Changing Patterns of Power in Cold War Politics: The Mysterious Case of Vladimír Komárek

The story of the arrest and imprisonment of Vladimír Komárek sheds valuable light on relations between Czechoslovakia and the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Komárek, who had worked as an intelligence officer against the Czechoslovak Communist regime in the 1950s, was a U.S. citizen traveling...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of cold war studies 2001-01, Vol.3 (1), p.61-102
Main Author: Lukes, Igor
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cold War
Czechoslovakia
East and West
Espionage
Foreign relations
France
Intelligence service
International Conflict
International Relations
Soviet Union
Spies
United States
United States of America
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Summary:The story of the arrest and imprisonment of Vladimír Komárek sheds valuable light on relations between Czechoslovakia and the United States in the 1950s and 1960s. Komárek, who had worked as an intelligence officer against the Czechoslovak Communist regime in the 1950s, was a U.S. citizen traveling to the Soviet Union on business when he was dramatically captured by the Czechoslovak authorities. Pressure from the U.S. government and private in dividuals, as well as conflicts between the Czechoslovak secret service and other, more liberal, elements in the Czechoslovak government, ultimately led to Komárek’s release. Czechoslovakia’s eventual willingness to cooperate in the Komárek case signaled a new approach to relations with the West, an approach that would have significant consequences during the Prague Spring of 1968.
ISSN:1520-3972
1531-3298
DOI:10.1162/15203970151032155