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Negotiating the Czech-Soviet Aviation Agreement

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 January 2017

Jiri Kašparek
Jiri Kašparek*
Affiliation:
Minister Plenipotentiary at the Czechoslovak Embassy at Moscow, 1946-1948
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Extract

Premier Klement Gottwald and the late Jan Masaryk, as Foreign Minister, headed a Czechoslovak delegation to Moscow during the summer of 1946 to consider various matters, including the negotiation of an aviation agreement. It was my lot at the time to be Minister-Counselor of the Czechoslovak Embassy in Moscow. In that capacity I participated in the events leading up to the signature of the treaty. The account of what occurred may add to the growing lore on the subject of negotiating with the Soviet Government.

Talks had been initiated with Soviet representatives considerably before the delegation left Prague. The negotiations followed the pattern which is now commonplace in the preparation of aviation agreements. A text was prepared which followed the general plan of the standard type established by the International Civil Aviation Organization. In accordance with this pattern each state customarily extends to the other contracting party the right to fly over its territory and to land.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Slavic and East European Review , Volume 11 , Issue 3 , October 1952 , pp. 207 - 214
Copyright
Copyright © Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies 1952

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References

1 The account set forth in this paper was given originally in abbreviated form on a Czech language broadcast of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's International Service. It appears for the first time in published form and in English in the Review.

2 For examples of the standard type, see the Agreement of March 5, 1947, between Czechoslovakia and Turkey, 14 United Nations Treaty Series 101 (1948), and the Agreement of May 14, 1947, between Czechoslovakia and Denmark, 27 United Nations Treaty Series 297 and 309 (1949). A pre-war type incorporating the principle of reciprocity is exemplified by the Agreement of April 15, 1926, between Czechoslovakia and Poland, LXVII League of Nations Treaty Series 305 (1927).

3 For the text of the Agreement of July 25, 1946, in Czech and Russian originals, with English and French translations, see 27 United Nations Treaty Series 231 (1949). The first four articles and the attached Protocol, which are pertinent to the subject of this paper, read as follows:

  1. Art. 1.

    Art. 1. The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics grants to Czechoslovak aircraft with Czechoslovak crews the right to fly freely over the Soviet occupation zone of Germany in both directions between Prague and Berlin, as well as the right of transit across the Soviet occupation zone of Germany on air routes mentioned in the protocol hereto.

  2. Art. 2.

    Art. 2. The Government of the Czechoslovak Republic grants to Soviet aircraft with Soviet crews the right to fly freely over Czechoslovak territory in both directions between Moscow and Prague, as well as the right of transit across Czechoslovak territory on air routes mentioned in the protocol hereto.

  3. Art. 3.

    Art. 3. In order to facilitate the operation of air services mentioned in Article 1 of the present agreement, the Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics grants to Czechoslovak aircraft with Czechoslovak crews, in addition to flying rights over the Soviet occupation zone of Germany on the said air routes, landing rights at Schonfeld (Berlin) airport.

  4. Art. 4.

    Art. 4. In order to facilitate the operation of the air services mentioned in Article 2 of this agreement, the Government of the Czechoslovak Republic grants to Soviet aircraft with Soviet crews, in addition to flying rights over Czechoslovak territory on the said air routes, landing rights at Prague airport.

The Protocol attached to the Agreement lists the air services authorized as the following:

  1. 1.

    1. By Soviet aircraft with Soviet crews over Czechoslovak territory on the following routes:

  2. a)

    a) Moscow-Prague-Moscow, in both directions;

  3. b)

    b) Moscow-Prague-Zürich, in both directions;

  4. c)

    c) Moscow-Prague-Paris, in both directions.

  5. 2.

    2. By Czechoslovak aircraft with Czechoslovak crews over the Soviet occupation zone of Germany on the following routes:

  6. a)

    a) Prague-Berlin, in both directions;

  7. b)

    b) Prague-Berlin-Copenhagen-Stockholm, in both directions;

  8. c)

    c) Prague-Amsterdam, in both directions.

4 The morning after the signing of the agreement the following communique was published: “On July 25 the President of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, J. V. Stalin, gave a dinner in honor of the President of the Council of Ministers of the Czechoslovak Republic, Mr. K. Gottwald.

“In addition to the President of the Council of Ministers of the Czechoslovak Republic, Mr. K. Gottwald, there were also present at the dinner Minister of Foreign Affairs, J. Masaryk, Ambassador of Czechoslovakia to the USSR, Mr. J. Horak, Counselor J. Kašparek, Military Attaché Colonel R. Mrazek, other persons in Mr. Gottwald's party and members of the Czechoslovak Embassy.

“Those present at the dinner for the Soviet side were V. M. Molotov, A. I. Mikojan, K. E. Vorošilov, L. P. Beria, A. A. ĝdanov, G. M. Malenkov, N. A. Bulganin, V. S. Abakumov, A. T. Vyšinskij, Marshal of the Soviet Union, I. S. Konev, Marshal of the Armored Troops, P. S. Rybalko, M. I. Rodionov, G. M. Popov, Ambassador of the USSR to Czechoslovakia V. A. Zorin, N. G. Palganov, Colonel General A. S. Žadov, A. P. Pavlov, F. F. Moločkov, I. A. Čičaev, B. F. Podcerov and others.

“The dinner proceeded under cordial friendly circumstances.” See Pravda, No. 176 (10258), July 26, 1946, p. 1.

5 On July 27, 1946, there was published in the Moscow press a front page photograph of the departing Czechoslovak delegation, together with a joint Soviet-Czechoslovak communique, listing the matters agreed upon. In the next to last paragraph, it said, “There was also signed an Agreement concerning the establishment of air communications, and there was prepared for signature in the immediate future an Agreement concerning railroad communications.” The final paragraph was but the single sentence, “The negotiations were conducted in the spirit of heartfelt friendship and closest union.” For text, see Pravda, No. 177 (10259), July 27, 1946, p. 1.

6 For the account in the Czechoslovak press; see the Rude Pravo July 27, 1946, which carried headlines hailing Gottwald's return. One single sentence read, “We have signed the aviation agreement.” Four photographs of the major events of the Czechoslovak delegation's trip appeared in the issue of the following day.