Eden is cheerful and bubbling with life. He thinks and reads a lot, studies economics, particularly the problem of unemployment, and prepares himself for the forthcoming battles. Chamberlain’s foreign policy has failed. All Eden’s forecasts have been borne out to the letter. The PM’s Italian affair ended in a hangover. A Cabinet reshuffle can be expected in late autumn. Eden does not intend to attack the government’s foreign policy as yet, but he won’t vow to remain silent either. If crisis breaks out, he will have to speak. In the meantime he prefers to speak on various matters of domestic policy. He regards unemployment as the most important challenge.

Eden talked at length with Masaryk about Czechoslovakia. He tried to convince him to fight, not surrender. That is the only way to save Czechoslovakia. Prague’s firm stance will force France to defend it. Britain will have no choice but to support France in the long run. Eden is most unhappy about the German manoeuvres. He does not rule out the possibility of war breaking out before the end of the year. The only way to avert war is to form a London–Paris–Moscow axis with the friendly backing of the United States. But is Chamberlain up to it? His position is to ignore the USSR, as if this gigantic power did not exist. This is an ostrich policy. A four-power pact? Such a pact is nonsensical without the USSR. But the prime minister fails to understand all this and does not wish to understand. Halifax, on the other hand, displays some capacity for evolution. Eden meets with him from time to time and eagerly chats to him. Halifax is gradually giving in. He is learning from life, from facts. He has already stopped believing that it is easy to reach an agreement with Germany. Now he thinks it very difficult, if it is even possible. Halifax looks to the future of Europe with great pessimism. He has even begun doubting the Spanish policy of the British government. There are visible signs of a rift between Halifax and Chamberlain…

Eden’s views of the Spanish question are very interesting. He told Masaryk that when he was in the Cabinet he fought desperately against the pro-Franco tendencies in the government. His chief opponents were Lord Swinton, air minister (retired recently), and Kingsley Wood (former minister of health, who replaced Swinton as air minister). The latter was particularly poisonous: he is a close friend of Chamberlain and a diehard reactionary. Alas, Eden’s struggle against Franco within the Cabinet was not always effective. Eden believes that even now Franco cannot regard his victory as decisive. The Republic can still win. Just give it arms. Returning to the PM’s Italian policy, Eden said with a chuckle: ‘Chamberlain devised his plans without taking Russia into account, and now he is being mercilessly punished.’