COMMENTS ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SLANSKY TRIAL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R016300190005-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 14, 2003
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: February 10, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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SU8JEC7 ciente on the ;-Aenifieence of the
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PLACE
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THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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l? Generale The constriiction of the Andictrent and of the factuel
basis of the trial was so obviously artLficial and false. that it
bordered rl'a eIi.ns1nes The trial.. heel such a bread scope becaeoe
it was actually a steue:gle for absolute power over the Party and
the state beteeen Go?!..t.tial.r3 and Slansley? an atterpt to juetif7,r the
economic failere of -the Comuni.st. reeire, and an anti-Seritic
creereelen ordered by 1-,oecow, probably eor reasons of internaticnaI
policy .(Israel v- the Al.ab. States)?
The poilticeleeconoric aim of the trial was clearly evident fr
the course of the trial-, For trial reasons, ie to prove the
ftruilt of the carefully selected accused, it was necessary to pro-
ject this scope against a background of treason, sabottlee? and
esei OM re This frarework s unconvincing fror the factual .point
of view, because ? it was based lareely on fictitious and purposely -
distorted evidence; likewise from the. formal point of view, the
staterents of the accused rive the clear impression of' rerorized
and carefully prepared lectures. It (e.r, therefore be presured
that the wide publicity riven to the trial by the Praeue radio
will certainlr. fail to have the :''esired effect ou the rasses. of
the population ? on the contrary it provides a rich source for
antiepropaganda raterial.
The reasons why such a trial was ,even staged (there had lone been
doubts that it would *A:17e place) are nostly a ratter of epecule-
More The econoric situation was certeinly one t)17* the rain rea...
i. ons. The acts of sabcteree involiring 11ion3 e Czech creeene,
whech the accused confeseed, were to provide au excuse in the eyes
the Czechoslovak -rublic for the decline in the. standard of
'ire, in Czechoslovakia and for the failure to the eve:
'ing derands rade or. the Czechoslovak industry by oscow. 'flee
.1-relnation of Titoisr was also .undoubtedly irportant motive.,
--can be no doubt that evene.iany ardent Czechosloirak
1.,.sts (so-called ratinnalists) disagreed 1-Tith the ehrenelese
reence of the Soviets in the irterre.1 affairs of Czeceoslo-
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vakia, and- that even the Corrunirt rank and .file we-et rroeinp tired or
the forcible imitatine of "lowing Soviet exaeples', The reroval of
the .Jewish eleMent fror the leaoirr positions in the Parte, eoverneent
and adrinistration has long been separt of -Stalin's policy, are3 tree pro-
bably dictated by Loscow.
4, The surprisine-factor, hewever, ie that the trial clearly deronstra ted
te _every Czeelosio-va Corrurist that the leadership of the Conrunist
Parey was in the hands of poesone whet the trial classified as scarps,
teaitors an snies, and thee it 'eel been in their hands for !one years
(in the case of sore or the accueed, their activties.are said to date
back rany years before 'jorld frte II), ar, that Aerine this etre pe-
riod of time they enjoyed the confidence, of 6ie Party and Ioscow, The
entire trial, in my oninion, shms theeeeblic that these high Party and
roverr rent officials extended their nefarious activities throuehove the
etate 'lite every sector of public life whether economic, politicale or
military. .7rer this roint of view, the puTolication of details on the
.course of the trial was obviously bee' propeetnda, which rurt necessari-
ly creatsedisaprointrent, rietrust, or even hopelessness :or the or-
dinary Corrurietr? and uncertaenty and fear of the futurea.roreethe ?Cor-
runlet officinls.
The initiation of the trial was su,i0en wiPesue any previous not"ce,
On 20 vember 192; at 07.00 hours, the Praeee radio annourced teat
at 0q.00 hours on that day, the eroemedines eeull bepin. In this. can
be seen an element of precaution, an it can be peerured that other ex-
tonrive safety reasuros eerm ken. The delay in' the openinr or the
'rial (one year hod eaesel since the nereet of :',sals!-y) can lie attri-
buted to several circerreances. A Ione periol of Yr? must have been re:-
ouired for riecinp toeether the material for ;he triel to rake the pie-
ces fit toeether and eive the irpresrion of a creat cOespirac3r arainrt
the staie, It ruel-, have also taken the accused a-consieerable lenrth
of time to merorize their confessions,,
ope-
pion ha' to h, eoes?dered, elarsky, for inrterce, shortly be.rore has
arrest., in July lol, had received the hiehent Cceenniet order.
Thir trial is reroly the opeeiee or a serier If other trials inselvin'e
offenoerr of a lover cateeery, This is aepeeent Bence there eere a
nurber of w"tnessee at the telee, and a flusher of officials naued, ho
are neer eeeeete The la ter were either des related as direct rerbers
of the censeiratorial espioncere center or as oreitors, spies, saboteurs,
or ben?ells nationelists. Apart fror that, i,he accused therrelvee tes-
tified te,t they hod a larea nurter of collaherators of all cateeeeibe
in every sector of the Party are' stetc eerareius,
Te 'rial itself can be ciao-rifled ar the ereetost to take place in a
Cereunirt doeenated country during the past years, i.e since the
time of the 'reat Puree in the USSR (Zinovev)Tuehachevelsy and their as-
sociates) It is the ereateet rot only in the nurber of accused, their
position and significance in the Perty and state, but also in the ex-
e-nt of influence which the trial ha n and will have on the internal
structure or the Party, on its reneral policy, and On Czechnslevek pub-
lic opinion, whether rro- or anti-Cor-unist,
is quite nossible that this trial vas a necessary measure to precede
announced Conerese of the Corruniet Party of Czeehoslovakie, vhich eao
\ be a copy of the recent Corprees of the Co7eruniet Party of the
V/, and at which a new eeneral rolicy of the 'arty Jae to be outlined.
u. to the inaururation or' this Coneress, the Party hari to 0,
ed of all elements oppoo4ne the Loscaa line.
wit,sin kntz, Fror the point of view of ecurity within
esueist Party, the trill prerents a very sad picture to the or-
";onnueist. He learns that all L'eeee Corruriot leeeers were of
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eoergeoie origin, that they eere not real Cormuniste at all (many of
thee not even from the time the; e joined the Party), that they woe.red
aeeInst Party irterests? and that they had been betraying it for long
yfear s ?
ee.
Clerertis' releane free custody in 4renee
en 1940, It is true that ererident Lenes and other Czeeeoelovak poll-
eiciehs shoved a greet interest irjlis release. This interestwas main-
ly dictatrelby,the fact .that Clerentis was a Slovak ifttelleAual and
rem of letters: thet0Iduse which -Gleeenti6 ha 0 to sirn pri-
er eo his releaseecensestee of cetledee to the ef-ect that he enuld not
enage in any politiea activity on the soil o' irarce. ThiE was the
usual ferrule in such cases, ane wae not in arv eay specifically adjust-
ed to clerentis' case The testimony of, Jircik, who aneeare--.before the
Ilourt,as a forrer reeberef the Surete tatienale, and elle ha0 illeeedly
been nresent-at the reeotftatione eith Clemortis. in 'else 1r as pro-
bably extorted.. It is trUe, hovever, that Cleeentis fell from the erace
of Loscow folloeiee his release. This ha-rrmed because he disaereed
trit'! the views held by Voscow at that tire onTiie war between tee 'aest-
ern Powers and Gerrany (the Soviet Union, at that tire neetra).. and pre-
paring to sign the well-known treaty with Germany,; eleesified 'this war
es a llourreois affair ehich would weaken the parties involved and eeeld
thue assist the Soviet Union), end because he had allowed hinself tb be
freed from a bourgeois prison by bourgeois poreticiaWand :lad thus:
hesitated to suffer for the Comunist cruse.
12, The evidence aminst Slansky and nolcin about the beeineine of teir'
collaboration with the Czenhoslovak pollee in the first instance and 1
with the Gestapo in thr second insance rd.veti the impressior of posi-
live, fabrication,
13.
L.
In the ease of those whfl were accused of beelnrine their treasonable
er ligland? the facts can be boiled down to the staterent
that some of thor held eositions in the officiel a-earatus of the pro-
virinne3 Cenehoslovet- Cevernment in London (Frejka, Sline? Loch!);
there t'eer riatura'tly e:arrie0 eut their official duties, whether well
or leidly, and 'hi." he trial classified as a crime.
Gerrinder, whom the indictment tried to describe as an .ineoetor of les-
ser importance and an ole, traitor,* was placed in P"arrtle by I oscow as
e, eienificant nerber of the Ccrinfore and, teh-7,3e in power, governed
.Ceeehoelovak policy, especially 'n the international fields, from be-
hind the scenes and in accor4ance with instructions from 1-oscow.:
15. All the accusee., ere
one hundred per cent fenatical Communists who fell victim either o
their personal anpirations or to a deviation from the eeneral line,
and were then selected as saceificial larbs for the failures of the
reeire.
26 it nay be interentine to note the tone of hatred towards Bene s which
prevailed threeehout the trial, while the nare of iasaryk, art from
oee eeneral instance, as not eertioned at all, althoueh this would
!ave been loeical in connection eith Clerentis.
that the trial gave Beres a certninly undesired publicity crone the
anti-Comeenist elerentz. of the ,;zech,)slatra population,.
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Poe trial. also touched on the roblect of the
a. 1-Areful., hesitatinF, and rore or (v1 elereral way ihe
.?of,ent C(J-iXOJT an acusation in regard to .Slans'.,7..y, Ecicin, and.
that they appointed reactionary offioers of nigh rank to high
Ti01:15 iA the Ar.-, and 1-,at theyintentionaPy and syTteratically
cnbetagod the purFing af the Czechoslovak Arry of Fascist eletents
TTevented its rorreneratieh in the eopu).ar der-ocratic'srdrit, The
accu6e6 plead& suilty to oil. of the
18? .he following officers were rontioned in the trial as being rea-tiona-
rIes,who nost probably are new in prison
(*moral Josef Battik
[t.r.my General Bohumil Bok
Force Lt, Ludvik Bodin
kerrev'iv in ninistrv of Interior,
arresei in February 1948.
Former Chief of stafr, aroordin",
l;o a reference in the trial al-
reany Sentenced for treason and
espionage,
last assirwent 111 Air Force
forps
14sneral Taldolf Bulandr Assistant Deputy to the Chief of
(eroleral StaTT,
;rmy eneral Simon prgac Forrer Chief of Staff.
V Uonerai (Vatiav?) Urneo Former Ch5e'7 of Artillery in the
lqnistry of .liational Defense.
g? Arrly General Karel Klapelek Forrer Corrander of the Aret
t-Yry Distict in Frafrue.
b.?
Lt,-General oil (fru)
Cremara.1 ?eiiek140vak
'AT General Josef Pavel
Last assignment unknwni sfter.1945
chief of the presidium of the
of riat'Jonal. Defence.
Forret Ger-ander of the Secend Ii-
31ta2y District in T3rno,,
lomat Deruty Linister of National.
!2:1.ty
Geral antisek Talasok Lt asoiRnirent Commander of ITV
p;::1
lhe following anti-corrunist officero were mentioned:
.1? qeneral Antonin Hasal. Ferrer chief of the Military Section
the Office of the Pres3dent of the
Penni-die:. at present in the USA,
h, Air Force Genural Karel Jano.usek Forrer Czechos/ovak Air Force Con-
ander who Is in prison for attenpt-
in;T to escape,
e* Arry General Alois Liska
General l'rantisek Eoravec
3. Div* General Heliodor Pike
Ferrer Corrander of the Staff C01_03,
at present 5n %rriand.,
Ferrer chief of Intelligence, who
caned after after the coup d'etat. (Was
mentioned only as being chief of the
CIS in '7,ngland during the war.)
Ferrer Deruty Chief of Staff who was
cxecnted, .
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Most, of the hie'e-ranking officers mentioned in paragraph 18 acted as
ferveat Corriniste followinr the coup rfletat in 1N.'t lany of then
efere that. It tai be said that all of ther did eo not fror conviction,
but fror ofeeeocriso and careerism, All were ardent servante of the re-
eire? 1.II id been reeovee fror the Arry lenp before thn arrest of Slane
e!er, Nitride the beone of the purge of officers of bourreois oriein and
foli'wer f1.:enterr doctrires
?I Tot is inteeestine to note that the forrer 11ntstor of Netional Securltee?
i- LI! Roe:rive, has etcceeded in evadinr the dock and that the resnon-
f,aell4ty for t'te lack of vigilance and failures of the security organs
Tell on his :e.ewty, Svah, He had been deerived of his meet as Linister
latioral Security, but reapreared shortly afterwards in a fairly high
lost at the Uinistry of Interior, It is prcbable that the victorious
aiae of the Camuoist l'arty is indebted to bin for some important service,
Yee it is eherefore possible that he will appear aeain in the future in
:one key position in the Party or State,
22_ It ie also interesting that there was no rention in the trial of Arry
tanee,a1 Ludvik Svobcda, forrer Linister of Eational Defense? later Depu-
ty Prine Einieter and head of the State Office for Physical Traini-r and;
ort
f:eort, He was -e-oved fror. the Govern, ent on 8 Septerber AlthouFh
he later aepeeeee about, twice in public as a eartieiereet nt enr,om tion., it it is obvious that he is destined tor Oblivion and liquidation.
3 :11,,r ,),:15,-)1.3:.q 40g ;),k,spj, tpjlp in the ratter of espionage, I in the ?deliver
7.eyeof secret info-'ration to foreign Powers, the confessions of the aca
used Were lees:Ref.-A and fabrication was most -arearent.
, in some canze, contact with representatives of i:tern lowers which ?tonk
niace in the line of official duty? was considered ar esp'onare This
-ainly con erned ,31eventis and hi r representetives (oenutiees) London and
qadde, and their contacts wlth diplomats of the '.1estern Powers; the same
,leo apoliee to aho representatives of the Yinistry of Foreien Trade
Leehl and largolius; Reicints contact with the iuroslav i.ilitary Attache
erior to t:le Ceminforrls denourciation of Tito as a traitor can likewise
be considered as an official contact. Tito 's Yurosiavia altorrother played
important role in the trial; all were charred with collaboeoting with
''.eeeelavia prior to her departure from the Cominforn? and it was claimed
%het they knew, or should have known at that tine, that Tito was a trs.5-
6 tO
e
? Slansky adritte'.' that he furnished inforratiOn of an intellieenc nature
o Geeerel -Aka uhile the latter was head of the Czechoslovak Uilitary
5io_. in the Ut..::SR,
fheir reia-
clone were 1-,ense, even hostile, which is natural In the case of two ,eeee
eons who were adeoicrically? politically, and rerrooally antagonieAe,
ie possible that Slansky told Pika that he would rive him some infore
tetetion on Ceec%oelovak partisans. It is almost certain that Slansky ne-
ver pave hin eoce ieforleation.
e7- The teetieeonv of Kankovsky with reference to the letter, invitirr Slansky
te esca-ee to the ,;est was not stressed in either the ineictrent or the
court rroceeelines. However, ,,.the ireerception of this letter was undoub-
tedly one of the rajor'fhotors leading to the arrest of t-ilansky, Cott-
leciared in a sneeeh on 7 Denerber 195i that "undeniable evidence
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han6n thrt the esnionp...nT
? , . ?
o'rr,arizirr, and nreparinr, 'theesoape )e Laap.oy to ?
saTe tyc,t!oh'Gottval;l adyitte that r.-.e late ;:31,3
tqc, p.c..,Veroy.ont ,,,sts not yet ir rOasesr.on of Lur. concrete'
sho-,..gin that Slarsky vtl.sq (3.irect enenv of the StAte,
cark07,12n.s? The. trial har,cartalnlv crate0 an :knroortune 1-i.tuati,on for
defections,, ziot only :fro n the rcnks of anti-CorUnint elerents, but alF.w:4
the' caer ofttlose. CorrrniFlt tlho 1inv c ft:1.r not boon af--
ted 77nr7e, 7Tneuin that .sooner or 7ultor they will be chosen aS
oacra*il ..i.f..r11-.1+7, for SOTO (ovrumist failurs,.or?fi,11 victim to rlenryancia,-
..tj.crW borre r1 nin'71 by ?the authoritio In Prir.,,w,1
..laar...thy:'!eMel to ste47e the .trial at tno ona of Noverber, nt a
tai;s When ex r.er_tne. fren iS rode very fficuiif
. ?act b. by.tna P:'104,1 coffitionffon. the nountains at the bor6oi.2-,
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30. The defection of Cor,nanirt officials' attached to di21oloatio Aissions in
the -.!estern Nations should Iikeuise be nade easier as a result oL LOe
riaL Hach recall, each order for an off1cf111 trlp to 1.)ririrnue will be
fliterpreted as a sirr of displeasure or rirtrnst j_eadinr to interrogation
.Lnd arrest. This w111 certairJy apnly even to those who are not awars of
any transrression arainst the rervirs or the Party. Tyrical of thls is the
ease of Goldstuecker:whe arp-)ared as a Witness at the tr3.al. He was Cze-
choslovak Linister to Israel !rhen he received an order tran in hin. to
Stockhoim He was ordered to travel to his new assienrent via Pracue,
Unsuspecting., he was arrested In. Pracue as a Zionist Tonster of 2,c.ns'y
and C4ernntis,
31, There can be no doubt that the laconic sentences lust passed by the
;tate Court, and the nurber. of arrests which preceded an,7 which will oer-
certaialy follow VI trial, will tc:rve, at lest terporarily, to pro-
duce an intinidatinr eUect or. tho.! poplation.
On the other hand. the trial pave a caAairly undesired (and basically
in-correct) ricture'to the ;Affect tird.es.cionar'e, saletage and
other activities harmfUfi to the Col,l/nst reine in Cnecheslovakia
have been carried out on the hir-est P.vols of the Party and 6-LIte up7
paratus for a lone period of time wobserved and without runishrest.:
Th rip1.citizen must have the Imre :don that nothinr, rerains a se- .
erot fror he Alstern powers ,an" that,z1thinr can ro!air a? secret. The
preetire oi". the -,lest has undoubtedly rr.vdr_ in the eyes o;'' the art-.Cor-
111-ist part of the Csec'eslovaI: populion, s.rd so hits the apreciatin
o" the 'iest'snousibilities of in'iltrat'ln hoh5u0 the scene of Czecho-
flovak political am' econor:ic life,
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