The Press MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1938. Tension Relaxes

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22510, 19 September 1938, Page 8

The Press MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 1938. Tension Relaxes

Out of the mass' of: conjecture which .surrounds the meeting between Mr Neville Chamberlain and Herr Hitler-and the-subsequent deliberations of the British and French Cabinets, the only point which emerges with any certainty is that the governments concerned are keeping their secrets well. Press comment in Czechoslovakia assumes that what is now under discussion is a scheme to detach the Sudeten German areas from Czechoslovakia and to provide adequate guarantees for -the security of the new Czech State; but the assumption is probably based not on reliable information, but on the difficulty of imagining any other way of resolving the present deadlock. While the general European situation remains in a state of suspense, no progress towards a solution being indicated in official statements, the position in Czechoslovakia itself shows a decided improvement. The sporadic rebellions which broke out in the Sudeten German areas immediately after Herr Hitler’s Nuremberg speech have now completely subsided;, the authority of the Czech Government is now everywhere supreme; Sudeten Germans have been ordered to surrender any arms they may possess; Herr Henlein, apparently fearing arrest, is reported to be in hiding; and the party of which]he is the leader has been declared an illegal organisation. This last step is of the utmost significance and importance. It is significant because it has taken place apparently without any protest or threat by the German Government. It is important because it makes the position of the Czech Government, in the military sense, much less precarious. With the Sudeten Germans organised in one party, and subject to the will of one leader, the Czech Government was obliged to contemplate the possibility of having to cope with, both an internal rebellion and an invasion. The measures it has taken in the last few days mean that the Sudeten Germans are no , longer in a position to provoke disorders on a scale sufficient to be' a pretext for military intervention by Germany. Moreover, there - are hopeful indications that their leaders have abandoned for the time being their campaign of systematic provocation. Herr Kundt’s statement, reported in the cable news this morning, is remarkable both for the calmness with which he accepts the decree of dissolution and for the advice he gives to Sudeten Germans to await quietly the result of the discussions between Mr Chamberlain and Herr Hitler. It is now possible to feel that the possibility of disturbances in Czechoslovakia forcing the issue before the discussions have been " completed has . been - appreciably diminished.