General Patton statue becomes a hot potato

Last year in the West Bohemian city of Plzen, the foundation stone was laid for a large bronze statue of General George Patton, whose 3rd US Army liberated the city in the spring of 1945. It seemed an apt gesture to remember one of the war's great generals, and the unveiling was to be one of the highpoints of this year's 60th anniversary celebrations taking place next week in Plzen. At the time no-one could have guessed that just a few months later the stone would be dug up again, and that the city would not have its statue after all, after city councillors voted for the commission to be cancelled. David Vaughan looks at the strange story of a statue that has turned into a hot potato.

Jaroslav Bocker with the statue of General Patton

The village of Dysina is just a few miles outside Plzen. It is one of the easternmost places in the former Czechoslovakia to have been liberated by General Patton's 3rd Army.

Vaclava Kuklikova

The mayor of Dysina, Vaclava Kuklikova, is proud that the nearly 3-metre high figure of Patton, standing with a riding whip in his hand, is now going to stand outside the village school. Dysina has a very real link with the general, as it was headquarters of the 3rd Army's 22nd Corps in 1945.

"The statue," she says, "symbolizes freedom of speech, freedom of thought, and above all - freedom of opinion."

This all sounds well and good, but why is General Patton not going to be standing in pride of place in the city of Plzen itself?

The problem goes back about a year. Rumours spread about the man commissioned to make the sculpture, well known local artist Jaroslav Bocker. It was pointed out that his name was on the list of secret police collaborators under the communist regime in the 70s and 80s. The town hall began to feel increasingly awkward. Was this really the right man for the job? At the last minute, when the statue was all but complete, city councillors decided to cancel the commission. Mayor Miroslav Kalous:

"I have to admit that I wasn't happy about Mr Bocker's past, but you know, the main problem was somewhere else - it lay in the fact that the statue had been commissioned without a proper tender being held. But the fact that the sculptor was on the list of secret police agents did also play a role in how I cast my vote."

The school in Dysina

Jaroslav Bocker himself admits that he collaborated with the secret police, but argues that it was only when he was threatened with prison. When I met him in the beautifully kept garden of his house just outside Plzen, he insisted that in his regular talks with secret police officers, he had always gone out of his way not to say anything that could harm someone. Instead he argues that it was rival artists close to the town hall, who sank the statue plans, using his past and doubts about the legality of the commission as an excuse.

Mr Bocker has many sympathizers, among them the mayor of Dysina. When it looked as though General Patton could be destined for the scrap heap, she launched a fund-raising campaign, with the support of most members of Dysina's parish council. To the fury of the town hall in Plzen, the statue will now be unveiled in the village on 7th May.

Villagers hope that General Patton's grandson will be among those attending the ceremony and the US Embassy will definitely be represented. Deputy chief of mission Ken Hillas:

"If there is a group of people in the Czech Republic that want to commemorate the liberation by American forces, we will have an official representative present there."

So the embassy is completely neutral as far as the row between the city hall in Plzen and the village hall in Dysina is concerned?

"We have not involved ourselves in that question. We understand the sensitivities involved, but it's a Czech issue, and one for them to work out."