President Clinton welcomes Havel in USA - Orderof White Lion to General Shalikashvili - Woodrow Wilson and MadelaineAlbright - 80 Years of Independence - From Czech nationalism tomembership in NATO and European Union - Contributions of Reagan andBush not forgotten.
WASHINGTON. On the occasion of the 80thanniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918, the CzechPresident Vaclav Havel arrived in Washington for his 11th visit ofthe United States. Due to recent health problems and a string ofoperations over the past year, his planned visit was by no means setin stone: only days before his departure, the doctors have theirreluctant OK for the President to undertake his first trip abroad inmonths.
Havel was accompanied by his wife Dagmar and theCzech Ambassador in Washington Alexander Vondra. Among the guests inthe packed Coolidge Auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building ofthe Library of Congress were Zbigniew Brzezinsky, Jeane Kirkpatrick,the former US Ambassador in Prague, Julian Niemczyk. The exhibition"The Birth of Czechoslovakia: October 1918" was organized by theLibrary of Congress. It shows a number of interesting historicaldocuments, correspondence, photographs and posters from itscollection, relating to the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic inOtober 1918.
After the welcoming words by James Billington, thedirector of the Library of Congress, Secretary of State MadelaineAlbright addressed the guests. A long-time friend of the CzechRepublic and President Havel, she spoke about her own roots in theCzech lands. She praised the engagement of President Woodrow Wilsonin the creating of an independent Czech State after World War I afterthe breakup of the Austrian Empire.
"I am thrilled to be here to see this wonderfulexhibit and to mark with you the Library's opening of the Month ofthe Czech Republic," said Madelaine Albright. "This exhibit tells twoimportant stories. The first is the story of Czechoslovakia'sindependence. And the second is really America's story -- it is aboutour tradition of giving support to dissidents and dreamers who fightfor democracy in their own countries. Actually, the independence ofCzechoslovakia has really started in Pittsburgh, when a Czechprofessor Thomas Masaryk lived there. He had an American wife, and hewas the original feminist, because he took her maiden name as hismiddle name; the Constitutions were similar, and Woodrow Wilson was aCzech national hero. In fact, when I was in high school I refused towrite any paper which criticized Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy,"reminiscenced Secretary Albright.
And she continued: "Between the World War I andWorld War II, Czechoslovakia was a beacon of liberty and tolerance inEurope, and then we all know the very sad story. And after the war,there was a very brief re-awakening and then a deep freeze. And ifyou were a Czech American who came between 1948 and 1990, thedominant feeling you had at looking back at your homeland was one ofsadness. But beginning in 1990, and really for the first time sincethe days of Masaryk, we were able, all of us who had been born there,to look back at our country with pride, and that was a tribute togreat friends of freedom, but above all to this man, VaclavHavel."
President Havel's own address this time was inCzech, although the Czech President speaks English quite well. He didnot dwell on the ups and downs of the brief 80-year history of theyoung state. Rather, he limited his comments to a few personalobservations and reminiscences.
"Ten years ago I was an enemy of my state and abad playwright", said the Czech President to the assembled guests inthe auditorium of the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library ofCongress in Washington, D.C.
With these personal recollections about theeventful time just before the European Revolution of 1989, the CzechPresident continued: "I was approached by a theater in Prague towrite a play about the founding of Czechoslovakia in 1918. Anhistorian-friend lent me some fifteen books about that historicalperiod. So, after ten days I re-emerged from the apartment where Iwas hiding, having read these books, and the play was written. Andthe theater produced the play as promised, under an assumed name. Isat in the audience, hidden in the back row among the spectators onthe opening night, and all of a sudden there was a great noiseoutside the building ... someone went out and told the others thatthe police were beating the people. So already ten years ago, onOctober 28, 1988, it was already a time of spontaneous demonstrationsby the people, showing their desire for freedom and theirdissatisfaction with the situation in their country," said PresidentHavel.
The high point of the program was the handing overof high Czech State awards to several individuals who have made greatcontributions toward the re-establishment of democracy to the CzechRepublic and whose engagement has been significant for the presentgood Czech-American political and cultural relations. The Order ofthe White Lion, the highest Czech decoration -- was presented to Gen.John Shalikashvilli, the former chief of the National SecurityCouncil. Several other Americans were also presented high awards: theformer Secretary of State Zbigniew Brzezinsky, the former Ambassadorto the United Nations, Jeane Kirkpatrick, and the former Ambassadorto Prague during the Reagan and Bush administrations, JulianNiemczyk.
Actually, it was the policy of "Peace ThroughStrength" of Ronald Reagan and his successor George Bush that broughtabout the break-up of the communist system in Europe in the fall of1989. The threatening russification of Czechoslovakia in late 1980'swas avoided only due to a miracle. It is no wonder that Ronald Reaganand George Bush are the most popular American presidents in Europe.The millions of people in Hungary, Poland and Czech Republicunderstand very well that without the courageous engagement forliberty and peace of Ronald Reagan, George Bush and the GermanChancellor Helmut Kohl, their fate today would have been muchdifferent. Although President Reagan no longer appears in public dueto the Alzheimer's disease, George Bush represents their jointachievements on his occasional visits to Europe.
"Today, President Havel's Czech Republic is notonly independent and free, it is safe. It is not only America'sfriend, it will soon be our ally. And we no longer fear for itsdestiny, but count on it to stand responsibly by us whenever there isa threat to our common destiny, and no one has done more than VaclavHavel to teach that with freedom comes responsibility," saidMadelaine Albright. "In prison and in power, he has been a speaker ofunwelcome truths, a voice of conscience, who reminds us that if weare to share a just and peaceful future, we must not flinch from thehard lessons of the past. President Havel was right about ourresponsibility to end the war in Bosnia and to expand NATO and theEuropean Union. He is right that every nation has to face the darkeraspects of its history and to reconcile itself with its neighbors, nomatter who were the victors and the vanguished in thepast."
The reference by Secretary Albright to the "darkeraspects of Czech history" relates to the inevitable public discussionabout the expulsion of Germans by the Czechoslovak goverenment afterWorld War II. The historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia have had alarge ethnic German minority for centuries. After the war some 3million of these ethnic Germans were expelled overnight from theirancestral lands and all their property was confiscated. Most of themand their families now live in Germany and in Austria. They and theirdescendants seek an apology from the Czech government for theexpulsion and a right to return to what they see as also theircountry. It remains to be seen if this unresolved issue willjeopardize the Czech Republic's efforts to be admitted into theEuropean Union. While the Czech President Havel and the GermanPresident Herzog have opened discussion of this formerly ignoredtopic several years ago, much still remains unsettled. Honesty,compassion and courage will be needed from both sides to put thisdark chapter of history behind, and to work together for a betterfuture in their common home, which is Europe.
Secretary Albright said this in closing of herinspiring talk: "In the years to come, a lot of people on both sidesof the Atlantic are going to be looked upon as the architects of thenew Europe. A Europe that promises for the first time to be withoutdivision of any kind. But my friends, we shouldn't forget that thestructure we have built has a moral foundation, and that foundationwas laid by Vaclav Havel and his colleagues in Central Europe. And soonce again, that small country in Central Europe has produced agiant, a philosopher, a humanist respected throughout the world. Ihave heard both the Czech national anthem and the Star-SpangledBanner played at the Hradcany Castle in Prague as well as on thesouth lawn of the White House. And the words of both are very true:the Czech national anthem is "Where is My Homeland", and theStars-Spangled Banner is "The Land of the Free and the Brave." AndVaclav, I thank you so much for letting us, those of us who were bornCzechs, to once again be proud of our heritage," concluded SecretaryAlbright.
During the October celebrations in Washington andits surrounding areas, there will be many other cultural activities,such as a picture exhibition of present Czech Art, film presentationsand a gala concert in the Washington National Cathedral. In this wayit will be possible for Americans to get to know more about the CzechRepublic and its rich cultural traditions.
We recommend these books:
TheArt of the Impossible, by Vaclav Havel
ApocryphalTales, by Karel Capek
TheGarden Party and Other Plays, by Vaclav Havel
Eumeswil,by Ernst Jünger