The 21st SVU World Congress

Czech and Slovak Americans on Behalf of their Homeland

Miloslav Rechcigl, Presiding

Czechoslovak National Council
American Sokol
National Alliance of Czech Catholics
American Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees
Council of Free Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences
American Friends of Czech Republics
Czech and Slovak Association of Canada

OPENING REMARKS BY MILOSLAV RECHCIGL

It is my pleasure to open the the second part of our Plenary session in which we will pay homage to major Czech American organizations that played a key role in the establishment of Czechoslovakia and the aftermath in liberation movements and in assisting the Czech and Slovak nations after the Velvet Revolution. As a Chairman I would like to take the liberty to first say a few words about the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences of which I am President.

CZECHOSLOVAK SOCIETY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
AND ITS EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF ITS HOMELAND
Miloslav Rechcigl, President

The Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences or SVU in brief, has been in existence for almost half a century, having been established during the era of the Cold War when Czechoslovakia was under the Stalinist regime.

Many a Czech or Slovak intellectual and other freedom-loving people were forced to abandon their homeland and seek asylum in the West. It was these  individuals who conceived the idea of establishing SVU with the aim of keeping the country's historic traditions alive which had been repudiated by the oppressing regime.

The SVU wanted to provide a forum for the development of Czechoslovak culture in exile and make the world aware of the Czech and Slovak cultural traditions
which date back more than a Millennium.

Its activities, as outlined in the original bylaws, consisted of supporting and coordinating the educational scholarship, and literary and artistic endeavor of the Czechoslovak intelligentsia abroad. This concept was soon broadened to open the Society to all individuals interested in fostering Slovak and Czech culture, regardless of their ethnic origin.

The SVU accomplishments to date speak for themselves. In brief, the Society has organized twenty-one world congresses, seven European conferences, twenty-three regional conferences over thirty art exhibits, more than fifty musical and drama productions and more than twenty book displays. Furthermore, it has published over eighty books and monographs, and four periodicals, besides providing support to more than fifty other publications. In addition to the above, each SVU Chapter has organized their own meetings, lectures, discussion groups, exhibits and other local functions. It should be noted that all of this has been accomplished by SVU's own efforts and its own financial resources. The Society is not dependent on anybody, does not owe anything to anybody and it stands on its own two feet.

Following the end of the communist regime in 1989, the SVU functions greatly expanded. Now, in addition to its original mission, the Society has become a bridge between Czech and Slovak professionals and those in other countries. It has enabled the scholars abroad to benefit from contact with their Slovak and Czech counterparts, as well as helping to reinstate the intellectual life of these two nations in the mainstream of world science, arts and letters from which they were separated for so long by political barriers.

In spite of its nonpolitical nature, SVU has always been in the forefront whenever there was a question of violations of human rights or personal freedom. During the occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1968 SVU sent out a Memorandum to 1000 universities in the free world protesting against the occupation and against the decline of public morality in the world, and pleaded for help for the increasing numbers of refugees escaping from Czechoslovakia. Similarly, it protested against persecution of Czech and Slovak intellectuals and the Chartists, against imprisonment of Vaclav Havel, as always did whenever basic human rights or the Helsinki Accords were violated. In 1990, as Czechoslovakia considered to break up into two separate entities, SVU strongly urged the nation against such action. More recently, SVU has launched an effort toward reestablishing civil society in the old homeland, in which effort we shall comtinue..

In August 2000, the Society organized its 20th Anniversary World Congress with the central theme "Civil Society and Democracy into the New Millennium". On this occasion the members voted a proclamation which stated, among other, that "Culture knows no boundaries. Geopolitical patterns of national government often shift and always separate men and nations. Culture bonds them. In this deeper sense the Society retains its designation "Czechoslovak" and thus also affirms its nonpolitical character".

It further reaffirmed its resolve to work "toward enhancing the values of human tolerance and of freedom of spirit and thought". In this spirit, the Society established the Andrew Elias Human Tolerance Award to honor those whose life and work reflect the ideals of human tolerance and compassion.

As I mentioned this morning, the unexpected resurgence of communism and the poor showing at your election polls gives us considerable concern. Mindful of
what happened in 1948 and 1968, we urge the Czech citizenry to unite behind a national program , based on democratic ideals and historic traditions, rigorous morality and inspiring vision for a brighter future. Our Society, with its international forum, is ready to give you a helping hand.

YEARS OF CRISIS, YEARS OF TRIUMPH:
THE CZECHOSLOVAK NATIONAL COUNCIL OF AMERICA, 1939-1989
John M. Richard, Past President

Conceived to servo as an arm of Masaryk's Czechoslovak National Council based in France, Czechoslovak National Council for America was created in February
1918 by a coalition of the Slovak League of America. the Czech National Alliance in America, and the National Alliance of Czech Catholics (the first two cooperated since 1915). A con­stituent assembly, eight months later, changed the name to American Czechoslovak Board to avoid legal conflicts; the formation of a central government in Prague allowed the Board to resume Its name, modified to Czechoslovak National Council in America. Soon, elements seeking autonomy for Slovakia gained control of the League, and withdrew from the CNCA. Precipitous decline In membership after war's end limited the two remaining units ability to support the Counci's operations. Expert financial management still enabled CNCA to fund a variety of projects. Including Albin
Polasek's statue of Woodrow Wilson in front of Prague's main railway station, itself renamed after the American president. The stock market crash of 1929
devastated the nation: the Council's investments were lost or frozen, leaving it in virtual hibernation for the next ten years. The Czech National Alliance  remained as the only member unit, in a similar state. No meetings were held. Czechoslovakia not an upper­most concern of the man in the street. The events
of 1938 aroused concern, but little acti­vity ' except for a young professor in Chicago. Jaroslav 6. Mican, was born in Prague, ar­rived in America at age
5. Electrified by the mobilization of Czechoslovak armed forces in May, he saw a deadly threat to his native land. A member of the moribund Czech National Alliance, he alone agitated for action, privately arid in public. His tireless work aroused the Czech and Slovak community which, after Munich, Identified with Mican's arguments. Prep­arations for a congress of the Alliance and consultations with other societies began; March 15, 1939. brought them to fever pitch. The congress was held five weeks later; its proceedings were published In printed form in May: Minutes of the Historic Congress of the Czech National Alliance in America Held 18 and 19 April 1939 in Chicago, Illinois. Historic it turned out to be. What followed was breathtaking; Czech and Slovak societies across America and abroad asked to affiliate with the Czechoslovak National Council. It is no hyperbole to call its work during the war as heroic; it remained relentless until
Czechoslovakia was able to throw off the shackles of oppression in 1989.

AMERICAN SOKOL ORGANIZATION
Larry Laznovsky, President
Presented by Gen. Milos Knorr

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen -

It gives me great pleasure to represent the American Sokol Organization and Larry Lsznovsky, our American Sokol president

The Sokol Organization, founded by Dr. MirosIav Tyrs, was organized in 1862 in Prague. He convinced the Czech Patriots and enthusiasts of his day of the feasibility of founding a physical training organization which would cultivate the spirit and moral values of man on a national basis in addition to providing Physical Culture.

Ills concepts and teachings had an immeasurable influence upon the evolution and history of contemporary Czechoslovakia. Through his ideas, as well as, through active participation in the revolution at home and abroad, the Sokols helped resurrect the independent state.

From its inception, Sokol was dedicated to the uniting of ail citizens, regardless of social position, political affiliation, or creed -- on the basis of pure patriotism.

The fundamental reason for the founding of Sokol was to satisfy the desire for a Slav culture in the center of the Czech Lands. Love for his country and
the affection fair hit countrymen soon made Tyrs realize that Sokol could ecome the means of renaissance for time entire nation. He devoted the organization to moral, mental and physical betterment of all concerned.

It did not take long for the Sokol movement to take root in the United States. The first unit in the United States was founded on February 14, 1865, in St. Louis, Missouri. In two months, they had 100 members and began gym activity on May 23rd. Their first social affair, April 22nd, was canceled due to the assassination of President Lincoln. In 1866, a second unit was formed in Chicago. The next year units were formed in New York and Milwaukee.

The Sokol idea spread rapidly and many other units were formed. The desire to form an American National Sokol grew strong. After much perseverance and bard  work of Sokol New York, the National Unity Sokol became a reality. The first convention was held in Chicago in 1378. The Tyrs System was mmdc standard and
the Sokol Americky Publication ins authorized. The first issue was dated January 10, 1879. As Czechs and Slovaks immigrated to the USA the organization grew. In 1917, the National Unity of Sokol and District Fuegner - Tyn were united to form the American Sokol Organization with its headquarters in Chicago.

A Chicago area, known as Pilsen ~ became the destination of many immigrants from the homeland. In the early 1900s it became the largest populated area of
Czechs and Slovaks in the United States. it was during these years prior to World Ward I that Thomas G. Masaryk was teaching philosophy at the University of Chicago. The American Sokol joined the Allied Forces before the United States entered the war. Our organization along with other Czechoslovak based organizations raised funds to help Masaryk and the Freedom Fighters to take the steps necessary to form the Democratic Republic of Czechoslovakia. The American Sokol worked very closely with the Czechoslovak Organization of Sokol to coordinate the shipment of relief and medical supplies to the people in the homeland. Even after Masaryk became President, fund miming continued to send supplies back to aid the children involved in the turmoil Even today a statue in honor of Masaryk stands at the University of Chicago.

During the years of 1918 to 1938 the ties of the American Sokol and Czechoslovak organization of Sokol remained strong. Many cooperative efforts took place. Teams of participants would visit each other at national and international Skis and both organizations flourished.

Of count the Nazi occupation and ultimate Communist control had a devastating affect on Sokol. Through all of these years of adversity, the American Sokol  stayed on course, refusing to deal with the opposing forces, and keeping the Sold movement alive. After the 40 plus years of communism, the Czechoslovak
organization of Sokol was revived in seven weeks. The American Sokol was there in Prague at their reorganization convention.

Today we work together with all Sokol Organizations in the World as part of the World Sokol Federation.

I would like to dose with the traditional Sokol greeting meaning "On To Success".
NAZDAR!

NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF CZECH CATHOLICS:
THE FIRST 85 YEARS OF SERVICE
Frantiska Uhlir and John B. Uhlir, NACC
Presented by John Richard

On the outbreak of World War I, the Czech Catholic community In Chicago founded the Charitable Fund of Cyril and Methodius, for relief of suffering countrymen in the "Old Country". When the United States entered the war, the administration of the Fund called a meeting in which it was decided to join the struggle ro free our peoples from the centuries of oppression, and the National Alliance of Czech Catholics was born. Committed now to a homeland of Czechs and Stoves independent of Austria-Hungary it helped create the Czechoslovak National Council of America to aid the cause of Tomas G. Masaryk, his associates and their armed forces, the Czechoslovak leglons.
Mindful of Its charitable mission, it helped found the National Catholic Welfare Conference which, to date, has aided millions of the needy and the dispossessed around the world regardless of religious belief. The National Alliance sent aid missions to Czechoslovakia, food and clothing; helped build the Nepornucenum for Czech divinity students in Rome, contributing cash which would ultimately amount to more than ten millions in today's dollars. After Munich, in 1938, end again after February 1948, It found Itself once mote engaged in the struggle for freedom of our countrymen: the first leading to another world war, the second a moral and political campaign against imported Ideology and denial of human rights- Charity to those in need. and piety In generous aid to the oppressed Church, enthusiastic engagement after 1989 In Prague, the Vatican and elsewhere, have always been uppermost in our priories, notwithstanding the antagonisms imposed on us at times by armed aggression or civic oppression.

WHEN REFUGEES ARE NO MORE:
AFCR PROVIDES RELIEF TO SUPPORT NEW DEMOCRACY
Vlado Simko, M.D., Ph.D.

American Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees (AFCR) was established in May 1948 by Jan Papanek, to assist Czechoslovak (CS) exiles tat fled the country after
the communist takeover in February 1948. AFCR would not have existed without Papanek, especially in the very difficult first years of existence when even
some staunch supporters were falling wayside. Not even a brief account on AFCR can be executed without a tribute to this truly remarkable Czechoslovak personality.
Papanek was one of the 14 diplomats who were at the birth of the United Nations in San Francisco in 1945. As a representative of Czechoslovakia to the UN he openly protested in March 1948 at then the Lake Success headquarters of the UN against the February communist putsch in Czechoslovakia. Communist government attempted then to eliminate Papanek from his contacts with the UN and to make his life in NYC miserable, confiscating books and archives.

Despite these stormy events Papanek initiated intensive help to assist displaced persons from Czechoslovakia. In March 1948 there were already over 2000 refugees in Germany and Austria. By 1950 this number swell to 30 thousand.

At the birth of AFCR Papanek was assisted by Juraj Slavik, until February 1948 the Czechoslovak ambassador to the US. AFCR was legalized on May 4, 1948.

First months and years were immensely difficult. There were no funds, almost no official support. Business office was at the home of Jan and Betka Papanek. Papanek and Slavik intensively lobbied at the Congress to include AFCR among the approved refugee organizations and for inclusion under the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. He coordinated the care for CS refugees with the International Refugee Organization.

Meanwhile the refugees in the camps of war-ravaged Europe were suffering shortage of warm clothing and deficient nutrition. Many refugees fled without
valid documents, birth and marriage certificate, German authorities were making their life difficult.

Papanek organized gift and clothing collection in the US. Soon he succeeded in recruiting prominent personalities to the Board of AFCR directors: besides prominent CS politicians also Eleanor Roosevelt, senator Lehman and the governor of Ohio. The HQ of AFCR was in NYC but soon branch offices were established in Munich, Vienna, Paris and Rome.

In 1949 the AFCR started to receive initially modest funding from the US government There were students among the refugees. AFCR arranged grants for
32 stipendists to resume study at American universities. Papanek's prestige and influence was of great help for a successful AFCR. He was chairman of the  International League of Human Rights in 1953, 1965 and 1970.

After the Warsaw pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 there was a new wave of refugees. Papanek coordinated care for these desperate people with the UN
Commissioner for Refugees. By then AFCR became an important American resettlement organization also aiding refugees from Indochina.

After fall of communism, AFCR ended its resettlement function with a remarkable record: 25,300 CS refugees were resettled in the US. Aid was also provided to another 95,000 Czechoslovaks seeking exile in other countries. Since 1990 AFCR receives no support from the US government and fully depends on voluntary contributions.

In a new political climate the organization renamed to American Fund for Czechoslovak Relief Among the first projects were summer camps for 2,240 children residing in the Czechoslovak cities, most afflicted by industrial pollution. In 1997 AFCR assisted Czech and Slovak victims of catastrophic floods wit $90,000.
An important function is the assistance to gifted Czech and Slovak students. A supplementary study grant project initiated in 1998 provided until this day 60 grants in a total value of $115,000 to 33 Czech and 27 Slovak postgraduate students to assist with a short study period at universities in the US. This
project is ongoing. The applicants are selected by all 13 AFCR Board members on the basis of an outstanding study performance and excellent English.
Several of these applicants became Fullbright fellows.

There are numerous other beneficial activities of AFCR. It partly supports the Slavic programs at the Harvard, Columbia and New York Universities. It provides assistance to the Havel-Kovac Foundation, to the Center of Exile Studies at the University of Olomouc and it supports publication of books relevant to Czech and Slovak exile. Currently, for example it supports the publication of memoirs of Juraj Slavik, the cofounder of the AFCR.

AFCR is an American humanitarian, charitable and voluntary organization that functions under the periodic scrutiny of the US government and the State of New York.

COUNCIL OF FREE CZECHOSLOVAKIA
Mojmir Povolny, Past President

will be added later

CZECH AND SLOVAK ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Josef Cermak, President

Before embarking on a journey through the history of the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada, I would like to make a couple of comments on the relationship between the mice and the elephants. By mice ' in my fable ' I mean the Czech and Slovak Republics and Canada, and by elephants I mean Germany and Russia in the case of the Czech and Slovak Republics, and the United States of America, Canada's mainly friendly elephant to the south. Friendly it may be, but is it gentle? Is it sensitive? Take, for example, the theme of this Congress: Tribute to America. The only country on the American continent which includes m its name the word â?˜America' is the United States of America. A Canadian chauvinist might with some justification argue that the theme of this Congress - at least to a Canadian asked to participate in this tribute -- is a linguistic castration of Canada's national identity... And now that I've got that off my chest, allow me to thank both Canada and the United States of America for giving so many of us a chance to live our dreams.

The first embodiment of a national organization of the Czechs and Slovaks in Canada, under the name 'National Alliance of the Slovaks, Czechs and Subcarpathian Ruthenians', came into being at a congress held on June 24 and 25, 1939 in Toronto. Its birth was not smooth. There were fights among
various groups, one ' influenced by separatist Slovak organizations in USA - recognized the Tiso state and refused to work with the Czechs under any name.

Of course, Czechs and Slovaks started arriving in Canada long before that. There is the somewhat doubtful story of Tomas Stitnicky ' apparently of Slovak origin ' who probably thanks to the famous geographer Richard Hakluyt, was hired by Sit Humphrey Gilbert as a member of the crew of his ship called the Squirrel which landed in St. John's, Newfoundland on August 3rd 1583. His job was 'to record in the Latin tongue the gests and things worthy of rememberance happening in this discovery, to the honour of our nation, the same being adorned with the eloquent style of this orator, a rare poet of our time.' Unfortunately on September 9 the Squirrel capsized in a storm and all aboard perished.

The next ' and this time a true historic figure -- is Prince Rupert, son of the last elected king of Bohemia, Frederick V of the Palatinate, and of Elizabeth, daughter of King James I of England, born in Prague in 1619. Prince Rupert was the moving spirit behind the incorporation of a company known as the Company of Adventurers of England trading in the territory draining into Hudson Bay. This company was granted by Rupert's cousin, King Charles II, a royal charter giving it a complete control of 1,486,000 square miles, more than a third of Canada.

The year 1752 witnessed the first effort of the Moravian Brethren (a continuation of Czech Brethren founded in 1457 and suppressed in Bohemia after the Battle of the White Mountain) to establish a mission in Canada. The fact that their church was recognized by an Act of the British Parliament of 1749 as 'an ancient Protestant Episcopal Church,' helped them when they expanded their missionary work to North America. In 1870 Josef Schwab arrived from Bohemia and eventually settled in Grande Pointe; in 1884 four farmers settled in Saskatchewan and founded the hamlet Kolin and in 1904 a Czech hamlet called Prague was established near Viking in Alberta. In 1911 there were some 1,800 persons in Canada who had been born in Bohemia or Moravia. The twentieth century saw a huge increase in the numbers of immigrants and refugees coming to Canada from Czechoslovakia: the 1921 census reported 8840 Czechs and Slovaks; the 1986 census showed 39,653 people claiming Czech origin, 27,705 Slovak origin and 43,435 Czechoslovak origin for a total of 110,775 persons. The last large immigration wave came after the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Warsaw Pact armies in August 1968. The most recent census for which figures are available took place in 1996 (no figures are yet available from the 2001 census) and shows 24,975 persons claiming Czech origin and 18,280 persons claiming Slovak origin, with greatest concentration in Vancouver (4,120 Czechs and 1,800 Slovaks) and in Toronto (6595 Czechs and 4485 Slovaks). Montreal shows steadily declining Czech and Slovak population. I have no explanation for the disappearance of 67,520 persons between 1986 and 1996.

But coming back to the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada. The first attempt at a more inclusive organization goes back to April 27, 1913. On that date a number of Slays, including Czechs Frank Dojacek, W. Ruda, A. Lesso, Joe Hamata, F. Baran and Jerry Kazil, established in Winnipeg the Czech-Slavic Benevolent Association (Cesko-Slovanska Podporujici Jednota) which became the basis of the Canadian-Czechoslovak Benevolent Association and a centre of activities of our community in Canada. It was in Winnipeg that volunteers from Canada and United States formed ' within the Canadian Army - the 'Bohemian Detachment' of the 223rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force. The battalion assumed the name of 'Canadian Scandinavians' probably because many of its officers came from the Manitoba Scandinavian community. Winnipeg also witnessed -- on June 10, 1920 - a march of Czechoslovak legionnaires (Druzina cs. armådy) returning to their homeland from Siberia.

It took, however, the Nazi threat to Czechoslovakia to propel the Czechs and Slovaks in Canada into massive action. On October 2, 1938 a large demonstration (preceded by two demonstrations in Montreal and Toronto) of some 4,000 people took place in Montreal. On April 2, 1939, the Consul-General of Czechoslovakia, Frantisek Pavlasek, flanked by members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Sokol,, refused to hand over his consulate to the Germans and a week later, on April 9, a four member delegation from Toronto - A. Springl, Gustav Pristupa, a somewhat dictatorial but very effective leader of the Toronto community, Karel Buzek and G. Pokorny - visited President Benes in Chicago. On April 30, 1939 an organizational meeting in Montreal set the stage for the establishment of a Canada - wide organization of Czechs, Slovaks and Subcarpathian Ruthenians in Toronto at the organization's first congress I already mentioned. At this
congress, a Slovak, Stefan Rudinsky was elected President, Frantisek Pavlasek, the Honorary president and the vitally important position of secretary - general was entrusted to a Moravian, Karel Buzek, a teacher's son and one of the first graduates of the Prague Commercial University (Vysoka skola obchodni).

The name of the organization went through a number of metamorphosis: from the original National Alliance of Slovaks, Czechs and Carpathian Ruthenians to  Czechoslovak National Alliance of Canada, then to Czechoslovak National Association of Canada, then Czechoslovak Association of Canada and after 1989, the Czech and Slovak Association of Canada.

Its finest chapter was no doubt written during the Second World War when the Alliance, thanks to a large degree to the magnificent effort of its  secretary-general, Karel Buzek, had 91 branches all across Canada. Buzek's coast-to-coast trip ' with Slovak leader Peter Klimko over mainly dirt roads, became a legend. It is of more than passing interest that four of the branches recruited their members from the social-democratic Sudeten German refugees. The Alliance supported Canada's war effort and collected large sums of money (about $331,000' almost 10 million dollars in today's currency) for the Czechoslovak army in Great Britain and other causes. It is often touching to read correspondence such as Buzek's letter of May 9, 1944 to the executive of the Association and Sokol in Batawa thanking them for a gift of $1,703.98 for the Czechoslovak War Fund or the letter of Lota Hitchmannova, a member of the Ottawa branch and an internationally acclaimed social worker, to the Batawa branch asking for a copy of a film. And sometimes amusing to go through the records of individual donations. The record of donations of the members of the Batawa branch for the year 1944 shows two columns: the cigarette and chocolate fund for the soldiers and contributions for the bazaar. The second name on the list is that of Tomas Bata. His contribution to the bazaar was $10.00; he obviously didn't believe in damaging soldiers' lungs and teeth because his contribution in the cigarettes and chocolate fund column was zero.

It was largely thanks to the work of the Alliance that the Canadian government was the first to grant recognition to the Benes government in exile, on October 12, 1940 and on August 14, 1942 established diplomatic relations with the Czechoslovak government on the ambassador level with Frantisek Pavlasek becoming the first Czechoslovak ambassador. Canada named as its ambassador to the Benes government one of the most respected Canadians, General Vanier, who years later was to become Governor-general of Canada. Great Britain followed Canada on June 18, 1941 and the United States 11 days later. Another sign of respect the Czechoslovak community in Canada enjoyed in those days was Order m Council of April 10, 1941, whereby Czechoslovak nationals were recognized as citizens of an allied country and thus not subject to various wartime restrictions imposed on non-privileged aliens, and the appointment of Karel Buzek as executive director of the Canadian United Relief Fund.

The magnificent war effort was celebrated in Toronto in November, 1945 by the 'Victory Congress' chaired by Slovak Jan Gazo. In Pamatnik ceskoslovenske
Kanady edited by Karel Buzek, Lidmila Wauthierova and Alica Haasova, we read the following tribute written by Senator Vojta Benes: 'If infighting among the emigrants in the United States or Canada severely damages vital interests of their homelands, I can proudly state that you, Canadian Czechoslovaks, have protected them with your noble Czechoslovak unity. You created a real and genuine unity, that was not achieved anywhere else.' And in a passage respecting cooperation between the Czechoslovak diplomatic representatives and Czechoslovak community in Canada, he wrote: 'It is as much to their (meaning the Czechoslovak diplomatic representatives) credit as it is to the credit of the Czechoslovak National Alliance of Canada that today there is hardly a settlement in Canada which has not heard of Czechoslovakia, there is hardly a newspaper which does not support us.' Even though the temper of the times, fed by the feeling of guilt for the Munich betrayal, was kindly disposed towards Czechoslovakia, there were many reasons to be proud of the Czechoslovak heritage in those days, much to be proud of the Czechoslovak National Alliance. As a leader of the Slovak community in Canada, Stefan Rudinsky, the first president of the association so beautifully put it: ˜We are, indeed, a small untarnished window through which the Canadian public looks at our Czechoslovakia and it is our sacred duty to keep it untarnished and whole.' Unfortunately, there were, in Czechoslovakia of the last decade of the last century, no leaders inspired by Rudinsky's idealism.

Immediately after the war, in 1946 and 1947 the Alliance submitted briefs to the Senate Standing Committee on Immigration, proposing a number of legislative changes some of which were enacted. It also started planning to build the Masaryk Hall and purchased a farm which over the next 50 years has been transformed into a very impressive community centre.

The coup d'etat in 1948 energized the Alliance which responded with a declaration condemning the usurpation of power by the Communist party. The coup led to the incorporation of the Canadian Fund for Czechoslovak Refugees. The guiding spirit was again Karel Buzek who recruited distinguished Canadians to serve on the board of directors. The coup also brought to Canada a large number of refugees, many of whom joined the Affiance, and not surprisingly, their goal ' the defeat of Communism, did not register the same degree of urgency with the old timers. After a period of several years of tension between the somewhat authoritarian old leaders of the community and the ambitious newcomers, the community and the Alliance settled to a diet of work which paid greater attention to the social and cultural needs of the community. An important turning point was the charter, documentation for which was drafted by Josef Cermak, issued by the Canadian federal government on September 28, 1960 and presented to Czechoslovak National Association at its Congress in Hamilton by the then Minister of Immigration, The Hon. Ellen L. Fairclough. The charter sets out the following main objectives: to develop the highest standards of citizenship in Canadians of
Czechoslovak origin; to act in matters affecting the status, rights and welfare of Canadians of Czechoslovak origin and Czechoslovaks coming to Canada;
â?¢ to promote tolerance, understanding and goodwill between all ethnic groups in Canada; to help to maintain and defend freedom and democracy in Canada.

During the 40 year reign of the Communist regime, the Association, together with other organizations such as Sokol, Ceskoslovenska obec legionarska
(Czechoslovak legionnaires) and Masaryk Memorial Institute, defended the democratic ideals of Masaryk's Czechoslovakia. Its leaders and members spent
countless hours trying to persuade the Canadian public and the Canadian government that Czechoslovakia deserved to be free. And the effort paid dividends. When in the middle of the night of August 21, 1968, Czechoslovakia received a friendly visit from the armies of the Warsaw Pact, the following morning a delegation of the Association led by its then president, Antonin Daicar and secretary-general George Corn, was received by the Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau and leading members of his cabinet. The delegation presented to the government an appeal for help drafted by Josef Cermak who also addressed, with the Slovak leader George Ben, a huge protest meeting at the Toronto City Hall a few days later. During the next six months Canada admitted some twelve thousand Czechoslovak refugees. A great deal of time and effort was spent on social and cultural issues and here I must pay tribute to the Women's Council of the Association, who under the leadership of Ruth Petricek and her successors, Erica Viezner and particularly Blanca Rohn, did outstanding work for refugees in the refugee camps as well as for old and handicapped people in Canada.

Of major importance was the contribution of the Association, especially of George Corn and Jaroslav Boucek, to the formulation of the Canadian position
at the Helsinki Conference. George Corn also assisted in the work on the Canadian Multicultural Act. The Association, following a meeting between Gordon Sidling and Kathryn B. Feuer of the University of Toronto and Josef Cermak, played an important role in introducing a course of the Czech and Slovak languages and literature at the University of Toronto and in celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the foundation of Czechoslovakia in 1988. These celebrations included a seminar at the University of Toronto organized by Gordon Skilling and attended by leading scholars from a number of universities, and a concert organized by Josef Cermak featuring Antonin Kubalek and other outstanding Czech and Slovak musicians in Canada, Chaviva Hosek (member of Ontario government) and one of the last living Russian legionnaires, Rudolf Hasek, then 98 years old. Equally successful was a concert in honour of the 150th anniversary of T.G. Masaryk's birthday at the University of Toronto, also organized by Josef Cermak, featuring outstanding artists and Gordon Skilling as guest speaker.

Among the more exciting happenings in the life of the Association were two lawsuits for libel. In the first one, two of its officers, George Corn and Josef Cermak, were sued by Josef Kirschbaum, who held the position of secretary ' treasurer of the Hlinka Party under Josef Tiso. In the second case, the Association and Josef Cermak, personally, were sued by George Kubes in connection with a program on the Czech television station Nova. All defendants survived with honour. A much more pleasant experience was the foundation of the Canadian Fund for the Czechoslovak Universities (now Czech Universities) initiated by George Corn. The incorporation work was done by Josef Cermak who also managed to win for the Charles University the tax status of a Canadian charitable organization.

Today, the Association continues to be a link between the community and the Canadian government as well as providing assistance in the social and ultural fields. It has a good working relationship with the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Canada and occasional contact with the Slovak embassy. It cooperates closely with a number of universities, including The University of Toronto, McGill University and the University of Albert; and also assists children's choirs and other groups from the Czech Republic.

The work of the Association is not limited to Toronto and to the activities of the central office. Many branches from Montreal to Vancouver, from Kttchener to Winnipeg, so vibrant during World War II and during the 40 year period of the Communist regime, still publish their own periodicals: Calgary: Calgarske Listy, Kitchener - Waterloo: Dobry den, Edmonton: Edmontonsky zpravodaj Montreal Vestnik cs. spolku v Montrealu, Ottawa: Ottavsky zpravodaj Vancouver: Zpravodaj Winnipeg: Pramen and Ricka and provide leadership in their communities. When floods damaged large areas of Moravia, in addition to a quite significant sum raised by the Central office, Vancouver, inspired by Jiri Macek, collected a fart amount for a Moravian village for which Mr. Macek had special affection.

While the Canadian and US Czech and Slovak communities generally work closely with the post-Communist Czech government and have some contacts with the
Slovak government, they elected to take a different path on the issue of the structure of the relationship between the two national groups. The divergence may have in fact started in Toronto.

On February 19, 1990 the University of Toronto played host to President Vaclav Ravel who received an honorary doctorate of laws from the York University and delivered his first major speech to the Czechs and Slovaks living abroad. The ceremony in Convocation Hall started by Slovak separatists distributing leaflets accusing the Czechs of, among other things, the political murder of gen. Rastislav Stefanik, and continued inside the hail by a determined effort of an official of the World Slovak Congress, Rev. Dusan Toth, to dictate the terms of the future arrangement between Czechs and Slovaks.

In his speech which appeared in the publication of the Association, Vestnik, and the local Czech newspaper Novy Domov, President Ravel made the following  statement: 'In Czech minds, for example, the Czech statehood and the Czechoslovak statehood fuse dangerously creating mistrust in Slovak minds of all that is Czech as something potentially paternalistic or even usurpatory. That's why we must divide in the Czech lands the consciousness of the Czech statehood from the consciousness of the Czechoslovak statehood and so strengthen the national awareness and self-confidence of both our nations: the Czech and the Slovak. Such a road will not mean weakening our federative union, but on the contrary it will be strengthened ... It would be wonderful if each of our nations had its own national organizations and structures, at least in the cultural spheres...'

Both newspapers also published the response of Josef Cermak who chaired the meeting at the Convocation Hall where President Ravel's speech was delivered.
The relevant part of his response reads: 'It is possible that the passage in the President's speech affected me so negatively at least partly because I've already heard a variation of it somewhere else. Some years ago, it was produced by Rev. Dusan Toth. He proposed that the Association becomes a strictly Czech  organization while Slovaks would be represented by the World Slovak Congress. My view then was and still is that it was an immoral proposal. Rev. Toth in effect asked us to write out of the Association the Slovak members (or were they supposed to declare that they changed into Czechs?) who worked with us tens of years (it is well to recall that at the cradle of the Association there were more Slovaks than Czechs) and advise them to join the World Slovak Congress. This proposal was even more immoral since many of our Slovak brothers fought in the Czechoslovak legions in the First World War, and in the Second World War fought against the Tiso regime while the World Slovak Congress was founded, in addition to Stefan B. Roman, by representatives of the Tiso regime, Ferdinand Durcansky and dr. Josef Kirschbaum... My reservations about the President's conception of the arrangements of the relations between the Czechs and the Slovaks don't arise only from the similarity between his and Toth's conception even though I can clearly see that the future formal division of Czechoslovakia would be much easier if the actual division took place now... I grew up in Masaryk's Republic and if I ever had any consciousness of statehood, it was the
consciousness of the Czechoslovak statehood... if we lose the consciousness of the Czechoslovak statehood I don't know what will be left to us.' The rest is history.

In closing: almost all of us, most of our lives, pursue the star of personal success and recognition of our imagined worth. Yet, in the final analysis, these are shallow delights.

Again and again, I met greatness in the actions of people no one ever writes about. In the actions of thousands of men and women who divided their love between the count of their origin and the magnificent harsh country where they found their second home. They served well the country of their origin, this lovely little land, visited by much tragedy yet also often reaching for the stars. They deserve our thanks and gratitude.

FRIENDS OF CZECH REPUBLIC
Michael Rokos, Vice President

will be added later

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