Letter of the Minister of Education to All Employees in the University

15th September 1969

To all employees of the Ministry of Education of the Czech. Soc. Republic.

Dear Comrades,

Women Comrades,

You all know well how complicated is the situation in the sphere of our education and what complicated tasks are facing us.

The Ministry of Education of the Czech. Soc. Rep. can carry out its function successfully only when it has a clear programme, purposeful organization, good cadres with high work morale, and perfect control of work.

The higher the function assumed by a co-worker, the higher are the requirements from his professional capabilities, political awareness and moral profile.

At the Ministry people cannot work who do not possess the necessary ability, who are not firm politically, who are insincere and have faults in their character.

I appeal to you and ask you that each one send to me personally and directly a sincere written answer to questions concerning two problems:

How do you evaluate yourself?

How do you assess your work hitherto at the Ministry?

A. Personal evaluation

A.1. Name, personal data, function, membership and functions in a political party, in the Trade Unions, in the Czechoslovak-Soviet Friendship League.

A.2. Are you yourself satisfied with your work?

Are you capable of carrying out your tasks?

A.3. In which field would it be best to utilize your abilities and ambitions?

A.4. What has, until now, hampered a greater effectiveness of your work?

A.5. Do you keep regular working hours, and really work in a concentrated manner and effectively? If not, why not?

A.6. If you are a member of the Communist Party, have you displayed throughout the years 1968 and 1969 a consistent Party attitude; have you defended the internationalist programme of the Party; have you not allowed yourself to be broken by the attack of the rightist and antisocialist forces?

A.7. Which co-workers at the Ministry of Education have participated in campaigns against you, instigated them and organised them?

To what discriminations have you been subjected?

(Personal attacks at meetings, attacks in the Press, radio, signature campaigns, relieved of functions, health, consequences of terror)?

Do you know of a worker thrown out from the Ministry, prematurely pensioned, etc.?

A.8. In which anti-party and anti-Soviet actions have you participated against the true adherents of Marxism-Leninism and socialist internationalism?

Which pressure-resolutions have you signed or voted in favour of? (Neutrality of CSSR, abolition of Peoples’ Militia, resolutions on the occasions of the negotiations at Cierna Nadtisov, the entry of Allied Troops, the Moscow Treaty, election of the President of the Federal Assembly, strikes of students, etc.?)

Have you condemned the meeting of the old members of the Party at Oechia, the participation at the celebration of the anniversary of the Great October Revolution at LUCERNA; did you sign or approve resolutions against so-called traitors or collaborationists?

A.9. How do you explain and assess your attitudes and deeds of that time?

A.10. Have you been able honestly and sincerely to get rid of the mistakes and errors committed during the previous period?

Are you today sincerely convinced of the righteousness of the policy of the Party, the National Front; are you ready consequently to realise it and gain for it also other co-workers?

A.11. Can you as a member of the Party on your honour and conscience publicly declare that from your own sincere conviction you will actively carry through the present policy of the Party, expressed especially in the conclusions of the plenary meeting of the Central Committee of the Party in Nov. ’68, April ’69, and the realization directives from May ’68?

A.12. Can you as non-member of the Party publicly declare on your honour and conscience, and from your own sincere conviction that you will actively carry through and realize the policy of the present National Front led by the CP of the CSSR and of the government of the nations and of the Federal government?

A.13. On what points do you not agree with the present policy of the Party and National Front; where are you uncertain, and have doubts?

A.14. What personal frailties do you consider incorrect and do you want to get rid of them?

A.15. Are you fully aware that, eventually, the untruth and incompleteness of your own evaluation will unambiguously testify against you and render impossible any effort to do you good?

Are you aware that you will also be evaluated by a collective of coworkers, and eventual contradictions in data will be investigated?

B. The work of the Ministry

B.1. Which of the workers of the Ministry do you consider to be capable, honest and efficient? Name at least 10 workers with their functions.

B.2. Which workers have mistakenly been neglected and their capacity not made use of?

B.3. Which workers have been, on the contrary, entrusted with functions with which they cannot cope?

B.4. Which workers because of their lack of ability, neglect, bad morale, or for other reasons do not deserve to stay at the Ministry?

Let us know all workers of this type.

B.5. Which leading workers have been discredited by their antisocialist and anti-Soviet deeds and attitudes, that they must not assume responsible functions?

B.6. How do you assess the morale of the Ministry on the whole? At various departments?

B.7. Are you convinced that the tasks of the Ministry can be mastered by fewer workers?

B.8. Which pieces of work, department, divisions of the Ministry are in your opinion working at their least capacity?

B.9. Which, on the contrary, are overburdened?

B.10. What concrete suggestions can you give towards the improvement of your field of work?

B.11. What improvements could be introduced elsewhere?

B.12. What obstacles hamper you and other peoples’ work?

B.13. What is it necessary to do to improve the working environment, hygiene, economy?

B.14. What fundamental changes in the organizational structure of the Ministry do you recommend?

B.15. Where is it possible to make considerable economies in relation to the number of personnel and finance?

You do not have to type the answer. It is sufficient to write by hand in pen or pencil. In the case of workers without higher education, I shall not evaluate spelling, but only sincerity, and an honest effort to contribute to the cause.

Do not copy the questions, quote only A.1., A.2…. B.1., B.15…and write down only the answers. Write on one side only of the normal-sized paper A4 (typing paper).

Your statement has to reach the Secretariate in a glued envelope not later than 22nd September. I shall process them myself.

I expect a relevant answer from every worker in the Ministry.

Thank you in advance for your collaboration.

Prof. Mudr. Jaromir Hrbek, D.Sc.