Pamětní spis Jana Pátka o aktivitách čs. velvyslanectví ve Velké Británii v srpnu 1968. (Neznámé prameny k mezinárodním aspektům Srpna 1968 – I)

• Authors: Jindrich Dejmek

Title variants

EN

Jan Páteks memorial on the Czechoslovak Embassy in Great Britain and its activities in August 1968

• Languages of publication: CS

Abstracts

EN

The paper contains a critical publication of the memorial of Jan Pátek (1909–2004), Czechoslovak Embassy Counselor in Great Britain, concerning Britain’s attitude to the Soviet and Warsaw Pact invasion in Czechoslovakia in August 1968, and the atmosphere in the Embassy at that time. Pátek, who was a qualified businessman, entered diplomacy in 1948 and was appointed legacy counselor at the Czechoslovak Embassy in Washington. In 1951, however, he was fired due to his relationship to V. Clementis. After his rehabilitation in 1963 he was allowed to reenter the diplomatic service and was appointed Czechoslovak Deputy Ambassador to Great Britain. He served in that position until early 1970. Following the occupation of his country on 21 August 1968 he followed the instructions coming from Prague and tried to help Czechoslovak citizens in Great Britain in their often difficult situation. In spite of his loyalty he was forced to quit again the diplomatic service with the beginning of what is known as “normalization process”.

Keywords

EN

history; 20th Century; Czechoslovak foreign policy in 1968; August 1968; Soviet invasion in 1968; attitude of the West to the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Institute of History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Moderní dějiny: sborník k dějinám 19. a 20. století (Modern History: Studies into 19th and 20th century history)
• Year: 2013
• Volume: 21
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 239-256

Contributors

author

Jindrich Dejmek

• Historický ústav AV ČR, Prosecká 809/76, 190 00 Praha 9, Czech Republic