20 MAY 1938, Page 2

Herr Hen lein's Visit Mr. Churchill spoke with surprising, and

possibly injudicious, confidence at Bristol on Monday on the prospects of a satisfactory settlement in Czechoslovakia. Mr. Churchill had just seen Herr Henlein, the Sudeten- deutsch leader, in London, and had the advantage of hearing what Herr Henlein had to say ; and Herr Henlein had the equal advantage of hearing what Mr. Churchill and other British politicians had to say. There seems little doubt that Herr Henlein in London and Mr. Churchill could agree ; whether Herr Henlein in Czechoslovakia and Mr. Churchill could is another question,—particularly if Herr Henlein acts under Herr Hitler's directions. On all these points light will soon be cast, for the Minoritie, Statute prepared by the Czechoslovakian Government is now ready and will be published in the next few days. The Berlin Press, which is continuing its completely unjustifiable attacks on Prague, will no doubt denounce it at sight. That can be discounted. The views of Herr Henlein, with whom the Czech Government is now negotiating direct, will be much more important. But even they will not necessarily be decisive, for the strength of the anti-Nazi Sudeten Germans headed by Herr Jaksch, whose policy is discussed on a later page of this issue, has yet to be revealed.- And by no means all even of Herr Henlein's pledged followers prefer incor- poration in the Reich to regional autonomy in Czechoslovakia.

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