GERMANY'S TERRITORIAL CLAIMS [To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR] SIR,—Government
spokesmen are now taking the line that Germany's claim to the Sudetenland was just, and that therefore we should not have been justified in opposing it. It is pertinent to ask when precisely our statesmen came to this conclusion. If they only did so after German pressure had become extreme, why do we maintain a Foreign Office ? Surely it is the latter's business to keep the Government well informed on conti- nental questions, so that our policy may be decided in good time. If on the other hand they had previously reached a conclusion in Germany's favour, why did they not announce their support of Germany in time to save us from the alarms and expenses of a world crisis ?
It would also be interesting to know whether they have yet made up their minds on the justice of Germany's similar claims to Memel, Danzig, Sleswig, Eupen and Malmedy, Alsace-Lorraine, the German-speaking part of Switzerland and South Tirol. If they have done so, and if here too they recognise the claims of race, why not announce the fact ? The non-Nazi inhabitants of these regions can then imme- diately set about seeking refuge elsewhere (a process for which no doubt they would like as much time as possible), the Lord Mayor can begin raising funds in good time to anticipate the distress that will be caused, and no doubt a further step towards appeasement will be suitably acknowledged by a grateful Germany.—! am, Sir, yours faithfully, R. KENNARD DAVIS.
Magdalen College School, Oxford.
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