Posted on 09/16/2008 5:33:48 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
Prime Minister Chamberlain and Chancellor Hitler conferred three hours at Berchtesgaden yesterday and the former returned to a hotel. He will fly to London today to consult his Cabinet, and it was announced he would again visit Hitler in a few days. The official communiqué told only of a comprehensive and frank exchange of opinion.
Paris believed the Berchtesgaden meeting would be only preliminary to a series of further ones leading to a peace conference, in which Germany would be treated as an equal. Premier Daladier was expected to confer immediately with Mr. Chamberlain.
The Prague Government ordered the arrest as a traitor of Konrad Henlein, Sudeten leader, following a proclamation demanding union of the Sudeten districts with the Reich. He took refuge in Germany. More districts were placed under martial law. Viscount Runciman was recalled to London.
Preparations were made in London to summon Parliament to hear Mr. Chamberlains report. A special Cabinet meeting was called for this afternoon. There was renewed nervousness over the sudden return of the Prime Minister.
Secretary of the Treasury Morgenthau said foreign money was coming into the United States in unprecedented volume. He saw no reason for alarm in this situation.
Marine insurance companies here and in London put all war risks on a ship to ship basis and increased them sharply on business taken.
The conversation was then adjourned to permit Mr. Chamberlain to return to London tomorrow morning and inform the British Cabinet of the German demands, and presumably also to communicate with the French Government. He will again visit Hitler in a few days for further consultations, it was officially announced.
[It was suggested that a more convenient place than Hitlers Alpine home would be selected for the next conversation, according to The Associated Press.]
The only authoritative information as to the course and contents of todays conversation is contained in a meager communiqué that affords no clue to the motives that may have prompted the Prime Minister to decide to return to London tomorrow. The communiqué reads:
Berchtesgaden, Sept. 15, 1938.
The Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor had a discussion today at Obersalzberg with the British Prime Minister, in the course of which a comprehensive and frank exchange of opinion on the present situation took place.
The British Prime Minister will return to England tomorrow to confer with the British Cabinet. New discussions will take place in a few days.
Inquiries for something more illuminating than the slender information revealed in the official statement produced a warning against conjectures over todays initial conversation. Both the Germans and the British affected a show of restricted optimism over the outcome of the days contacts, but neither would divulge the nature of the information Mr. Cham-
berlain will carry back to London.
Inferentially it was learned that he had been informed of the full scope of the German demands, especially as they have taken on a more precise shape since the intensification of the Sudeten situation. Lack of public security in the Sudeten areas was one of the points first emphasized.
The news that a warrant had been issued for the apprehension of Konrad Henlein, leader of the Sudeten German party, on the ground of high treason reached Berchtesgaden shortly before the termination of the conversation. This news, along with a report that the Czechoslovak Government had decreed general mobilization, probably was also brought to the attention of Mr. Chamberlain as fresh evidence of the Czech procedure.
"Anxiety grew steadily during August, and in the afternoon of September 2 I received a message from the Soviet Ambassador that he would like to come down to Chartwell and see me at once upon a matter of urgency..."
...The substance of what he told me was as follows:
"The French Charge d'Affaires in Moscow... had that same day called upon M. Litvinov [Soviet Foreign Minister] and, in the name of the French Government, asked what aid Russia would give to Czechoslovakia against a German attack, having regard particularly to the difficulties which might be created by the neutrality of Poland or Romania. Litvinov replied that the Soviet Union had resolved to fulfill their obligations. He recognized the difficulties created by the attitude of Poland and Romania, but thought that in the case of Romania these could be overcome."If, for instance the League decided that Czechoslovakia was the victim of aggression and that Germany was the aggressor, that would probably persuade Romania to allow Russian troops and air forces to pass through her territory...
He therefore advised that the Council should be invoked under Article 11, on the ground that there was danger of war, and that the League Powers should consult together. The sooner this was done the better, as time might be very short. Staff conversations ought to take place between Russia, France, and Czechoslovakia immediately about ways and means of giving assistance.
He also advocated consultation among the peaceful Powers about the best method of preserving peace, with a view, perhaps to a joint declaration including France, Russia and Great Britain. He believed that the United States would give moral support to such a declaration."
Needless to say, nothing came from Stalin's proposal. And that insult to Stalin, along with the collapse of British courage at Munich, helped convince Stalin that he must seek out other allies...
I liked the “wireless radio” that could tune other radios in the home. I have something like that now; I call it a “wireless router” and it links the four computers in my home (five when my son is home from Purdue).
Oh, the remote for the “wireless radio” looked so nice and compact!
I don’t think the wireless radio thing took off like the wireless router thing.
My thoughts exactly when I read this article.
Call me a Nazi if you want, but I have the same reaction to Chamberlain and Daladier that Hitler did. They WERE little worms for not standing up to Hitler. It was no secret what Hitler was all about. He wrote about it in “Mein Kampf.” Yet elitist ivory tower fools like Chamberlain thought he could trust him!
We run the same risk of putting our nation in the hands of an elitist ivory tower fool named Obama, when the our world is still filled with power-mad dictators. And they are all the more dangerous because some of them have nuclear weapons, others are working on getting them. They also want to drop America a peg or two, and feast on our carcass. No wonder they are all in 0bama’s corner; they can’t wait to see 0bama waving his scrap of paper proclaiming “peace in our time.” And Achmedinijad would call 0bama “a little worm.”
There is one big difference between 0bama and Chamberlain. Neville at least had some brains. I suspect that 0bama really isn’t all that intelligent, based on his lack of academic success, post-school lack of achievement, and the numerous gaffes he spews out.
Forget the soap - we all need to be getting our vitamins from one of those health drinks from Ireland.
That is haunting. It is a little hard to make out in places but I played it twice and got most of it. What a helpless postition those people were in. But they were the only ones to act honorably in the whole sorry affair.
Another fantastic history report, thank you for putting it in order.
Then along comes Chamberlain and he just sells them down the river. In many of the negotiations Honza was not even allowed to attend. After their defensive positions were given away by Chamberlain, it was just a matter of time before the rest of the country fell to the Nazis.
Bump.
Thank you for all your work on these threads.
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