p Britain and France once more considered calling a conference of the Western powers and the Nazi Reich to decide on the "peaceful transfer" of the Sudetenland to Germany, that is, on the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia. Bonnet declared at a French government meeting on September 27 that agreement with Germany had to be sought "at any cost".

p On September 28, Chamberlain informed Hitler that he was prepared to come to Germany for the third time to discuss the terms of the transfer of the Sudetenland to Germany. He pointed out that if the Chancellor so wished, representatives of France and Italy could likewise take part in the negotiations. At the same time, the British Premier expressed his conviction, that is to say, he was actually assuring Hitler, that in this way the Nazi Reich could get its demands met forthwith without war.^^182^^ The U.S. President, on receiving a telegram from the U.S. Ambassador in London, Kennedy, about Chamberlain’s proposal, sent the following message to the British Premier on September 28: "Good man!”. Kennedy, on his part, told Halifax that he was "entirely in sympathy with, and a warm admirer of everything" Chamberlain was doing.^^183^^ So Britain and the U.S. were acting in full harmony.

p Following agreement to call a conference of the four powers—Britain, France, Germany and Italy—Halifax informed about this the Czechoslovak Minister in London who, naturally, could not conceal a feeling of surprise.

p “But this is a conference to discuss the fate of my country? . . . Are we not being invited to take part?"

p “This is a conference of the Great Powers only."

p “Then I take it that the Soviet Union is also being invited. After all, Russia has a treaty with my country, too."

p “We had no lime to invite the Russians,” the British Lord cut off with irritation.^^184^^

p Winston Churchill gave a very striking description of the 187 position of the USSR and Britain in talking with the Soviet Ambassador in London on September 29. "Today Churchill, in a conversation with me,” Maisky wrote, "spoke with great respect and satisfaction of the conduct of the USSR in the present crisis. In particular, he put a very high value on Litvinov’s speech in the Assembly, and on your Note to Poland. The USSR, Churchill said, is doing its international duty, while Britain and France are surrendering to the aggressors. For this reason, the sympathy towards the USSR is fast rising.. .” As to the position of the British government, Churchill criticised it in very strong terms, pointing out that it was leading to the inevitable outbreak of war. Chamberlain’s resolve to "ignore and push away" the USSR, according to Churchill, was "not only absurd but criminal”, and the Anglo-French plan for the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia was outra- geous. ^^185^^

The West German historian Niedhardt, who had thoroughly studied British Public Record Office documents about the Chamberlain government’s policy towards the USSR, slated that it was "downright ignoring and isolation of the Soviet Union".^^186^^