1938-10-15 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, OCTOBER. 16, 1998.

Historic Scene Described

BY BEVERLEY BAXTER

London, September 29.

This has been a Parliament of almost endless crisis and tempestuous scenes. Yet none of them can compare with the incredible and emotional events that took place in the House of Commons yesterday.

The Government supporters cheer- ed loudly. The rest mado no demon- stration for or against...

The story moved quickly towards its end.

Smuggled

Mr. Chamberlain told how he had $1,000 In

induced the Czechs to accept the terms for the sake of European posde (the entire House cheered for the Czechia).

Cigarettes

his failure to respond to my efforts." genious methods

Germany only to find that the terms Since the currency laws of Ger- ho told how he had gone back to had been raised.

A time limit; cruel and inadequate many have put a ban on people aking or sending large sums of had been introduced.

"I bitterly reproached him with money out of the country, many in- of smuggling Premier to use His tongue, can sting have been tried by refugees and must have given Hitler: Its full, sting daewhere. Like others, I drove to Westminster through a scorpion if he chooses and he others wishing to set up domicile

German Chancellor remain- a London which was feverishly preparing for aed friendly and courteous. Ho in

pressed on me the fact that this was his last territorial claim in Eurove..

bombardment from the air.

ches.

Those were strong words for the

every place Hitler's influence. With equal relent-It was easy to see that Mr. Chamber In every park, in

to lessness but no direct condemnation, where there was the good earth

in that assertion. give safety, men were digging tren Mr. Chamberlain traced Herr Hitler'slain felt the Chancellor to be serious own change of front over the course

"Herr Hitler did say "went on Mr. Chamberlain, "that the question of of yeara

Colonies would arise Bome day, but that that would not be a question of mobilising armies.”

Just before the Speaker's entrance the debating chamber was packed to suffocation.

as The chaplain read the prayers usual. It was a moving moment when the members monotoned the familiar

words of the Lord's Prayer.

"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them, that trespass against us"--while the armies of Europe

and children were mobilising

were being mished to safety zoner.

"CHERRS FOR THE PREMIER→→

Mr. When the prayers were over Chamberlain quietly entered and took his place between Sir John Simon and Captain Margesson, the Chief Whip,

- The Government supporters sprang to their feet and cheered for over a minute, waving their order papers in the air.

•

The Opposition neither cheered 'nor showed any unfriendliness. As was their right they sat like a jury wait ing to hear the evidence,

Mr. Chamberlain rose. There were more cheers but no frenzy. Perhaps there was a feeling that Nuremberg had given the world enough of that commodity.

As early as July he had been dis- turbed by news of German troop movements.. Representations were made to Berlin. When that avalled them nothing Lord Halifax wrote to Herr von Ribbentrop warning him of the danger of Germany's tactics.

For the first time a definite harsh- ness came into the Premier's voice. Herr von Ribbentrop replied that he must refuse to discuss military move ments, and said that fault lay in our encouragement to Prague."“

*

perg!

Nuremberg

A few of the Opposition members 'aughed. The Premier turned on them swiftly. "This is no time for laugh- ter." he cried.

to

Then he brought the story up Tuesday night when to most of us all seemed lost but not to him. He had started out to capture Hitler's soul No and he would not let him go. priest had ever fought so hard for a heretic's salvation. -

"I sent a last note to Herr Hitler. "0 No," he smiled self-consciously, last. last note."

These attempter-usually fail, but

В

occasionally the scrupulous German officials are hoodwinked, and

savings pass beyond the clutch of Nazi law. man's

Har-

There was such a case recently, when a young German admitted to the Customs authorities at wich that a bale of hops, exported from Germany, contained the en-. ire fortune of his family.

-CIGARETTES WITH NOTES

Another instance was that of an English Journalist who had been-re- called

many from Berlin after years' service there.

There was an angry murmur from the crowded benches. The feeling that von Ribbentrop is an enemy of Great

"Hanged if I was going to leave. Britain is widely held at Westminster.

But the threat of German mobilisa- From that moment the speech that had been like the report of a com- tion did not recede. Then he wrote to my savings behind to rot in a Ger- puny chairman altered to sheer drama, Signor Mussolini and the Italian Dic-man bank," he told me, "so I made Although Mr. Chamberlain avoided tator had sent a restraining message some cigarettes with- notes packed every suspicion of theatricality, his to Herr Hitler. Mr. Eden nodded in very moderation made the inevitability agreement as Mr. Chamberlain prais ntc the centres and a little tobacco of events stand out more vividly, ed the actions of the Italian Dictator. in each end.

And at that moment occurred, the

"At the Customs the officials more cruelly. Nuremberg

Nurem- most dramatic event of many decades

f Parliamentary history.

went through my luggage and per- PREMIER'S I HAVE NEWS!*- That was the motif of it all. Every-

sonal belonging with a tooth-comb. Lord Halifax, in his seat in the

Reading While they were doing so. I took thing had been a prelude to Hitler's Who can explain Neville Chamber-speech at the party rally. The in- Lords, had received a note.

the it bis face flushed with excitement out my cigarettes, lit one myself and censive military preparations, lain?

offered the case round. It was re- Downstairs a note was passed along fused, and I was told to put mine campaign of hatred against the Czechs, and he hurried out. the frenzy of the Nazi hordes all

the, Front Bench. Sir John Simon pointed to some fateful pronounce-

sleeve. Mr. out. plucked the Premier's ment by the German Chancellor,

Britain Chamberlain looked startled and then By every means available warned those who had access to Herr read the slip of paper.

"I have news, he cried and his Hitler Hitler.

face shone with Joy. "Herr has asked Signor Mussolini, Monsieur Daladier and myself to meet him to morrow at Munich,"

* I have never seen him more.com posed. I have never seen him look so voice well. I have never heard his stronger.

а

If he had just come back from

holiday month's

we would have agreed, in the easy camaraderie of the House, that "Neville's looking very fit."

Yet he had endured such days and nights, such agony of spirit and weariness of the body that beggars imagination.

On no account was Britain's at titude to be misunderstood or under estimated.

The Then came Hitler's speech...

inflamed. territory was Sudeten "There were 21 killed and 75 wounded

Was I glad! The rest of hose cigarettes was worth over a thousand pounds to me."

Bluff, of course, always plays an important part in these efforts to defeat the authorities.

Several Germans have adopted There was a roar of excitement. Members leaped to their feet and way-smuggling as a profession, and From the moment he began we rea- in those riots," said Mr. Chambered their arms. Tears streamed down their methods are astounding. One the faces of many of them. Against worked a scheme which was quite lised that there would be no cheaplyain, "mostly Czechs,"

Prime all precedent, for only one man can successful for some months. He Speaking more quickly the theatrical moments. His manner was

a time, the Cabinet so precise, his voice so calm that he Minister revealed how he had planned be standing at

to make a desperate had surrounded the Premier trying to had a thin metallic case inserted might have been introducing the first for some time

reach his hand, cheering him, patting into his thigh, and for about £50 a last-minute intervention if it part of one of his budgets.

** | him on the back.

client could fill the case with notes, necessary..

Mr. Mr. Chamberlain looked around at The the sea of excited faces. He tried to have the man's skin sewn over the speak, but the words did not come opening, and send him to England easily. At last with a smile that none on a stretcher. of us will ever forget, he pointed to the note and said;---

He had to account for his steward- ship and he wished it to be an hon- est accounting. It did not matter that the whole world was hanging on his words. Nor was he stampeded by the audience before his eyes.

"So I took my first flight,"

almost blushed. Chamberlain House cheered him,

1

· were

"I need not say what my answer will be.

con-

to

We went to Westminster like men who had expected death.

Then began the story of the face- to-face negotiations with Hitler, one of the strangest stories of all time.

WHAT PREMIER TOLD HITLER-

HE'S "SORE!"

ban-

leg.

After a while, however, the authorities become suspicious," and We went from Westminster with not only did they remove the the feeling that we had seen the dawn of a new and cleaner worldbuilt by dages but also X-rayed the One felt that the Englishman had the gentleness, the faith and the Now there is a Gesman in prison---

courage of one frail man who had nursing a sore leg and regretting placed himself between the world and the loss of a most disaster. a

"I knew that such a course would be open to criticism and failure." The From the Speaker's gallery Queen smile left his face. With a sweep of Mary sat beside Mrs. Chamberlain his hands he snapped: "Such and looked down on the historic scene.siderations could not be allowed

PARLIAMENT'S GREAT. SETTING stand in the way.”

In the Peers gallery Lord Baldwin and sat next to the Duke of Kent gazed at the setting of his former perplexities and triumphs. Lord Hali- fax was there as well, his sombre face

found merit as well as fault in the revealing nothing of his thoughts.

Down in the arena facing Mr. strange mystic ruler of Germany. One Chamberlain sat Mr. Lloyd George, also sensed that Hitler had felt one of the Versailles begetters, of deep respect for this statesman who Czechoslovakia. Mr. Churchill, the had come from the skies to demand man of climax and anti-climax, lean peace.

The conversation had gone well at ed across the gangway that divides Ministers from the rest. Behind Mr.first and then Hitler had revealed his Churchill was Mr. Eden, who had as his escort the faithful Viscount Cran borne, who had followed him into exile.

What a setting for. a triumph!. What a setting for a failure!..

at

Hardly seeming even to glance his notes, Mr. Chamberlain began his story.

In regard to Czechoslovakia, he said, there had been only three courses open to us from the beginning the orisis:

1; Tó thranten, war.

2. To stand aside;

of

8. To try to secure peace by media tion.

SCRUPULOUS FAIRNESS With a scrupulous fairness both to the Sudeten Gormans and the Czechs ho showed why he had. not hesitated to choose the thirdpre

Relentlessly the Prime Minister traced the change in Henlein's fattie do as he came more and more under

the Sudeten determination to take problem in his own hands. Mr. Cham- berlain warned him that it might precipitate a world war,

"I will risk war rather than wait," said the German Chancellor.

It must have been a strange scene. Hitler, the Dictator, the man of wrath, the god among mortals, was suddenly faced by an angry, soft-spoken elderly man who said to him with a peremp- toriness, that must have taken Hitler back to the days when he was corporal:

"Why did you allow me to travel. this way Just to waste my time ?!?:. Again and again he demanded answer to that question...

96, assurances were given that the 'Gorman troops would not march until. the Hitler plan had been accepted.

Mr. Chamberlain paused. He looked straight across at the Opposition,

"T-have no doubt my visit, alon prevented invasion."

BEVERLEY BAXTER.

occupation.

Here's Luck!

remunerative

EWO

BEER