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Title: Ivo D. Duchacek papers
Date (inclusive): 1939-1988
Collection Number: 81063
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In Czech and English
Physical Description:
25 manuscript boxes, 7 phonotape cassettes
(10.8 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Radio broadcast recordings and transcripts, writings, diaries, dispatches, correspondence, and printed matter, relating to
Czechoslovakia during World War II, wartime diplomacy, Soviet annexation of Ruthenia in 1945, the communist coup of 1948,
and American broadcasting to Czechoslovakia.
Creator:
Duchacek, Ivo D., 1913-1988
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquired.
[Identification of item], Ivo D. Duchacek Papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Also available on microfilm (25 reels).
| 1913 February 27 | Born, Prostejov, Czechoslovakia |
| 1936-1939 | Correspondent for Lidove noviny in Paris |
| 1939-1945 | Diplomatic officer, Government in Exile, London |
| 1940-1944 | Broadcast weekly commentaries on BBC to German-occupied Czechoslovakia |
| 1941-1945 | Chef de cabinet to the deputy minister of foreign affairs, Hubert Ripka |
| 1945 | Returned to Czechoslovakia as a liaison officer with General Patton's third army |
| 1945-1948 | Leader of the Czechoslovak People's Party, Member of the Czechoslovak Parliament, and chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly |
| Chief-editor and co-founder (with Pavel Tigrid) of Obzory | |
| 1948 February | Dismissed from the Czechoslovak People's Party, and after the Coup d'Etat emigrated to Great Britain, and later to the United States |
| 1948-1953 | Professor of political science, Yale University |
| 1949-1954 | Editor-in-chief, Czechoslovak Service, Voice of America, New York |
| 1949 October 30 - 1988 | Broadcast weekly political commentaries, known as "Zapisnik," on Voice of America, under the name of Martin Cermak |
| 1951-1953 | Research Consultant on the Yale Human Resources Project, sponsored by the U.S. Army |
| 1954-1980 | Professor of political science, The City College of the City University of New York |
| 1955-1956 | Broadcast commentaries on international politics on Radio Free Europe |
| 1981-1984 | Member, Executive Committee, Center for European Studies, the City University of New York |
| 1984 spring | Visiting scholar, Institute of Governmental Studies, University of California, Berkeley |
| 1988 March 1 | Died, Kent, Connecticut |
The Ivo Duchacek papers were donated to the Hoover Institution Library & Archives by Ivo Duchacek himself over a period of
several years. The first installment, consisting of typewritten transcripts of his broadcasts on Voice of America and of cassettes
of voice rehearsals of broadcasts, arrived in 1984. Duchacek's diaries covering the years 1939-1945 were accessioned in 1985,
and additional radio broadcast transcripts were added to the collection in the years 1986 to 1988.
The bulk of the collection consists of Ivo Duchacek's speeches and writings and his radio broadcasts, mostly on Voice of America.
For 39 years until his death, Duchacek delivered a weekly commentary over Voice of America, broadcast to Czechoslovakia under
the pen name Martin Cermak. From 1949 to 1988, "The Sunday Notebook," as it was called, offered analyses of important world
developments, evaluated American domestic and international policies, and in an informal and witty style interpreted life
in the United States. At the same time, Duchacek's commentaries examined Czechoslovak history and conditions under Soviet
domination, and with scathing criticism and sarcasm uncovered the true face of the Stalinist doctrine and practices (see his
parody of the Slansky and Gottwald trials in the radio broadcasts file).
Of significant importance in the speeches and writings file are Duchacek's memoirs based on his political diaries kept throughout
World War II, in which he exercised his intimite knowledge of the political scene and developments in Central Europe before
and during the war (see, "In the Funnel of Two Tornadoes: The Nazi and Soviet Captures of the Heart of Europe. Political Diaries").
Equally important are his writings on the communist coup (see, "The Strategy of Communist Infiltration: Czechoslovakia, 1944-1948.
The February Coup in Czechoslovakia") and the annexation of Ruthenia (see, "Soviet Annexation of Ruthenia: A Lesson in Soviet
Browbeat Politics").
Also of great importance are documents in the government service file relating to the Soviet annexation of Ruthenia, and Duchacek's
internal reports of discussions with foreign diplomats, agents, and journalists.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiotapes
World War, 1939-1945 -- Diplomatic history
World War, 1939-1945 -- Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia -- History -- Coup d'état, 1948
Radio broadcasting -- Czechoslovakia
Ruthenia (Czechoslovakia)
Voice of America (Organization)