3
PAGE 4-HONGKONG TELEGRAPH
Chamberlain meets Hitler and Goering threatens that if
there is war
LONDON WILL BE
IN RUINS
Negotiations in the
Sudeten crisis — the
origins of which were
described yesterday. dragged on at Prague
throughout the summer of 1938.
When, in July, deadlock was reached, the British Government
Lord Runciman to act as in- dependent mediator
sent
But before that mission could reach a settlement the next Nazi Party Rally was being held at Nurem- berg, and Hitler was mak- ing a speech that "set a torch lands."
to the Sudeten
Sir Nevile Henderson,
Ambassador British Berlin until the outbreak
of
war,
more
in
reveals to-day of those
accrets dramatic days. IAM, personally, not likely to
forget in a hurry my second visit to Nuremberg in 1938, cooped up for five days in the diplomatic train, without privacy_and_practically with out means of communication.
I was already feeling very un- well'at the time of a malady which was to put me hora de combat for four months in the winter; sleep at night in a wagon-lt compart- ment was hardly possible, and rest during the day there was none.
I had left Berlin on the night of Tuesday, September 6, meaning to stop a mere thirty-six hours. In the event I stopped five full days.
St
Nevile
Henderson
EIGHT
views by referring to the fall of the political barometer.
Hitler hud curtly replied that weather forecasts were always wrong and turned the subject.
He was in the midst of his whole Nazi army and after May 21 he was not for moment going to allow it subject to be thought that he wag to any further external dictation.
conviction I was my absolute
then,
the
and with the enlightenment of time it was even more so, that be would have declined on ground of all his other numerous me it ! engagements to receive. had asked for a special audience.
The Premier
at
arriving
Munich.
With him is
Ribbentrop.
And he hnd need to be, Inasmuch as by the time he got to bed at 11 p.m. that night he had been travel- ling by ear and rail and aeroplane for at least ten hours with much talk with Ribbentrop and others in between, and/with a long interview with Hitler and a telegraphic report to his own Cabinet to finish up
with.
On arrival ut
Berchtesgaden
shortly after 4 p.m., we drove first of all to the hotel, where accom- modation had been hurriedly pre- pared for uES.
Also, if I had given him through Hitler suggests
Ribbentrop any official warning-- which must have become public property--the effect would have been to drive him right off the deep end, and would have made an im- on Czecho- mediate
BEgression Slovakia unavoidable.
The Idea of a public warning to be given by me to Hitler at Nuremberg, which was seriously considered by His Majesty's Gov- ernment was accordingly drop. ped at my insistence to the above effect.
But the most that can be said about filler's speech at Nuremberg- was that it did not actually slam the door finally on peaceful sulu-
tion.
no
It was truculent and uggressive: it claimed self-determination for the Sudetens and promised them Germany's full support, but it set
and demanded no time-limit plebiscite.
Nevertheles It set the torch to the inflammable material in the Sudeten lands, and was the signal for an outburst of demonstrations,
Wrote notes on rioting and serious disturbances.
"thriller" pages
A railway train scarcely lends itself to writing, and I had fool- ishly omitted to provide myself. with any materials,
When eventually I had to send letler to London by special acroplane, I was obliged to use
17
Д
for the purpose the blank pages iorn
from some detective stories.
My vocal activities were, on the other hand, Immense. I had two long conversations with Goering, three with Goebbels, one
The Czechs replied with martini law, and itenlein retorted by abandoning the Carlsbad points as no longer sumelent.
In these circumstances, the Prime Minister set into operation his plan for person contact with Hitler. and shortly after my return to Ber- lin I received instructions arrange it accordingly.
to
I did so through Ribbentrop, and Hiller at once agreed,
Chamberlain
with Ribbentrop, two or three wisays "I'm tough'
Neurath.
I conveyed, besides, an endless succession of warnings to a host of other Nazi personalities of scarcely lesser note, the cumulative effect of which, since talking there was almost the equivalent of broad- casting, I hoped would be useful.
To all except Hitler, with whom
I merely exchanged banalities in the midst of my colleagues, remarks were the same,
my
"If Germany makes an aggrea- sive attack on Czecho-Slovakia, France is in honour bound to come to the aid of the Czecha, and if France is engaged in', war, Great Britain will inevitably be drawn in aleo,"
I felt that the most immediate matter of Importance was so to imprese this on the German minds that Hitler, in the big political spooch which he was to make the end of the Congress, would think twice and would not adopt therein an attitudo from which afterwards he could not reeeds.
at
It was indeed clear from the be- ginning that Hitter Jilmself was de- termined lo refuse any political contact with the foreigner.
At the diplomatie reception my French colleague, Francois Poncet, as gerilor member of the diplomatie body, had tentatively sought his
I was given to understand that hls first reaction was to save the clder man the fatigue of the journey by going himself to London, or at least half way there.
His second was to invite Mrs. Chamberlain 10
her Recompany husband.
There was, however, no time to consider counter proposals, and the Prime Minister left London at eight-thirty on the morning of the Ofteenth and reached the Munich acrodrome four hours later,
I trud myself left Berlin by train the evening before and had arrived at breakfast-time in Munich, where there were certain hurried details za rogards ciphering and typing to ba, arranged with Mr. Corvell, the Consul-General there.
The British plane did the journey quicker than was anticipated, and I was at the aerodrome barely five ot ten minutes before it landed.
Neither Mr. Chamberlain nor Sir Hornco Wilson, who accompanied bim, had over flown before, and I was a little nervous how they might have stood the journey. I need not have been.
Mr. Chamberlain stepped out of the machino looking remarkably fresh and quite imperturbable. In reply to some comment of mine,
he said, "I'm tough and wiry."
private talk
grace was A bare half hour's there accorded us before we left again in a fleet of motor-cars for the drive of some twenty minutes up the mountain to the Berghot.
surrounded by There Hiller, General Keltei and a few other members of his immediate entour- .
TO-MORROW
Hiller goes back on his sourd Chamberlain's indignation "War seemed meritable."
causing him much extra trouble and worry, as well as rendering the procedure of conversations a deux subsequently Impossible.
New meeting arranged
I have always regretted this, us were Ribbentrop's interventions
and often the
never
reverse.
helpful
At the Inter
Sir interviews Horuce Wilson was always pre- sent, and myself sometimes, while Kirkpatrick (of the British Em- bassy) neted as British interpreter and took records of the meetings. In the course of, this first con- versation, which lasted for three hours, Hitler made it elcer that the he could only terms on which
by peaceful solution agree to agreement was on the basis of the the principle of acceptance" of self-determination.
The
Prime Minister finally accepted that principle for him- self, and undertook to consult his Cabinet and to endeavour to secure its consent to it, and likewise that of the French and Czech Govern- menis.
Hitler, for his part, declared his readiness to discuss thereafter ways and means, and undertook to meet Mr. Chamberlain again at a date
to be agreed upon between them.
The Prime Minister accordingly left by alr for London again on the following morning.
Lord Runciman Wils recalled from Prague for consultation, and the French Premler and Monsleur Bonnet were invited to London on September 18.
Goering talks of
our defences
over
age, received the Prime Minister
Mr. Neville Chamberlain loyally on the top of the small light of
executed his side of the bargain steps which lead to the entrance
and even more, since His Majesty's of his
mountain unpretentious
the French Gov Government and Instness.
the erument agreed to The first Her on the programme
to persuade Czecho-Slovak Government, in the was served in a was ica, which semi-circle before the replace cause of peace and the mainten- vital interests of situated opposite the great window
ance of the Czecho-Slovakia
not only of the reception room looking
to grant self-deleo, but to across the mountains to Salzburg.
ecde without plebiscite to the After twenty minutes of desul-
Reich all the Sudeten areas in tory conversation. the Chancellor Ruggested to the Prime Minister which the population was
fifty per cent. German, that they might begin their talk
antime, however, the and they disappeared,
In the meantime, together
Czectio- situation in internal with the reliable interpreter, Dr.
Berchtesgaden, had Slovakin after Schmidt, Into Hitler's study.
The rest of
gone from bad to worse. remained to sit us
Thousands of Sudeten refugees and talk together in the reception room for the next three hours. had begun to pour over the fron- tiers, many undoubtedly at Nazl instigation, but some also out of real fear of being caught, in the event of war, between two fires.
were about Ultimately, there 250,000 of these unfortunate people In Germany.
Hitler's personal staff did their best to feed and entertain us, but it was wet and misty September evening and even the distraction of looking out of the window at the view was denied us.
On the other hand there was à constant influx of German Press telegrams about incidents in the Sudeten lands.
One. I remember, reported that forly Germans had been killed in a clash somewhere with Czech gendarmes.
A British observer, of whom there were already a number in Czecho-Slovakia, and who was Immediately sent to verify the facts of the case, subsequently ascertained that there had, in fact, been one death.
The able bodied were enrolled us "free Corps" and started to raid The back from Czecho-Slovakia. casualty lists began to mount up.
The Hodza Government resigned and was succeeded by a Govern- ment of national concentration at Prague led by General Syrovy.
A Press campaign of unprece dented violence was set loose in Germany and the Poles and Hun-
arlans joined in the hunt,
In view of the agreement be tween the Prime Minister and Hitler at Berchtesgaden to meet oln, the German Press campaign was particularly indefensible.
It was a typical example of the method of exaggeration and actual falsification of news, which was But self-determination, now that followed by the German Press at the principle had been conceded, that time and has been ever since. was no longer enough for Hitler.
It had been my idea
that it
though Goering at this time gave would be best for the Prime me his word that Germany would accond Minister and Hitler to have their take no action before meeting alone and not in the com- meeting had taken place.
Nevertheless, pany of Ribbentrop, as would have
Fleid been inevitable if Mr. Chamber- Marshal pointed out, there was no lain had been accompanied by Sir
time to waste, and Germany was Horace Wilson or myself.
not bluming.
It was so arranged, but in the evant this was unfortunate, av, thanks to Ribbentrop and cons
· trary to portal usage, the later-. preter's record of the converna- Lion was never communicated to the Prime Minister, thereby
05
the
I remember his saying to me on this occasion:
**If England' meana to make war on Germany; no one knows what the ultimate end will be, But one thing is quiis certain, Before the war is over there will,
be very few Czechs left alive and
le of London left standing." He then proceeded to give me fairly accurate detalls of the num- bers of modern anti-aircraft guns which we possessed at the time, well as of the unpreparedness of England's air defences generally.
He also mentioned, doubtless true at the time, that the German air force was numerically superior to those of Britala, France, Belgium
Czecho- Slovakia combined,
und
Was
(Copirnight in all countries. Rc- production in whole or in parl strictly prohibited.]
BANKS
THE CHARTERED BANK OF INDIA, AUSTRALIA & CHUNA.
Incorporated by Royal Charter 1833 -
#3,000,000 Paid-up Capital of Propriators #3,000,000 Reserve Liability Reserve Fund
.... $3,000,000
TEAD OFFICE: LONDON, 38 Blahopagato, E.C.1. Sub-Agencies in London: 117/123, Leadenhall Street, E.C3. West End Branch: 14/10, Cockapur Street, B.W.1. Manchester Branch:
42, Mosley Street, Manchester, Z. AGENCIES AND DRANCHES:
Harbin Hongkong
Alor Star Amritsar Bangkok
Rangoon Saigon Semarang
Ipoh
Tistavia Bombay
lalo
Karachi
Calcutta
Agencies:
Clive Street Fairio Placo Canton
Klang Koba Kuala
Seremban Shanghai Singapore Glilawan Sourabaya
Lumpur
Talping
Kuching
Tientsin
Madras
Tongkan
Manila
(Bhuket)
Medan
Tsingtao
Now York
Yokohama
Peining
(Teking) Penang
Cawnpore Cebu Colombo Delhi Italphang Hamburg Hankow
FOREIGN EXCHANGE and General Banking Business transacted.
CURRENT ACCOUNTS opened and FIXED DEPOSITS received for One Your or shorter periods in Local or Other Cur- rengler at rates which will be quoted on application.
SAVINGS ACCOUNTS also opened in Local Currency and Sterling with interest allowed at rates oblainable on application. The Bank's Head Office in Landon undertakes Executor & Trustes business, and claims recovery of British Income Tax overpaid, on terms which may be ascertained at any of its agencies" and Branches.
E. A CAMIDGE,
Manager,
PEPSODENT
TOOTH PASTE
and POWDER
CONTAIN IRIUM
FOR GREATER CLEANSING POWER
HONGKONG SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN
WE ARE AT WAR
Wo know you help War Charities. but please do not forget that war, or no war, Hungry Children MUST be fed.
Wo daily feed hundreds
Tuesday, APRIL 30, 1940,
Libby's
100 Foods
Pay-Day Bargains
IT WILL PAY YOU
TO BUY TO-DAY!
AT
ASIA COMPANY
63-65 Des Voeux Road, Central Hong Kong
Tel. 20416
NOW PROCEEDING
DISTRIBUTORS:
DODWELL & CO.,
Hong Kong
Go Empress
ONE MANAGEMENT DIRECT to North America. and Europe!
LTD.
EMPRESS LUXURY and record spood across the Pacific to Victoria and Vancouver-in Canada's Evergreen Playground.
A Baillag from HONG KÔNG The Third Week in May A Balling from HONG KONG The Second Week in June
(Above sailings omit call at Honolulu)
Fast AIR CONDITIONED trains from ship's side take you through the Majestle Canadian Rockies-Lake Louise, Banff000 miles of glorious mountain scenery, Stop over anywhere you wish.
NEXT BAILING TO MANILA SECOND WEEK IN MAK
Due to existing emergency, the consistency of prompt departures "and"arrivals of Canadian-Paciile-Steamships which has been maintained heretofore may be disturbed. Apply to Canadian Pacifle representative for particulars of sailing dates.
For full information consult your travel agent,
Union Building,
Hong Kong. Telephone
20752.
or
Canadian Pacific
World's Greatest Travel System
PRESIDENT LINER
Sailings
HONGKONG to SINGAPORE direct
First week in May
HONGKONG to SAN FRANCISCO direct
Middle of May
** AMERICAN
PRESIDENT LINES
"ROUND-WORLD SERVICE"
AGENTS FÜR ZWA, AND UNITED 'AIR · LINES
12, Pedder Street
Telephone 18171.
!