 a Xiv in a a Vrtar x but in warm summer afternoons there is also time to Admire Prague and a girl. Paper and with an ear close to latest czech news broadcasts hungry for any new word. It used to be that we had to re Lyon voice of America or american forces network for news of what was going on said one Prague native. Now those networks Don t give us enough news. We get More details from our own radios and , after two decades pictures have popped out All Over of a Bald Man with huge White Mustache and Goatee and Little round spectacles. Pictures of him on a horse or close up portraits. There s no need to write his name on the photo. All czechoslovakian know it is Thomas Garrigue Masaryk foun Der and first president of Czechoslovakia from 1919 to 1935an ardent lib eral and Democrat. Postcard photos of him sell Side by Side with Dubcek.  fading Chalk message scrawled on the Side of a Prague store reads this is our Home. We like it Here. Please help us keep our City  the russians off the streets. I is an obvious reference to the weeks when the russian soldiers through Winima Nevers in Czechoslovakia Cou Wai bring themselves to leave. And students privately Tell their rus Sian jokes. Ill Tell you what the Kus Sian mind is said one. Iou say to him my in t the sky Black today Avahell look quickly through Prada Ana through his Lenin and through his other papers. And if he can t find anywhere where it says my in t the sky , he will Tell you he Doorn t know. Still an occasional old fear is Maul i. Some old timers Don t like being graphed in downtown group Dis is and they shake their Finger at  older factory worker sipping a in his pub after work said things been bad for 20 years under rus ind five years before that under Jit now he says his face lighting now things will be much better for  Young Man seated next to him led the Man and whispered for him quiet. Later it care out the Young was with the criminal detective by. After a few Beers however detective whispered that there was estion puzzling him Why is it that Western papers support what wedding but in East Germany they support us a topically Prague has been a Cross is for East and West. And it was rally so this past week. Tourism never been so Good. Prague hotels filled and overflowing and even ent Hostel Beds were hard to come piling a moment of history in the ing tourists have forsaken their be and Cathedral Hunting and flocked is the Border. Cars from new Jer from Texas the Netherlands West Many Italy Britain jammed Prague sets. So flocking to Prague were visitors other Iron curtain countries. You in t pause for an ice Cream with Brandy Topping under the old town clock without running into visitor Yugoslavia Poland East Germany Russia. I he papers said the russian Tours and in hundreds of ledgers account books czechs sign up to Back their government. The Folk music May be off key but the soul is there for czech youths. The stars and stripes editor s note crisis Widen Czechoslovakia is being Avail ,"2record numbers of tourists. Among diem last a k?tafv\"h.was on vacation. In Prague she  Lance photographer Jim Tole. It a Lleve their written and pictorial Iep will help shed further Light on Cus in that tiny nation for american nun tary families i e cancelled said a woman with the tourist information office. Iss they were cancelled for a Day or but now there Are so Many rus Tours coming in that we had to extra  Swami a Man from East berlins id he was with the theater came up to a crowd on one Maine Street tuesday night saying got Here As fast As i could. I was us they might close the Border. I friends Here who will Tell me saturday on 3, 1968 Sale again Masaryk. Chalked slogan on Wall sums up the people s feelings. The stars and stripes what s going on. In t it sex Cong on the Stree Corners the Young intellectuals talk about Hopes of creating the Best society yet. Like Yugoslavia the Hope to have friends in both the West and East. They Hope to Combine the bestow socialism and of democracy but they Are careful to say it will be within the True marxist framework. There Are endless opinions on what that Means. But most agree they want social Secu Rity benefits for All equal educational opportunities for All if a Young czech can pass the examinations he can go to University or to technical  will be run by those technically trained and intellectually up tit not merely by Good party members As is now the usual Case. Travel willbe free and czech families will be Able to visit Western countries without first getting permission from the police. Bearded Long haired delegations from communist parties in Italy England and France arrived to Tell the czechs on the Street we support you against Russia. But they were Quick to add they were concerned that the czechs might adopt some capitalism into their new system and they did t like  read in our papers you Are carry ing on a counterrevolution s a i d a italian woman in Short cropped hair and a Trench coat who said she and he italian friends were a delegation from the italian communist party and Cameto express their support and Solidarity. Look around. Do you see a counter revolution do you see people with guns asked a czech. They looked around and saw a Middle aged lady walk by with a Western women s mag Azine showing Twiggy. A group of women clustered at the vegetable stand probed Heads of lettuce and apples tourists hurried by with camera around their necks souvenirs under then arms and a map of Prague stretched out in front. A Little boy cried when his ice Cream dropped to the  s just propaganda said the czech. And Thev should know about  was raised in schools Here and heard All the propaganda sad the czech student. Vet you look at it Bird jumping up and Down in. A tree and you know he must be Happy to a so free. And you never forget it. Page 19