Evening star., 1938-09-18

Py the Associated Press.
LONDON, Sept. 17.-Statesmen of
two great European democracies made
ready tonight for swift secret talks
shaping the course of history for much
Of Western civilization.
Great Britain and France, fearful
Of war, pondered the answer they
must give to Reichsfuehrer Adolf Hit
ler's demands in Middle Europe where
Czechoslovakia's pro-Nazi Sudeten mi
nority has broken the peace.
. France is sending Premier Daladier
and Foreign Minister Georges Bonnet
to London by plane in response to
Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's
invitation to get first hand report on
his talk with Hitler and to draft an
answer.
Undemonstrative Britons gave few
signs Of fear, but tonight there was
an obvious undercurrent of anxiety.
Flock to Football Matches.
Thousands all over the country
focked through bright fall sunshine
to football matches with the apparent
fatalistic feeling that if war comes
the man In the street can do nothing
to stop It,
International tension of the last
few days has brought sudden rush
of recruits to centers Of the air raid
precautions" organization and driven
municipal authorities to swift activity.
Manchester and other midland cities
hastily summoned meetings to consider
preparations against air raids. Both
officials and private citizens were
spurred by the crisis.
In the midst of day-long confer
ences With his ministers, the 69-year-
old prime minister acted to fortify
himself with every means for his sec
ond meeting with Hitler within q few
days.
England, from the King in Buck
ingham Palace to the grizzled pipe
smoker on q bench in the corner pub,
waited stolidly and almost silently for
the decision Of the major European
democracies.
Will Fly to London.
M. Daladier and his foreign min
lister will fly from Paris to London
early tomorrow. Their schedule called
for a meeting with Mr.. Chamberlain
and his high ministers at IL am. Is
am, E. S. T) to decide what they
can offer Hitler in his dispute with
Czechoslovakia and what they can
or will do If this tremendous effort for
peace collapses.
Sober consideration curbed British
conjecture as to what Hitler asked
Thursday when he received Mr.
Chamberlain at his mountain chalet
near Berchtesgaden and what Mr.
Chamberlain might recommend to
meet Hitler's demands.
Almost without dissent, however,
conservative commentators agreed that
Der Fuehrer set as the fiat price Of
peace the detachment of preponder-
antly Germanic regions from Czecho-
slovakia and strict autonomy for other
Sudeten areas.
1t was expected Mr.. Chamberlain
ana Hitler would meet, perhaps some
time next week, at Godesberg, near
Cologne.
If Czechoslovakia were to lose ter
ritory, unofficial observers generally
thought Britain and France must
work out broad and ironclad guar
antee of new frontiers which both
Hitler and his partner in the Rome
Berlin axis, Premier Mussolini would
pledge themselves to respect.
The unpredictable angle in all this
speculation was whether the plucky
and desperate Czechoslovak govern
ment would capitulate to any joint
plan of its friends and its enemies
or choose to 60 down fighting.
There were two full cabinet meetings
today which together lasted hours
and 10 minutes.
Before the second meeting of the
(See LONDON, Page A-5)