Letters to the Editor
The Failure of President Benes D. Sinor Brother Savage
Rev. Herbert R. Barton, Peter Rawlinson, MP, Graham Greene The Golden Nazi Brian Glanville, Frances Blackett
Privileged Classes L. J. Blom-Cooper
The Marlowe Society's Shakespeare J. C. Maxwell Polio M. Old field Howey `My Books of the Year' Peter Green, Ellen Anderson War Writers Professor A. Closs THE FAILURE OF PRESIDENT BENES
SIR,-1 read with great interest Mr. Sidney Z. Eller's intelligent and accurate article on 'The Failure of President Benes.' One seldom comes across an ob- jective assessment of this statesman. There is, how- ever, one point on which I venture to disagree with Mr. Eller.
Though it is probable that in 1938, as Mr. Eller states, nine out of ten Czechs would have fought for democracy, it is certain that the Germans, Hun- garians, Slovaks and Ruthenians who, together, formed the majority of Czechoslovakia were not Prepared to fight for the Czechs. In fact just the Contrary happened, they were instrumental in the dislocation of the country. Driven by Czech nationalism and with methods often questionable, after the First World War Masaryk and Benes succeeded in convincing Clemen- ceau and the rest, ignorant and careless, that therd Was a ,case for re-establishing a Czechoslovak State —which had never existed. One can mislead Politicians, but history wreaks vengeance. Czecho- slovakia blew typ like the toad of the, fable. Allied wisdom found it opportune to re-establish it after the Second World War. It was so much simpler. . . . --Yours faithfully, D. S1NOR Magdalene College, Cambridge
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