"A Disaster of the First Magnitude", Churchill

• On October 5,1938, Winston Churchill delivered a speech in the House of Commons attacking the Munich agreement and British policy towards Nazi Germany


• I believe the Czechs left to themselves and told they would recieve no help from the Western Powers would have made better terms for themselves


• Peace has always depended upon the accumulation of deterretns against the aggressor


• Coupled with a sincere effort to redress grievences


• I ventured to appeal to the government to give a pledge that in conjunction with France would garuntee the security of the Czechs while the League of Nations examined the sudeten-deutsch question


• If that course had been taken, events would not have fallen into this disasterous state


• Britain, France, and Russia should have kept closer communications, which they did not


• It would have been easier to determine the attitude of Poland


• What is the remaining position of Czechoslovakia?


• So far this country has neither prevented German rearmament nor have we reaarmed ourselves


• "We are in the presence of a disaster of the first magnitude which has befallen Great Britain and France"


• Many people no doubt honestly believe that they are only giving away the intrests of Czechoslovakia


• I fear we shall find that we have deeply compromised, and perhaps fatally endangered the safety and even the independence of Great Britain


• Do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning