Godesberg Memorandum The Godesberg Memorandum is a document issued by Adolf Hitler in the early hours of 24 September 1938 concerning the Sudetenland and amounting to an ultimatum addressed to the government of Czechoslovakia . It was named after Bad Godesberg , where Hitler had met Neville Chamberlain for long talks on 23 September continuing into the next day . Background . At the time of the collapse of the Austro - Hungarian Empire , the Sudetenland was a German - speaking part of the Empire which fell to the new state of Czechoslovakia , itself dominated by the Czechs . Initially , many Sudeten Germans wished to become part of the new German - speaking state of German Austria , and later they hoped to join Austria . However , the Treaty of Saint - Germain of 1919 confirmed the inclusion of the German - speaking territories within Czechoslovakia . By the beginning of 1938 most Sudetens aspired to be integrated into Nazi Germany , which was fast advancing in economic success and international prestige . Following an active propaganda campaign , Adolf Hitler began publicly to demand the " return " to Germany of a large part of the Sudetenland containing some three million German speakers . In March 1938 France and the Soviet Union gave guarantees of military support to Czechoslovakia if Hitler began to use military force to seize the Sudetenland , but on 24 March Neville Chamberlain refused a French request to give the same pledge . In early September 1938 , Chamberlain sent Lord Runciman to attempt to negotiate a settlement of the crisis between the Germans and the Czechs . On 7 September the Sudetens , led by Konrad Henlein , broke off the talks with Runciman , and on 12 September Hitler publicly advised the Sudetens to stand firm for union with Germany . On 15 September Chamberlain flew to Berchtesgaden to meet Hitler , who demanded self determination for the Sudetenland . Upon his return to London after his Berchtesgaden summit , Chamberlain told his Cabinet that Hitler ' s aims were " strictly limited " to the Sudetenland , and he felt it was quite possible to avoid war provided everyone played their part . He also hsd discussions with the French , in which he agreed with them a joint proposal to all parties for the gradual transfer to Germany of the areas which had a majority of Sudeten Germans . Chamberlain returned to Germany , meeting Hitler on 22 September at Bad Godesberg to propose this solution . In presenting their peace plan for the transfer of the Sudetenland , the British delegation was most unpleasantly surprised to hear Hitler reject the terms he had himself presented at Berchtesgaden as now unacceptable . Hitler now demanded an immediate transfer , including occupation of the Sudetenland by German forces , and he quickly issued the " Godesberg Memorandum " to clarify his public position . The Memorandum . In his Memorandum Hitler proposed a plebiscite , without identifying the exact area for it , and provided for the plebiscite areas to be occupied by both German and Czech forces , pending the outcome of voting . German forces should enter the Sudetenland by 1 October . Hitler demanded the Sudetenland be ceded to Germany no later than September 28 , 1938 with no negotiations between Prague and Berlin and no international commission to oversee the transfer ; no plebiscites to be held in the transferred districts until after the transfer ; and he also declared that Germany would not abandon war as an option until all the claims against Czechoslovakia by Poland and Hungary had been satisfied . This was seen as a signal that Hitler had decided to put an end to Chamberlain ’ s peace - making efforts . The arrangements for the transfer were to be decided bilaterally between the Germans and the Czechs and by no one else . The " memorandum " stated an ultimatum for Czech acceptance of it , expiring at 2 pm on 28 September 1938 . If the Czech government would not agree to Hitler ' s demands by then , Germany would take the Sudetenland by force . Chamberlain protested about being presented with an ultimatum , to which Hitler replied that the document was entitled “ Memorandum ” , so could not be called an ultimatum . Response and outcome . The Czechs announced on 28 September that they rejected the Memorandum , and the French ordered the mobilization of 600 , 000 men . The Royal Navy was also mobilized the same day . Although Hitler was angry at the rejection of his memorandum , at that point he also feared a war against both Britain and France . He did not order an invasion on 28 September , having instead agreed to Chamberlain ' s proposal for a further meeting the next day , this time at Munich , between four heads of Government , Chamberlain for Britain , Hitler for Germany , Prime Minister Daladier for France , and Mussolini for Italy , with no Czech or Soviet participation . On 1 October a pact was signed which provided for possession of the Sudeten Province to be transferred to Germany , with Britain and France seeking to sweeten this bitter pill for the Czechs by guaranteeing the new borders of Czechoslovakia . There was also a separate agreement between the British and the Germans which stated that all future disputes between them would be the subject of negotiation . On 1 October German troops marched into the Sudetenland , which was immediately incorporated into Germany . Some 115 , 000 Sudeten Czechs and 30 , 000 Sudeten Germans , including Social Democrats , Communists , and Jews , fled to what was left of Czechoslovakia . By 1 March 1939 the number of refugees , as reported by the Institute for Refugee Assistance , stood at almost 150 , 000 .