It all seemed so simple, so reasonable...to the peace-loving British businessman become British Prime Minister. He paused with evident self-satisfaction, as one eyewitness recorded, for Hitler's reaction.
"Do I understand that the British, French and Czech governments have agreed to the transfer of the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia to Germany?" Hitler asked. He was astounded as he later told Chamberlain, that the concessions to him had gone so far and so fast.
"Yes," replied the Prime Minister, smiling.
"I am terribly sorry," Hitler said, "but after the events of the last few days, this plan is no longer of any use."
Chamberlain, Dr. Schmidt later remembered, sat up with a start. ...
In the run-up to war Uncle Alf's strategy was to make demands on a victim country that no country could accept, thus justifying a military takeover. In the case of the Sudetenland he proposed a plebiscite (which would be rigged for "Ja") and then he would manufacture an "incident" that would justify a German invasion nonetheless. Heydrich had done that for him in Austria, was to do it again in Poland, and would have done it here. But Neville Chamberlain undercut Hitler. Bidding against himself Chamberlain got the French to agree, and the Czechs at diplomatic gun point to agree, to transfer the Sudetenland to Hitler scot-free. Unbeknownst to the surpassingly naive British Prime Minister* a free transfer undercut Uncle Alf, who wanted "to destroy Czechoslovakia by military action", not by diplomatic action.
*In his post-Godesberg address to the House of Commons Chamberlain said, "I do not want the House to think that Hitler was deliberately deceiving me--I do not think so for one moment--...
Within a year Britain would go to war over Poland, completely unworthy as casus belli. Austria and Czechoslovakia were worthy. I have this medal on my bookshelf:
