Lord Runciman at Prague If it were possible to know
whether the decisive move in the Sudeten German question would be made at Prague or at Berlin it would be easier to assess the prospects before Lord Runciman, who arrived in the Czechoslovak capital on Wednesday. The latest developments place him in an anomalous position, for while he should clearly be given time to familiarise himself with the elements of the situation, and attempt to find a via media to recommend to either side, the Sudeten Germans are accusing Dr. Hodza of using the Runciman mission as an excuse for delay, and the Czecho- slovak Prime Minister has considered it necessary to reply that direct negotiations will go forward uninterrupted ; they have, however, in the circumstances, been temporarily suspended by mutual agreement. The Czechoslovak pro- posals, notably the all-important Nationality Statute and the administrative reforms, have not yet been published, though the Sudeten Germans, to whom they were handed on June 3oth, have issued what is at least a semi-official criticism of them. It is clear where the gulf opens widest. The Sudeten Germans are still demanding a degree of autonomy which the Czechs deem irreconcilable with national security and national sovereignty. It is to that part of the problem that Lord Runciman will have, first or last, to apply his mind. It is something that Herr Henlein has declared that there is no question of a settlement by war, and that he is demanding neither annexation nor a plebiscite; but there is little in the situation to justify confidence, and much to provoke anxiety.
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