Czechoslovakia 1968 (also known as Czechoslovakia 1918-1968) is a 1969 short documentary film about the "Prague Spring", the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia. The film was produced by the United States Information Agency (USIA) under the direction of Robert M. Fresco and Denis Sanders and features the graphic design of Norman Gollin. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject and in 1997, was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress having been identified as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Controversy In 1972, Senator James L. Buckley obtained a copy of Czechoslovakia 1968 to show on New York television stations. The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, J. William Fulbright, objected to the broadcast based on an interpretation of the Smith–Mundt Act, which would prohibit the domestic dissemination of material produced by the USIA. Fulbright complained to the Attorney General, but the Justice Department refused to intervene based on the interpretation of existing US law. In 1972, Congress amended the Smith-Mundt Act, based on this event, to explicitly prohibit the domestic dissemination of materials produced by the USIA. The USIA was abolished in 1999. Accolades 1970 - Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject See also List of American films of 1969 Robert M. Fresco Denis Sanders References External links "Czechoslovakia 1968" essay by Robert M. Fresco at National Film Registry "Czechoslovakia 1968" essay by Daniel Eagan in America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry, A&C Black, 2010 , pages 656-657 Czechoslovakia 1968 at the National Archives and Records Administration The film in its entirety on YouTube Czechoslovakia 1918–1968 on MUBI 1969 films 1969 documentary films 1969 short films 1960s short documentary films American anti-communist propaganda shorts American short documentary films Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award winners Czechoslovakia–United States relations Documentary films about the Cold War Films directed by Denis Sanders Films scored by Charles Bernstein Films set in 1968 Films set in the Czech Republic Films set in Slovakia Prague Spring United States Information Agency films United States National Film Registry films Collage film 1960s English-language films 1960s American films