Jonathan Marks writes in the Critical Distance Weblog: I’m thinking of Prague at the moment, partly because there are all kinds of archive programmes on BBC Radio 4 looking back at the night of 20th August 1968 when the Russians invaded what was then Czechoslovakia. Radio Prague has a nice page up at the moment too.
In August 1988 I met a Czech writer Jana Beranova, then living in Rotterdam, and we looked back on the events 20 years before, little knowing how quickly things were about to change with the Velvet revolution. Jana was one of those dream interviewees - she was able to give the background to a bunch of recordings I found in the Dutch broadcast archives and those sent in by Media Network reporters. You might be interested in an audio extract from that documentary, which we re-broadcast by request in one of the last radio editions of Media Network. It’s an MP3 file and lasts about 14 minutes. Hope you enjoy it. 
Andy Sennitt comments: Listening to this documentary still makes me very emotional. I remember at the time, as an 18-year-old, feeling terribly sad. Radio Prague was one of my favourite stations during the Prague Spring, and suddenly it all changed. I can remember listening to two versions of Radio Prague on the same evening - the ‘official’ one that was censored by the Russians, and the one broadcasting from mobile transmitters, the voices of its announcers sometimes quavering with emotion.
I remember the announcer on the newly-censored Radio Prague, who paused and coughed slightly every time he read the phrase “fraternal assistance”. I hoped the Russians wouldn’t spot it, and I still don’t know whether they did.
I can also remember receiving a programme schedule from Radio Prague in early 1969. It was some months after the invasion, but I was astonished to read the last sentence in an article about the birthday of Radio Prague. It said “We thought we would have every reason to celebrate, but the August events have left a bitter taste in the mouth”. Sadly, I don’t have my copy any more, but I hope our friends at Radio Prague have it on file somewhere. It showed that evading censorship was still going on months after the story had left the international news headlines.
When I went to university, I did Czechoslovak Studies as one of my subjects, because the events of 1968 had left such a deep impression on me. My Head of Department was Professor Sir Cecil Parrot, who had been the British Ambassador in Prague from 1960-1966. He was named by Pravda as one of the brains behind the Prague Spring. A lovely man, he regaled us with many tales of life in the embassy, and told us that he held regular parties, and senior members of the Czechoslovak politburo were coming in and out of the embassy like old friends. He was just being hospitable, but I have often wondered just how these parties were interpreted by the Russians.
And when working for the World Radio TV Handbook, I finally got to meet Peter Skala, whose real name is Oldrich Cip. As Radio Prague’s Frequency Manager, he presented a weekly programme for DXers, except for a few years after 1968 when he was not allowed to broadcast. It was his idea to set up the High Frequency Coordination Conference, which meets twice a year - and ironically will be held next week in Moscow.
Despite all that, I have never personally been to the Czech Republic, but that’s one of the things I may get to do when I eventually retire. It’s funny that I have such an affection for somewhere I’ve never been to. Tonight the England football team play the Czech Republic at Wembley in a friendly match. I doubt that the vast majority of the English crowd will be aware of just how significant the date is. But those of us who followed events on the radio will never forget.
on Aug 20th, 2008 at 17:47
Jonathan, formally, those were the Warsaw Pact troops or the Soviet troops if you wish but not the “Russians “. Andy, you should have learned in your Czechoslovak Studies class that there was no such a thing as “Czech politburo“. There was a Czechoslovak politburo, though
on Aug 20th, 2008 at 18:28
I think it’s a bit late to start criticising a programme that was made 20 years ago
In fact, the term “Russians” was used in the British media at the time when referring to the Warsaw Pact troops. Everyone knew who was really in charge 
Similarly, the Soviet Union was frequently referred to as Russia, which used to annoy the Ukrainians in particular. We Brits like to be politically incorrect 
on Aug 21st, 2008 at 19:51
I was 22 in 1968 and remember being horrified at the events. Reading this synopsis and listening to the Radio Netherlands archive recordings made me shudder. Thank you for publishing it.
on Aug 22nd, 2008 at 06:37
I remember those days very well. I was a young editor working for ORF, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation - and a keen DXer, recording whatever I could pick up on the airwaves. Czechoslovakia was/is at our doorsteps. All of a sudden we became the most important source for news content and we provided footage for practically the whole world. I remember e.g. that an Austrian returning from Bratislava (the Slovak capital, just 40km from Vienna) came to us and handed over a video cassette that somebody had thrown into his carm asking: Bring this to your TV station. It was footage of the Soviet tanks entering Bratislava, recorded secretly by a member of Slovak TV… And I am still proud to learn that much of the sounds you listen to in all those special programmes aired today originates from my/our recordings, now kept at our Documentary Archives.
Wolf
on Aug 22nd, 2008 at 10:30
Wolf is right. Many of the Radio Prague recordings in the NOS archives were part of news reports, and (although the origins are not mentioned) I suspect came from/via ORF. Wolf has every reason to be proud of the unique work they have done in Vienna to preserve the history of international broadcasting - not just German language material - the whole lot. It is one of the most important archiving projects on the planet. It was my pleasure and honour to work with Wolf in Vienna in 1976, and we later swapped material and ideas when he hosted KW Panorama and I was running Media Network. It was a great example of working in the public interest.