READY FOR ANY TURN

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 63, 12 September 1938, Page 9

READY FOR ANY TURN

BRITISH CABINET

VARIED PRESS COMMENT

(British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, September 10. Increased public interest and anxiety over the international situation was manifest today in the large crowd j which collected in Downing Street. Conflicting Press reports from Prague i and Nuremberg and free speculation in many quarters regarding British Ministerial consultations of the past two days give rise to a variety of newspaper comment. Papers which have discounted .speculation base their comment principally on the importance which attaches to Herr Hitler's speech at Nuremberg on Monday. They express concern that there should be no room for misunderstanding of Britain's position, which has been clearly defined by the Prime Minister. """still time to impress GERMANY. The "Daily Telegraph" in a leader headed "Britain Cannot Be Indifferent," says: "Consultations which were prolonged for.hours yesterday between Mr. Chamberlain and other Cabinet Ministers are evidence enough- to our own people of the grave view of the situation taken by 'the Government and of their readiness for any turn of events. It would be the most serious of all misunderstandings if the impression remained that we should disinterest ourselves in any attempt to coerce Czechoslovakia. The one wish of our people is for peace. We believe peace is desired by the mass of the Germfen people, but peace is not to be preserved by indifference to coercion of a small nation by a powerful neighbour." The "Telegraph" insists that "there is yet time to remove any lingering impression of doubt in the German mind that Britain takes and must continue to take the keenest interest in the settlement by ordered discussion of the Czech problem." "THE ONLY CIVILISED WAY." "The Times" thinks it should be impossible after Sir Nevile Hendersons conversation yesterday with Herr Ribbentrop that there should be any uncertainty in German minds concerning the British view: It says that public opinion here has always considered —and recently more firmly than I ever —that settlement by agreement between the Czechs and the Sudetens should be possible, given any degree of good will on both sides. "But while any settlement, by agree-j ment would be earnestly welcomed, an attempt to effect a settlement by force, ■ would universally be condemned," says "The Times." "The Czechoslovak case is pre-eminently a case for seeing whether mankind has at last learned the lesson that the only civilised way to settle disputes is by peaceful negotiations —particularly after the conciliatory attitude which the Czechs are now showing. There can no longer be any pretence that there is stubbornness in Prague. i "For these reasons it is natural that the situation should be viewed with the greatest concern, but in this light it should be viewed with unmitigated pessimism. If what is said at Nuremberg will have regard for what is felt in London, Herr Hitler has it in his power to grasp an unparalleled opportunity , for promoting peace and justice."