GOODWILL TOWARDS BRITAIN

Evening Star, Issue 23015, 21 July 1938, Page 13

GOODWILL TOWARDS BRITAIN

HERR HITLER DESIRES BETTER RELATIONS AIDE-DE-CAMP'S MESSAGE TO LORD HALIFAX Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, July 20. ‘The Times ’ says Captain Wiedemann, Herr Hitler’s aide-de-camp, brought Lord Halifax a personal message of goodwill from Herr Hitler, in which he asked the British Government to believe that, as leader of 70,000,000 Germans, he sincerely wishes the relations between the two countries to be improved. He was not satisfied with the present relations, and believed that a real and lasting improvement could be achieved. Herr Hitler again declared that there were no fundamental differences that need separate the British and German peoples, and that everything was capable of arrangement. With regard to Czechoslovakia, Herr Hitler sent an assurance that the German Government was anxious for a peaceful solution of the Sudeten German problem, and was convinced that with goodwill on both sides a working arrangement could be reached. Lord Halifax told Captain Wiedemann he was thankful to hear Herr Hitler’s message, and in gladly accepting it he suggested that the German will for co-operation might be shown, for example, in the problem of refugees, thereby making the Evian Conference arrangement infinitely more practical. He emphasised that a peaceful solution of the Czechoslovak problem, free from outside interference, would clearly enable resumption of the Anglo-German negotiations. Captain Wiedemann flew back to Germany yesterday to report . immediately to Herr Hitler. SUDETEN DEMANDS HENLEIN SPOKESMAN NOT SATISFIED. PRAGUE, July 20. (Received July 21, at 8 a.m.) Herr Henlein’s Spokesman, Deputy Frank, who was interviewed, declared that the Czechs were attempting to give the impression that the Government was completing proposals for meeting 70 per cent, of the Henlein demands, when apparently it would meet less than 5 per cent. “ They do not contain a single constructive idea,” he said. “ Any attempt to bring about a coalition or impose a preconceived agreement without consulting the Sudetens will lead to a dangerous situation.” TROOP MOVEMENTS IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA MISLEADING GERMAN REPORTS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, July 20. (Received July 21, at 1 p.m.) According to a statement in the House of Commons by Mr Chamberlain, independent information in possession of Britain contradicts the suggestion that troop movements were in progress in Czecholsovakia at the end of last week. In' the House of Commons on Monday Mr Chamberlain said that Britain had heard from the Czechoslovakian Government that there was no truth in the reports of abnormal troop movements. To-day he was asked by Mr Arthur Henderson whether, with a view to preventing similar apprehensions to that recently caused by the statements issued by the German official news agency that abnormal troop movements were taking place in Czechoslovakia, the Government would propose that a neutral commission of observers be sent to the border districts of Czechoslovakia and Germany.

Mr Chamberlain replied: “ Czechoslovakia recently granted facilities for the attachment of two observers to His Majesty’s Legation in Prague. 1 may say that these observers at once visited the areas mentioned in the recent reports and found no evidence of abnormal troop movements. In these circumstances an international commission would perhaps be superfluous.”