Media 68

01 - 10 august
11 - 20 august
21 - 31 august

21 august

Vietcong offensive in the Mekong Delta. The objectives attacked are three.
[Vietnam]
Arrested for a second time and held on an island the Greek anti-Fascist composer Mikis Theodorakis.
[Greece]
The occupation of Czechoslovakia is complete. The citizens react with strikes and demonstrations. The number of victims in the days of the invasion will never be established. Radio Prague continues to broadcast from an underground station.
[Czechoslovakia]
The political office of the PCI defines as "unjustified" the Soviet decision to invade Czechoslovakia, it expresses "serious dissent" and reaffirms its "solidarity with the work of renewal of the Czechoslovakian companions".
[Italy]

22 august

Extraordinary underground Congress of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party. The new Presidium elected sees the men of the new trend confirmed. The delegates present are about 1,000. The congress decides to continue passive resistance and Radio Prague communicates the instruction.
[Czechoslovakia]
The CGIL judges as "inadmissible" the intervention of the Warsaw Pact in Czechoslovakia. More vague the position of the PSIUP. The Italian political forces ignore the stand of the PCI beside Prague.
[Italy]

23 august

Paul VI, at the congress of Bogotà, invites the Campesinos to "not trust in violence and revolution". It is an official reply to the pressure of the clergy in South America and of the left-wing Catholics.
[International]
The Vietcong offensive reaches the base of Da Nang.
[Vietnam]
A commando of Palestinian guerrillas clashes with an Israeli patrol near Jericho, in the occupied territories.
[Middle East]

24 august

In Polinesia the first French H bomb explodes.
[France]
Stokeley Carmichael expelled for "basic contrasts" by the SNCC, the student organization of which he was president.
[United States]
The Czechoslovakian president Svoboda is in Moscow. In the occupied territory an hour of general strike is proclaimed. Tito and Ceausescu, attacked by the Russian press, meet to prepare a common line of defence in the case of an invasion.
[Czechoslovakia]

25 august

Postponed the inauguration of Venice. Chiarini leaves all decisions to the president of the Biennial and the mayor of Venice Favaretto Fisca. The opening is postponed to the 27th.
[Italy]
Dubcek, Smrkovsky and Cernik participate with Svoboda in the negotiations of Moscow. In Czechoslovakia underground newspapers are published and St Wenceslaus Square is occupied by the crowd that demonstrates against the invasion. Fidel Castro approves the intervention.
[Czechoslovakia]

26 august

Contacts all day between the management of the festival and ANAC to permit the festival to take place. The directors occupy the palace of the cinema and open its doors to the students and groups of protesters.
[Italy]
On the occasion of the democratic convention, the yippies call a national protest rally in Chicago. Among the promoters of the demonstration the leaders Habbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, the poet Allen Ginsberg, the leader of Black Power Rap Brown.
[United States]
All day awaited in vain a communiqué from Moscow. The silence is the sign of further difficulties and the tension in the occupied country reaches its peak.
[Czechoslovakia]

27 august

The police evacuate the palace of the cinema. For the second consecutive day some cinema people are attacked in front of the palace by Fascist squads.
[Italy]
The movement, in a communiqué, attacks the instrumentalization of the Czechoslovakian facts by the Italian government. Occupied Palazzo Campana.
[Italy]
Twenty thousand soldiers defend Chicago. Curfew declared starting from the 23. Increasingly more violent clashes between demonstrators and police all day.
[United States]
The Nigerian president Gowan announces the final attack against the break-away province of Biafra, already exhausted by hunger. Useless the attempts at an agreement during a week of negotiations in Addis Abeba.
[Africa]
At 6.30am a communiqué from Moscow speaks of frank and companionable relations. The Russian requests are in fact very heavy, basically a return to before the Spring. The Czechoslovakian leaders accept.
[Czechoslovakia]

28 august

The Czechoslovakian National Assembly approves the actions of its leaders, who in numerous rallies explain their choice while not hiding their bitterness.a.
[Czechoslovakia]
400,000 people march in front of the USA embassy and the presidential palace in Mexico City asking for the resignation of the president.
[Mexico]
Demonstrations in Venice. Zavattini prepares a counter-festival to be held in Venice and at the Lido. The first film is "Naked infancy", by Maurice Pialat, who 19 years later, before the protests for his victory in Cannes, will respond with a clenched fist.
[Italy]
The position of the German SDS is made known: on the contrary to the Italian movement, it severely criticizes the invasion of Czechoslovakia. Evacuated Palazzo Campana.
[Italy]
Killed in an attack the USA ambassador in Guatemala.
[Guatemala]

29 august

Clashes with firearms between students and police in Mexico City: 4 victims.
[Mexico]
In spite of its solidarity with Prague and the criticisms to the USSR, the CGIL does not participate in the strikes and demonstration called by the CISL and UIL in protest against the invasion.
[Italy]
Very violent clashes in Chicago. An investigation is promoted regarding the brutality of the repression by the police and the national guard.
[United States]
Smrkovsky announces measures against press freedom. The power of the leaders of the new trend is by now non-existent. The Russians search for a man of their own to replace Dubcek: Husak, a pro-Soviet moderate offers himself as a candidate.
[Czechoslovakia]
State of siege for a month throughout Guatemala.
[Guatemala]

30 august

Battle for the whole night in Chicago. It is the most violent white revolt of the post-war period. All the press denounces the behaviour of the police. In the week of demonstrations 500 people were arrested.
[United States]

31 august

New upward swing of the tension in Czechoslovakia. All the leaders speak to the crowd to avoid the worsening of the confrontation. Removed many of the leaders of the new trend and restored in fact censorship on all means of communication.
[Czechoslovakia]


		01 - 10 august 11 - 20 august 21 - 31 august
21 august		Vietcong offensive in the Mekong Delta. The objectives attacked are three. [Vietnam] Arrested for a second time and held on an island the Greek anti-Fascist composer Mikis Theodorakis. [Greece] The occupation of Czechoslovakia is complete. The citizens react with strikes and demonstrations. The number of victims in the days of the invasion will never be established. Radio Prague continues to broadcast from an underground station. [Czechoslovakia] The political office of the PCI defines as "unjustified" the Soviet decision to invade Czechoslovakia, it expresses "serious dissent" and reaffirms its "solidarity with the work of renewal of the Czechoslovakian companions". [Italy]
22 august		Extraordinary underground Congress of the Czechoslovakian Communist Party. The new Presidium elected sees the men of the new trend confirmed. The delegates present are about 1,000. The congress decides to continue passive resistance and Radio Prague communicates the instruction. [Czechoslovakia] The CGIL judges as "inadmissible" the intervention of the Warsaw Pact in Czechoslovakia. More vague the position of the PSIUP. The Italian political forces ignore the stand of the PCI beside Prague. [Italy]
23 august		Paul VI, at the congress of Bogotà, invites the Campesinos to "not trust in violence and revolution". It is an official reply to the pressure of the clergy in South America and of the left-wing Catholics. [International] The Vietcong offensive reaches the base of Da Nang. [Vietnam] A commando of Palestinian guerrillas clashes with an Israeli patrol near Jericho, in the occupied territories. [Middle East]
24 august		In Polinesia the first French H bomb explodes. [France] Stokeley Carmichael expelled for "basic contrasts" by the SNCC, the student organization of which he was president. [United States] The Czechoslovakian president Svoboda is in Moscow. In the occupied territory an hour of general strike is proclaimed. Tito and Ceausescu, attacked by the Russian press, meet to prepare a common line of defence in the case of an invasion. [Czechoslovakia]
25 august		Postponed the inauguration of Venice. Chiarini leaves all decisions to the president of the Biennial and the mayor of Venice Favaretto Fisca. The opening is postponed to the 27th. [Italy] Dubcek, Smrkovsky and Cernik participate with Svoboda in the negotiations of Moscow. In Czechoslovakia underground newspapers are published and St Wenceslaus Square is occupied by the crowd that demonstrates against the invasion. Fidel Castro approves the intervention. [Czechoslovakia]
26 august		Contacts all day between the management of the festival and ANAC to permit the festival to take place. The directors occupy the palace of the cinema and open its doors to the students and groups of protesters. [Italy] On the occasion of the democratic convention, the yippies call a national protest rally in Chicago. Among the promoters of the demonstration the leaders Habbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, the poet Allen Ginsberg, the leader of Black Power Rap Brown. [United States] All day awaited in vain a communiqué from Moscow. The silence is the sign of further difficulties and the tension in the occupied country reaches its peak. [Czechoslovakia]
27 august		The police evacuate the palace of the cinema. For the second consecutive day some cinema people are attacked in front of the palace by Fascist squads. [Italy] The movement, in a communiqué, attacks the instrumentalization of the Czechoslovakian facts by the Italian government. Occupied Palazzo Campana. [Italy] Twenty thousand soldiers defend Chicago. Curfew declared starting from the 23. Increasingly more violent clashes between demonstrators and police all day. [United States] The Nigerian president Gowan announces the final attack against the break-away province of Biafra, already exhausted by hunger. Useless the attempts at an agreement during a week of negotiations in Addis Abeba. [Africa] At 6.30am a communiqué from Moscow speaks of frank and companionable relations. The Russian requests are in fact very heavy, basically a return to before the Spring. The Czechoslovakian leaders accept. [Czechoslovakia]
28 august		The Czechoslovakian National Assembly approves the actions of its leaders, who in numerous rallies explain their choice while not hiding their bitterness.a. [Czechoslovakia] 400,000 people march in front of the USA embassy and the presidential palace in Mexico City asking for the resignation of the president. [Mexico] Demonstrations in Venice. Zavattini prepares a counter-festival to be held in Venice and at the Lido. The first film is "Naked infancy", by Maurice Pialat, who 19 years later, before the protests for his victory in Cannes, will respond with a clenched fist. [Italy] The position of the German SDS is made known: on the contrary to the Italian movement, it severely criticizes the invasion of Czechoslovakia. Evacuated Palazzo Campana. [Italy] Killed in an attack the USA ambassador in Guatemala. [Guatemala]
29 august		Clashes with firearms between students and police in Mexico City: 4 victims. [Mexico] In spite of its solidarity with Prague and the criticisms to the USSR, the CGIL does not participate in the strikes and demonstration called by the CISL and UIL in protest against the invasion. [Italy] Very violent clashes in Chicago. An investigation is promoted regarding the brutality of the repression by the police and the national guard. [United States] Smrkovsky announces measures against press freedom. The power of the leaders of the new trend is by now non-existent. The Russians search for a man of their own to replace Dubcek: Husak, a pro-Soviet moderate offers himself as a candidate. [Czechoslovakia] State of siege for a month throughout Guatemala. [Guatemala]
30 august		Battle for the whole night in Chicago. It is the most violent white revolt of the post-war period. All the press denounces the behaviour of the police. In the week of demonstrations 500 people were arrested. [United States]
31 august		New upward swing of the tension in Czechoslovakia. All the leaders speak to the crowd to avoid the worsening of the confrontation. Removed many of the leaders of the new trend and restored in fact censorship on all means of communication. [Czechoslovakia]