Prague Embassy cable, Demonstrations Continue Over Weekend in Prague

The U.S. Ambassador in Prague cabled regular reports to the State Department during the Velvet Revolution. As historical sources, these cables provide rich day-to-day accounts from an informed outsider's perspective, but with certain biases: the ambassador contextualized events within the "big picture" of U. S. foreign policy and depended on embassy resources for information. Ambassador Shirley Temple Black started out as a famous child actor, turning to diplomacy after her acting career waned. She arrived at the Prague embassy only three months before the Velvet Revolution. Although she began her tenure in one of the region's most unyielding regimes, Black soon found herself in a maelstrom of changing political realities. Nevertheless, her reports perceptively analyzed the changing circumstances during the first uncertain days after November 17. Black benefited from the embassy's information network, which presented a picture of events contrasting with the official version. For example, in the cable below, she reports on the rumored death of student Martin Smid. Black describes the independent investigations into the supposed death after the government repudiated the rumor. Despite evidence supporting official claims, information about public unrest from unofficial sources led her to doubt whether the truth about the rumor really mattered. Instead, she suggested the protests would escalate and the regime's position would deteriorate, which in fact happened.