SIR,—Mr. Eller, in his recent critical article on the late
President Dr. Belies, wrote that the controversies ranging round this figure had now passed into the realm of history, but one might 'have wished that he himself would have written with the. detachment of a historian. It is strange to learn, for example, that in the crises of 1938 and 1948, the Czechs grit no chance to fight for their freedom 'owing to the utter failure of their leaders.' I thought it was -fairly generally accepted that in 1938 the policies of Paris and London had something to do with That failure, too, but curiously this is not mentioned once in Mr. Eller's article.
He also takes it for granted that Dr. Benes was unwise to capitulate in 1938 without having a shot fired. This opinion, of course, coincides with that of Sir Winston Churchill, which nobody will wish to disregard. Resistance at the time of Munich, Sir Winston wrote in his memoirs, would have had the consequence that 'the Seconil World War would have begun under conditions far less favourable to
Hitler.' •
It would, however, in the , absence of any imme- diate support from any other countries, have led to fearful military punishment and—according to officers of the Czechoslovak general staff at that time—to a collapse of organised resistance in a matter of days. Whether the head of a State abari- doned by all friends and allies was justified to ,take so fearful a ,decision is a question deserving at least passing notice. The cool 'weigking-up of pros and cons' may, not be the sole decisive factor in supreme issues of the day-Lbut one, rather expects it from historians.
Mr. Eller is more generous to his 'readers in giVing his ivasons why he believes that resistance in 1948 against the Communists, would have been the right choice. But from a historian's .point of view his account is marred by his omission of the fact that at that time the President was dangerously ill— actually he died a few months afterwards. It may, of course, be asked whether Dr. Benes should not have striven to find an energetic successor in time, but that is another question and a rather complicated North End House, W 14
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