The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-09-12
ARMIES READY TO
SPRING INTO ACTION
Continued from page on")

meet it with fighting strength.
The dawning of the day chat
may or may not bring Hitlcr's de
ciSion came against 4 grim back
drop Of developments. inc!uding:
/. An authoritative announce
ment that Britain has cautioned
Hitler against harboring any hopes
that he can strike Il sudden blow
at the CzcchS. annex the Sudcten
German areas and get away with
it without danger of mourning
armed intervention by France and
Britain.
,. Hitlcr'S rouSing eXhortation
to 100000 crack storm troopers
at Nuremberg to stand ready for
heavy fighting" and Il defiant
challenge to the "encmie> OF
Germany who. he said. were un-
able to halt the Rcich'S anneNa-
ton Of Austria.
3. \ possibly important, but
mysterious. role played by |. ).
Ambassador Joseph p. Kennedy
in Sundays dayIong British con-
verSationS in Downing Street.
Kennedy. visiting Whitehall for
the third time in p hours. saw
Foreign Secretary Niscount Hall
fax and Foreign Minister Neville
Chamberlain. but L. S. embassy
officials said he merely was keep
inc abreast of developments as
the crisis ncared a showdown.
i. Disclosure in Paris by re-
liable persons that Britain. despite
yelled assertions to the contrary
in London. is still struggling 10
find an alternative for war and
has attempted to force retreat
of French policy. Britain was SAID
to have sought the aid Of France
in pcrSuadmg the CZccho&lovak
government to agree to accept
the Sudcten German minorlty'S
eight-pont autonomy program
and. if necessary, agree to "ncu-
tralization" Of the Czech state.
). French quarters said that
the DECENTRALIZATION" of CZechoSlo-
vakia would place the country
within the sphere Of Germany )
influence and shattcr the Franco
Czech Russian alliance.
6. 1t was understood that Prime
Minister Chamberlain. reluctant
to submit to a laboritc opposition
demand and convene parliament
i'm extraordinary session. might
agree to establishment of "coun-
ell of state" composed of a dozen
members Of parliament. to meet
daily and pass on the cabinets
policy. If such a council IS form
ed it was believed that it would
include such important govern
ment critics as Captain Anthony
Eden. former foreign secretary
who quit his post in opposition to
Chambcrlain'S policies towards the
dictators. and Winston Churchill.
7. Both the French and British
cabinets will meet today 4 few
hours before Hitler's speech, and
will be ready to discuss mobiIlza-'
ton and other warlike means If
the worst comes to worst.
s. In connection with Britain S
reported effort to enlist French
aid for greater pressure against
the Prague government, the RuS-
sian and French foreign ministers
meeting at Geneva Sunday were
said to have taken a "peSsimistlc
view" of Britain'S readiness to
hack up Czech territorial integrity
with any strong action.
9. In connection with I. S. Am
bassador Kennedy's activity in
Downing Street yesterday, French
Minister of Justice Albert Sarraut
in speech at Noyon. France,
pleaded for unity among all classes
in event of war and said that
France could depend upon the
efficacious sympathy" of the Unit
ed States. British newspapers and
speakers boosted that American
"moral support"-even including
Financial and economic advan-
tages"-would be on Britain S
side if war came.
10. In CzechoslOvakia, pit of
Europe'S gravest fears, everyone
seemed certain that Hitler's speech
would decide the fate of their
country.
II. 1t was suggested that Brl-
tain, in event of war, might seek
some thesis to argue against
France going to the aid Of Czecho-