Search JTA's historical archive dating back to 1923

Czech Communist Charges Israeli Shares in Plotting to ‘take over Party, Country’

September 25, 1969
See Original Daily Bulletin From This Date
Advertisement

A Czech Communist official has charged that a “secretary of the Israel Embassy in Prague” is involved in an alleged conspiracy by Communist reformers to “take over the leadership of the party and the country with the aid of psychological and physical terror.”

According to Jan Piller, secretary of the Communist Party Bureau, the Israeli, identified as Zucker, was often seen in the company of reformist leaders headed by the former Czech minister, Dr. Frantisek Kriegel. Mr. Piller contended on a Prague radio broadcast that the alleged conspirators had been meeting since last spring. There has been no Israeli Embassy in Prague since June, 1967 when Czechoslovakia severed diplomatic relations with Israel.

Prague radio expressed disappointment that President Richard M. Nixon said nothing about Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories in his speech before the United Nations General Assembly last week. According to Prague, that proved “American support for Israeli aggression.” In general, according to Prague radio, the President “did not come up with a fundamentally new stand but some of his formulations indicated a shift in attitudes.”

Recommended from JTA

Advertisement