With or Without Russia ?
Lord Winterton has probably recognised by this time that his allegation, in a public speech at Shoreham on Monday, that in the weeks preceding the Munich meeting " Russia only made vague promises owing to her military weakness," was singularly ill-advised. The Cabinet is in an obvious difficulty. Its policy was necessarily dictated in part by its knowledge of our own military resources, of France's and of Russia's, and it might be able to defend its decisions more effectively if it were possible to speak freely on all three subjects. But it is not possible, and the temptation must be resisted. Lord Winterton did not resist it, and the result is a perfectly reasonable protest by the Russian Ambas- sador to the Foreign Office. It is an ironical comment on the events of the past three months that Russia alone of the Great Powers concerned has been able to assume an attitude of impeccable propriety before the world. Her pledge to Czechoslovakia bound her to give assistance only if France did, and she stated publicly again and again that she would honour her obligation. France gave similar assurances as publicly and as often, but she joined Britain in persuading Czechoslovakia not to hold her to her word. And since the French did not move, the Russians had no call to. Russia may or may not be weak militarily, but she is certainly not a negligible factor, and it is folly to destroy whatever chance remains of some co-operation with her in future.
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