All the countries were in wait mode to see what the Czech government, and Hitler, would do next.

As Tueday, the 20th dawned, there was still no word from either government. Finally, at approximately 2:45 pm Eastern Standard Time, Maurice Hindus broadcasting for CBS from Prague interrupted his broadcast to announce the Czech communique.

"The Czechoslovak government has handed to the British and French ministers in Prague a note which the government expresses its point of view with regard to the proposal which has been interpreted to it by Great Britain and France. This point of view makes further negotiations possible in the spirit of conciliation, which the Czechoslovak government has always shown."
But the Czech answer proved unsatisfactory to the British and French. They issued a joint declaration that the Czech decision was not acceptable and that Czechoslovakia must deliver unconditional acceptance within 24 hours or bear the consequences of invasion. Meanwhile, the scheduled second meeting between Hitler and Chamberlain, though delayed, was about to begin in Godesberg.

"...We intend to fulfill our obligations under the pact..."

The day before the meeting between Hitler and Chamberlain was held, Maxim Litvinoff, the Soviet Union's Foreign Minister, addressed the League of Nations in Geneva. Litvinoff accused Britain and France of avoiding a problematical war today in return for a larger war later. He declared that the Soviet Union's "War Department is ready immediately to participate in a conference with representatives of the French and Czechoslovakian War Departments to discuss measures appropriate to the moment." Russia, it seemed was ready to meet her obligations with the Czech government. But that would prove futile. By the end of the day, the Czech government announced that they would accept the second ultimatum from Britain and France and surrender the Sudeten territory.

By the time Wednesday, the 22nd began the turmoil was increasing. The previous night there were crowds int he streets of Prague calling for the Czech military government to take control and defend their country from aggression. The crowd denounced France and Britain. And the Czech cabinet presented its resignation to President Benes, who was left with trying to form a new government. Meanwhile, the scheduled meeting between Chamberlain and Hitler got underway. No sooner had it begun than Hitler announced to the Prime Minister that the previous terms were no longer acceptable. Though the British, French and Czechs had all agreed to the secession of land, Hitler now demanded a German military occupation of the Sudetenland by October 1st (which had been his plan all along).

Once more the day ends in turmoil. Benes had chosen Jan Syrovy, the heroic Czech general, as his Premier and War Minister. And on the Czech-German border, there was back and forth fighting as Sudeten Germans took over the town of Eger, then lost it as the Czech military regained control. German troops were reported moving near the border and French troops also moved to protect their province, Alsace. The follow-up meeting between Hitler and Chamberlain was postponed as Chamberlain delivered a letter to the Fuhrer and an answer returned. Russia was making sounds that it would defend Czechoslovakia against both Polish and German aggression. France was making noises that if early movement into the Sudetenland by Germany took place, it would move to protect the Czech Republic.

Background on The Munich Agreement and The Munich Crisis, 1938

The Munich Agreement was an agreement regarding the Munich Crisis between the major powers of Europe after a conference held in Munich in Germany in 1938 and concluded on September 29. The purpose of the conference was to discuss the future of Czechoslovakia and it ended up surrendering much of that state to Nazi Germany. It stands as a major example of appeasement. Because Czechoslovakia was not invited to conference, the Munich Agreement is commonly called the Munich Dictate by the Czechs. The phrase Munich betrayal is also being frequently used, especially because of the military alliances between Czechoslovakia and France and between France and Britain, that were not taken into account.

In March 1938 Germany had annexed Austria, the Anschluss. It was widely known that Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland with its substantial German population, led by the Nazi politician Konrad Henlein, would be Hitler's next demand. France and the Soviet Union both had alliances with the Czechoslovaks, but both were unprepared for war. None of the powers in western Europe wanted war. They severely overestimated Adolf Hitler's military ability at the time, and while Britain and France had superior forces to the Germans they felt they had fallen behind, and both were undergoing massive military rearmament to catch up. Hitler, on the other hand, was in just the opposite position. He far exaggerated German power at the time and was desperately hoping for a war with the west which he thought he could easily win. He was pushed into holding the conference, however, by Benito Mussolini who was totally unprepared for a Europe-wide conflict, and was also concerned about the growth of German power. The German military leadership also knew the state of their armed forces and did all they could to avoid war.

In the lead up to the conference the great powers of Europe mobilised their forces for the first time since World War I. Many thought war was inevitable and that a peace that would satisfy everyone would be impossible.

Chamberlain holds the Munich Agreement on his return from Germany in September 1938.A deal was reached, however, and on September 29, Adolf Hitler, Neville Chamberlain, Edouard Daladier and Benito Mussolini signed the Munich Agreement. The settlement gave Germany the Sudetenland starting on October 10, and de facto control over the rest of Czechoslovakia as long as Hitler promised to go no further.

Chamberlain received an ecstatic reception upon his return to Britain. At Heston airport he made the now infamous "peace in our time" speech and waved the agreement to a delighted crowd. Though the British and French were pleased, as were the German military and diplomatic leadership, Hitler was furious. He felt like he had been forced into acting like a bourgeois politician by his diplomats and generals.

Joseph Stalin was also very upset by the results of the Munich conference. The Soviets had not been represented at the conference and felt they should be acknowledged as a major power. The British and French, however, mostly used the Soviets as a threat to dangle over the Germans. Stalin was also distressed by the readiness of the west to hand over an ally to the Nazis, causing concern that they might do the same to him in the future and influencing his decision to switch his allegance from an anti-fascist alliance with the British and French to signing the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1939, allying the Soviet Union with Nazi Germany.

The Czechs were also less than delighted with the settlement. With Sudetenland gone to Germany and later the area of Cieszyn Silesia retaken by Poland (the disputed area West of Olza river, so called Zaolzie - 906km2 258,000 inhabitants), Czecho-Slovakia (as the state was now renamed) lost its border defenses with Germany and without them its independence became more nominal than real. In March 1939 any hope that Chamberlain's words would be true came to an end as the Nazis proceeded to occupy the remainder of Bohemia and Moravia, while the eastern half of the country, Slovakia, became an independent state, dominated by Germany. Though no immediate action followed, Hitler's next move on Poland made war inevitable and World War II commenced.