The Czechoslovak Review/Volume 3/First visitor from Prague

FIRST VISITOR FROM PRAGUE.

Leaders of the American Czechs and Slovaks were pleasantly surprised at their meeting in Cleveland, when Consul Kopecký came in with an unexpected guest, Mr. Antonín Fencl, director of the Pragafilm Company, the principal Bohemian moving picture concern. Mr. Fencl came to the United States for a brief visit partly on business of his firm and partly on a mission for the Czechoslovak ministry of education to secure here data relating to America’s part in the movement for Czechoslovak independence. Mr. Fencl had barely time to visit Chicago, where he spoke of conditions in Bohemia to a tremendous crowd in the Pilsen Park Pavilion March 17th. The necessity of taking passage by the first ship available made it impossible to have him speak in Pittsburgh and New York as was intended.

Mr. Fencl is an able and interesting speaker, as well as an efficient business man. He took back with him a number of films showing Masaryk’s reception in various cities in this country, large numbers of photographs and documents, as well as films of the Cleveland meeting of the American Czechoslovak Board and of the Czechoslovak Legation and its staff in Washington.

Newspapers state that this first visitor will be followed some time in April by two missions from Prague, one of newspapermen and one of businessmen. They will be received with much enthusiasm by their countrymen in America, who are anxious to hear news from the old country at first hand.