Evening star., 1939-03-14
Chamberlain Sees
No Call for Action
In Czech Crisis
Statement to Commons
Is Believed to Express
French View Also
By the Associated Press

LONDON, March 14.-Prime Min
lister Chamberlain indicated in tn
House of Commons today that tn
breaking up of Czecho- -Slovaki'
called for no action from Grea
Britain.
He said that "the proposed guar
antee" (of Czecho-Slovak frontiers
was "one against unprovoked ag
gression against Czecho-Slovakia
and no such aggression has taker
place"
This was believed to represent tn,
view of both Great Britain ane
France with respect to whether the,
should act under the September 2!
Munich accord giving Cecho-Slo'
vakia's Sudetenland to Germany
(France and Britain then eX.
pressed willingness to guarantee
Czecho Slovakia frontiers after
minority disputes with Poland ane
Hungary had been settled. The
statement was not incorporated into
pactD
Chamberlain made the statement
In answer to a question by Clement
R. Attlee, opposition leader, who
asked whether. in view of the sepa.
ration of Slovakia from the Czecho.
Slovak Republic, the British gov.
ernment is not bound by a guaran.
tee and by the Munich agreement
to have close interest in every
thing concerning the integrity Of
Czecho-Slovakia,'
Refuses Specific Statement.
The official British view is tha
the guarantee promised at Munich
for the frontiers of the Czech state
minus Sudetenland has not yet come
in force because those frontiers
have not been delimited finally.
Chamberlain refused a specific
statement on the British position
The question of any action (by
Britain) has not yet arisen,' he
said in reply to Attlee. who asked
whether the government would con-
suit the three other signatories OF
the Munich accord-France. Ger.
many and Italy-and Czecho.
Slovakia.
In sharp exchange with the op-
position leader, the Prime Minister
declared it was altogether an un.
warranted assumption" that Britain
now was entirely disinterested If
Czecho- -Slovakia."
Ruled Out of Order.
The speaker ruled the fiery. red
headed Laborite member, Ellen
Wilkinson, out of order when she
angrily asked the prime minister
whether he did not consider as un-
provoked aggression Germany's ac-
tion to provoke secession" (ot
Slovakia).
Attlee then asked, without naming
Germany: rs it not clear that if
influences are brought to bear to
separate Slovakia from the rest of
Czecho- -Slovakia. is not this govern
ment bound by its guarantees under
Munich to have very close interest
in anything which concerns the in
tegrity of the remainder of the
Czecho- -Slovak state?"
Chamberlain countered: Without
full information I should not like to
express an opinion on the first point
raised. Assuming it to be true, that
would not be ground for bringing
into force the guarantee.
Press Is Unanimous.
None of our business" was the
tone of the surprisingly unanimous
press in both London and Paris
purely an internal matter. We
have had one war scare over the
Czechs and that's enough"
Foreign Secretary Viscount Hal
flax in a speech last night perhap!
gave Britains official slant when he
declared some persons would have
this country a universal policeman
but governments with the lives OF
millions hanging on their decisions
must give most anxious thought tt
the question of intervention.
On the matter of Britain's pro-
jected guarantee of Czecho-Slovak
borders, as contained in an annex to
the Munich accord, the pro-govern-
ment Times of London concluded a
1,0OO-word editorial by finding
Britain not obligated because Italy
and Germany were not giving guar
anteeS.
The Munich accord annex provided
that France and Britain would
stand by previous offer of an
international guarantee of the new
boundaries of the Czecho- -Slovak
state against unprovoked aggres-
sion" and, further, that:
Panied at Negligence"
"When the question of the Polish
and Hungarian minorities in Czecho-
Slovakia has been settled, Germany
and Italy, for their part, will give
a guarantee to Czecho-Slovakia.'
Polands territorial demands on
Czecho- -Slovakia were met in few
days after the Munich conference.
Hungary's were adjusted subse-
quently.
The French newspaper Excelsior
found itself panied at Czech negli-
gence" in not letting Britain and
France know crisis was brewing