Romania and the Soviet Intervention against the Prague Spring. A NATO Assessment
Romania and the Soviet Intervention against the Prague Spring. A NATO Assessment

Summary/Abstract: The Soviet intervention; supported by four other Moscow’s allies; against the Prague Spring; occurred at a bad moment for the Western nascent policy of detente towards USSR. In NATO; this policy was encapsulated in the Harmel Report; adopted in 1967; that provided for both enhancing collective defence and promoting detente. Besides the messages of condemnation of the invasion; the NATO allies were cautious not to risk the chances for advancing detente towards Russia and the Warsaw Pact. The position taken by Romania following the intervention in Czechoslovakia was reflected in the NATO assessments and in the discussions; including at Ministerial level; on the crisis. The risks of a Soviet military action against Romania were also considered; but a key element in these assessments was that the Romanian leadership promoted a careful internal policy to avoid such a risk. At the same time; the allies had different opinions on the security implications for the Alliance of a Soviet military action against Romania. This study is based on documents from NATO Archives regarding the 1968 crisis; that reflect the approaches on Romania; including in a comparative manner with other countries under the risk to be targeted by Soviet military actions.

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