Here, Paul Goldsmith describes his photos. A short gallery follows.
Prague During The 1968 Invasion, Captured By Paul Goldsmith
On a break from his studies, Paul Goldsmith spent a year traveling around Israel and Europe on his motorcycle Vespa, taking photos along the way. He arrived in Prague on August 20, 1968 and woke up the following day to the noise of engines and the sight of tanks. He grabbed his camera and started taking pictures in the streets of Prague.
1
I awoke early the morning of August 21st to the rumble of tanks and the sounds and sights of a full-blown military occupation. I looked out the window, expecting to see trucks; instead I saw Soviet tanks wheeling into position on the campus, blocking all entrances and exits.
2
There was a swirl of activity around the radio station. There were burning buses, overturned cars, and buildings on fire. Here is the radio station pock-marked with bullet holes.
3
My impulse to record the events was instinctual, and I became emotionally engaged as a participant, as though the assault were happening to my country. I could feel the bewildered outrage, shock, and anger of the population. At the same time, looking into the faces of the young soldiers, I saw people my own age, thrust unwillingly into a confusing occupation that was clearly different from the “liberation” they were expecting.
4
Here, a bandaged young woman looks from Wenceslas Square at the bullet riddled face of the National Museum.
