Evening star., 1938-08-06
BRITAIN FOSTERED
=. RUNC|MAN PROBE
Responsibility for Czech
=. Outcome Is Put Up to
Chamberlain.
Rv PERTINAX,

PARIS, Aug. NNAN.AD. ~ 40
emphasized, on the British side. that
: Viscount Runciman acts in Czecho-
slovakia on his own responsibility and
does not commit the London govern
ment to anything But statements OF
that description are hardly taken
seriously by any one in official circles
here, as they cannot be reconclled with
the true origin of Lord Runcimans
mission.
It was about the middle Of June
that, in a note delivered to the Quai
d'Orsay by Sir Eric Phipps, the British
Ambassador to Paris, Viscount Halifax,
the British foreign secretary suggested
that an independent British person.
ality might be invited to undertake
the task of mediation between the
Praha government and the leaders Of
the Sudeten Germans. Halifax had
heard from Sir Neville Henderson,
British Ambassador to Berlin, that,
under Chancellor Hitler's inspiration,
Konrad Henlein, Sudeten leader, and
his friends were about to ask formally
for a plebiscite, and Halifax did not
public opinion would enable him to
veto 1t.
Suggestion Discouraged.
The British suggestion, which had
followed at a weeks interval another
proposal for neutralizing Czechoslo-
vakia, was rather discouraged in Paris,
where it was insisted that Britain and
hat boz nn
negotiation then just begun between
Czechoslovakia's President Benes and
Premier HodZa and the leaders of the
German minority as long as a dead
lock had not been reached
But Halifax stuck to his plan; all
the more so, as he was disturbed by
report he had received from Praha
that Benes had made use of French
support in order to restrain Hodza's
tendency of complying to a rather
great extent with Henlein's claims.
On July 20, when the British for
eign secretary, who was in attendance
upon his King and Queen during their
visit to Paris, met French Premier
Daladier and Foreign Minister Bonnet
in a secret discussion, he bluntly told
them that, on the day before Sir
Basil Newton, British Minister to
Czechoslovakia, had been instructed
to call upon Benes and urge him to ac-
cept Runciman as an adviser and
mediator.
An interesting point in the record
is that Benes was not left free to re-
ject the above proposal, but was
bluntly given to understand that, if
necessary. the offer made to him and
his refusal would be brought to the
knowledge of the general public.
Lost Freedom of Choice.
Thus, the President of the Czecho-
slovak Republic and the French gov
eminent were not really given the
choice of keeping their own counsel
and treading path Of their own.
On July Is Charles Corbin, the
French Ambassador to London, was
instructed to remind the British for
eign office that, in the past, the British
government had always agreed that
neither the sovereignty of the Czecho-
slovak state nor Czechoslovakia's for
eign policy ought to be affected by the
compromise to be arrived at with the
Sudeten Germans. and that such was
the spirit that had inspired the French
government when it had advised
Benes and Hodza to go as far as pos
sible to meet the German minority's
demands and. family, had encouraged
them to assent to Runciman's mission.
Briefly told, such were the diplomatic
preliminaries of Runciman's designa-
ton as mediator
They make clear that Prime Min
lister Chamberlain initiated the whole
undertaking, that he was resolved not
to contenance any opposition either
by Czechoslovakia or by France, and
that. therefore, he will not be entitled
to decline the moral responsibility for
subsequent happenings.
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