“A MAGNIFICENT GAMBLE”
American Comment
On Visit
WORLD CAN ONLY
WAIT
“An Unprecedented
Appeal” '
(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT.) (Received September 15, 8.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, September 14. The “New York Times,” in a leading article, says: “Any doubt that we live in times without precedent and are participants in a world drama of- swift surprises, inspired by extraordinary personal impulses, is removed by the breath-taking decision of Mr Chamberlain to fly to to make a last appeal to Herr Hitler to save the world from war.
“In the history of international relations it has never happened before that in such circumstances the head of a great Government has gone personally to make such an appeal. In the history of the British Empire where the protocol is almost as important as the conviction of supreme power which it frames, no prime minister has ever made a gesture so unconventional, so bold, and, in a way, so humble. “In a startling, almost literal, sense Mahomet goes to the mountain. Either this dramatic impulse is a supreme stroke of imaginative statesmanship, or a spectacular admission of desperation. “Viewed as a recognition by Britain of the power of the Third Reich and its leader, the journey has almost incredible significance in the relations of the two Governments. “If Mr Chamberlain’s mission should fail, the immediate consequences are not able to be predicted, but never will war guilt have been more firmly fixed. Neither Britain nor the Europe the British have dominated will ever be’ the same again.
“Foolish Pride Forgotten”
“Viewed as a final peace move and a supreme effort to save mankind from the horror of another war, it takes on the epic quality of a magnificent gamble for the highest stake in the world. Thus the world can only wait, in the hope that it will not be played in vain.” The New York “Herald Tribune,” in a leading article headed “The End of Pretence,” says: “For the Prime Minister of Britain to seek, on the brink of war, a personal interview with the head of a rival power on his own ground, is a thing without precedent, but there is, we believe, no man of goodwill who will not be profoundly thankful that Mr Chamberlain has - brushed aside precedent and forgotten any foolish question of pride or etiquette in order to bring the responsibility for the Czech crisis squarely into the hands which wield the real authority. “One can only wish that there had i been aeroplanes of equal power in July, 1914, and wonder by how much history might have been changed if Sir Edward Grey and Mr Asquith could have had, in a similar way, an hour’s face-to-face conversation with the Kaiser and his advisers on the last occasion when the world was crumbling. “Mr Chamberlain, in a time of nearly desperate crisis, has made a direct and statesmanlike move, and hundreds of millions must hope for its success.”
Visit Endorsed by Canada
Mr Chamberlain’s step caused a sensation among the foreign diplomatic corps. High Government officials were stirred profoundly, by his bold plan for averting a _GermanCzech explosion, and hailed it as the first ray of hope from warclouded skies.
An Ottawa message says the Canadian Government has endorsed Mr Chamberlain’s action. . The Prime Minister (Mr W. L. Mackenzie King). , in a statement said: “I and my colleagues and the Canadian people warmly approve of this far-seeing and truly noble action. Direct personal contact is the most effective means of clearing away the tension and misunderstandings that have marked the course of events in Europe during recent months. Mr Chamberlain has taken an emphatically right step.” Mr Mackenzie King added that he had conveyed Canada’s sentiments to Mr Chamberlain.
NEW ZEALANDERS AT
GENEVA
OFFER TO RETURN HOME DECLINED
LONDON, September 14.
The special correspondent of the Australian Associated Press at Geneva states thfet, as a result of private advice that it might be safer to send the staff back to London without delay, the High Commissioner for New Zealand (Mr W. J. Jordan) called a meeting at his hotel in the early hours of the morning and informed the members of his staff that if the situation offered he would allow any to return if they wished. All four, Mr F. W. Knowles Dr. R. M. Campbell, Miss McKenzie, and Miss Hannam, without hesitation declared that they would not leave Mr Jordan, despite the admitted danger of travelling should hostilities break out.
Mr Jordan ■ was greatly gratified at the staff’s reaction, especially the women.
Mr Jordan has not decided whether to go to London, chiefly because, ho may be called on as a member of the League Council to play an important role if war should occur.
Ach of the cable news In this issue as ts so headed has appeared in “The “Times.” and Is sent to this paper by special permission. It should be understood that the opinions are not those* of "The Times" unless expressly stated to be so. — l
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Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22508, 16 September 1938, Page 11
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834“A MAGNIFICENT GAMBLE” Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22508, 16 September 1938, Page 11
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