YOUR MEETING WITH AMBASSADOR WILLIAM LUERS (PRAGUE)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP87R00529R000300260017-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 16, 2011
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: July 25, 1985
• Content Type: MEMO

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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/23: CIA-RDP87ROO529ROO0300260017-6
The Director of Central Intelligence
Washington. D.C. 20505
National Intelligence Council
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
Deputy Director of Central. Intelligence
'FROM: George Kolt
National Intelligence Officer for Europe
:SUBJECT: Your Meeting With Ambassador William Luers (Prague)
1. The primary purpose of this meeting is to allow you to.hear and
probe the views of one of our more active ambassadors in Eastern Europe.
Bill .Luers has been our Ambassador to Prague since December 1983.
Embassy reporting under him has been comprehensive, imaginative and quick
off the mark. For instance, Prague was the first post to,report on'East
European views about the important Vladimirov article in Pravda
(attachment 1). Luers has been particularly interested in using Prague
as a window onto Soviet politics and policies. You may wish to raise
with him the following substantive areas:
-- The current Soviet leadership and its policies as seen from.
Prague.
Relations between Czechs and Slovaks and possible
exploitation of that division by the Soviet Union.
Is the Husak-led "normalization" era drawing to an end?
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CL BY. SIGNER
'DECL OADR
DERV MULTIPLE
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/23: CIA-RDP87ROO529ROO0300260017-6
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/23: CIA-RDP87R00529R000300260017-6
SECRE
MEMO FOR: DCI
DDC I
FROM: NIO/EUROPE
SUBJECT: Your Meeting with Ambassador William Luers
Distribution:
1 - DC I
1 - DDCI
1 - ER
1 - C/NIC
1 - VC/NIC
1 - A/NIO/EUR
1 - NIO/EUR chrono
1 - NIO/EUR 3.3
1 - NIO/EUR subi.
NIO/EUR/GKOLT
NIC No. 03747-85
25 July 1985
(Prague)
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CFCRFT I 25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/11/23: CIA-RDP87R00529R000300260017-6
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C1TUNNELL X5167
CONFIDENT I A L
MSGNO 118 (STXX) *07/08/85* *20:19:44.2.8*
ZCZC 01:17:38Z (ST)
CONFIDENTIAL
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TOR: 082056Z JUI~,~85 .
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RUFHEB/AMEMBASSY BERLIN. 3133-
RUDKAR/AMEMBASSY..BUCHAREST. 5643
RUDKDA/A.MEMBASSY BUDAPEST 6082
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSYMOSCOW 6014
RUFHMU/AMCONSUL MUNICH 3041
RUDKSA/AMEMBASSY.SOFIA.-5155:
RUDKFMQ/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0533
RUEHVI/AMEMBASSY VIENNA 5638
RUDKRW/AMEMBASSY.WARSAW?61.,30
RR RUEAIIB
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STU3857
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FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8771
INFO RUDKRB/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE 514,
RUFHGV/USDEL NST `GENEVA`-0012
RUFHMB/USDEL MBFR VIENNA 0228
RUFHNA/USMIS,SION USNATO..2659
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C O N F I D E N T I A L I
C1TUNNELL X5167 PAGE 000;i
2. SUMMARY: THE "VLADIMIROV" ARTICLE FROM PRAVDA
PUBLISHED IN"RUDE PRAVO JUNE 22 HAS RAISED CONCERN
AMONG THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN HOPING THAT GORBACHEV
WILL PUSH FOR ECONOMIC REFORMS IN PRAGUE AS ALLI
AS IN MOSCOW. MEANWHILE, DISSIDENTS REPORT THAT
HUSAK'S RECENT TRIP TO MOSCOW WAS NOT AS SMOOTH
SAILING AS PRESS COVERAGE HAD SUGGESTED.
END SUMMARY.
3. JUNE 22 RUDE PRAVO AND BRATISLAVA PRAVDA'BOTH
PUBLISHED THE VLADIHIIROV.ARTICLE ANALYZED IN REF A
(WITHOUT, HOWEVER,-MENTIONING THE FICTIOUS AUTHOR).
SINCE ITS APPEARANCE, THE ARTICLE HAS BEEN. THE
SUBJECT OF INTENSE DISCUSSION AMONG POLITICAL
OBSERVERS AND DIPLOMATS HERE.
-- THE DIPLOMATS: DURING JUNE 27 BOATRIDE FOR.
F
AMBASSADORS, FOREIGN MINISTER CHNOUPEK AGREED OIT1t
AMBASSADORS PRIVATELY THAT THE ARTICLE CLEARLY
APPLIES TO EASTERN EUROPE, BUT ARGUED THAT IT WAS
NOT DIRECTED AGAINST CZECHOSLOVAKIA. ASKED WHETHER
IT WAS DIRECTED AGAINST HUNGARY, HE MERELY LAUGHED
AND ANSWERED: "YOU SAID THAT, I DIDN'T." ODR.
AMBASSADOR ZIEBART-(PROTECT),BELITTLED THE ARTICLE'S
SIGNIFICANCE DURING A SEPARATE CONVERSATION WITH
THE AMBASSADOR, CALLING IT "AN ECHO FROM THE DISTANT
PAST" AND ADDING THAT THE GDR PAYS LESS ATTENTION
TO ARTICLES IN PRAVDA AND LISTENS MOSTLY TO WHAT
THE LEADERSHIP SAYS. HE NOTED THAT GORBACHEV
CONTINUES TO-CALL-FOR IMPROVED MANAGEMENT AND
INNOVATION IN THE ECONOMY AND OPINED THAT THE
ARTICLE MAY REFLECT INTERNAL OPPOSITION TO ECONOMIC
MIGHT BE INTERPRETED IN PRAGUE AS AN ATTACK-AGAINST
PRIME MINISTER STROUGAL AND"OTHER WOULD-BE ECONOMIC
-- THE LIBERALS. A "LIBERAL" PARTY MEMBER- HERE ..WAS
MUCH LESS ;SANGUINE THAN ZIEBART``LABELLING`THE
ARTICLE "_VERY;DISTURBING"AND "A CONTRADICTION OF
EVERYTHING WE HAVE BEEN HEARING: FROM MOSCOW." OUR.
SOURCE WAS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED; THAT THE:ARTICLE
-- THE DISSIDENTS: A.'CHARTER 77 :SIGNATORY>WHO,FOLLOWS
POLITICAL EVENTS HERE CLOSELY HAD A SIMILAR APPRALSAL.
TO HIM 'THE VLADIMIROV :ARTICLE WAS ONE