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28 September

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By Liakhovetsky, Ivan Mikhailovich (Maisky)

The Complete Maisky Diaries: Volume 1

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28 September

The train arrived in Paris on time. It was around seven o’clock in the morning. I was met at the station and went to the embassy for half an hour. In view of the early hour, I decided against waking up Surits. I saw only one or two employees at the chancellery. My train for London was leaving at 8.20. I had deliberately chosen an early train, arriving in London at 3.21 p.m., as I planned to go straight from the station to the parliament session where Chamberlain was expected to speak at 3.30.

On that early, rainy morning Paris looked somewhat grey, disgruntled and unwelcoming. The general picture, though, barely differed from normal. At the embassy I was told that, on the previous day, the railway stations with trains bound for the east were crowded with reservists and relatives seeing them off. The mood of the mobilized soldiers was sullen and unenthusiastic, but quiet and determined. There were no disturbances or incidents. They all felt that they had to drain their cup of woe; it was unpleasant, but nothing could be done about it. Today, however, the stations were back to normal.

The journey from Paris to London passed without incident. The sea was calm. Even though I have crossed the English Channel many times before, today was the first time I noticed that, on a clear day, you can see the British coast from Calais and the French coast from Dover.

A great disappointment lay in store for me on the British shore. The ‘war alarm’ of the last few days had already affected the regularity of the trains. Our train from Dover to London was one hour late. This had very unpleasant consequences for me. I had hoped that, with nine minutes at my disposal, I would have got from Victoria station to parliament in time for the beginning of Chamberlain’s speech. But I arrived in London at 4.25 p.m., instead of 3.21 p.m. At the station, I couldn’t help wondering: wasn’t it too late to go to parliament? But I dismissed the thought, jumped out of the carriage and rushed to Westminster.

When, panting for breath after a brisk walk along the corridors of parliament, I ran up to the entrance to the diplomatic gallery, the fat good-natured policeman at the door, who knew me well by sight, broke into a happy smile and said hastily: ‘Have you heard the good news? The prime minister has just informed the House: Mr Hitler has invited him to a new conference in Munich. Tomorrow.’

Page 352

I ran upstairs. Not only all the galleries, but even all the approaches to them were crammed with people. With great difficulty I pushed my way to the front row, but there was no way of getting through to the diplomatic gallery. To make it worse, there were no vacant seats there. I stood where I was and focused my attention on my surroundings. Down below, the chamber was black with MPs. Not only were all the benches taken, with no room left to swing a cat, but thick crowds of MPs thronged the gangways. You could sense a tremendous tension. It seemed unbearable, as if on the brink of a spontaneous explosion.

Chamberlain was speaking. When I entered, he was coming to the end of his speech. He had just announced Hitler’s invitation and his consent to fly to Munich the following day.

Chamberlain took his seat. Attlee got to his feet and said a few words. The leader of the opposition wished the prime minister success in his mission and only at the end added in haste that principles should not be sacrificed in Munich. He didn’t even say what principles he had in mind. It was a very weak speech. Sinclair, speaking on behalf of the Liberals, was much better. But Gallacher gave the best speech of all. He protested against Czechoslovakia’s division and called for peace based on freedom and democracy. Lansbury and Maxton

James Richard Maxton, chairman of Independent Labour Party, 1926–31 and 1934–39.

were in raptures as they expressed their gratitude to the prime minister. It was simply disgusting.

The session was then closed. The MPs and the guests dispersed, excited and alarmed, conversing loudly and gesturing with great animation. One and the same question was on everyone’s lips: ‘What’s it to be? War or peace?’

The majority was inclined to think: peace.

Sylvester, Lloyd George’s secretary, candidly describes in his diary the reaction to the news of Hitler’s invitation to a summit in Munich which reached Chamberlain as he was speaking: ‘For at least 60 seconds the Prime Minister, looking away from the table, perused these documents. Meantime, the whole House was so silent that one could hear a pin drop … I shall never forget the demonstration which followed [once Chamberlain announced his intentions of flying to Germany], unexampled in my experience or in that of anybody else I have met. Every Government supporter rose and waving handkerchiefs and order papers cheered and cheered and cheered to the echo for several minutes.’ Chamberlain himself confessed that the time of the delivery of the invitation ‘was a piece of drama that no work of fiction ever surpassed’. In his rather succinct diary, nonetheless, Dawson exalted ‘the most dramatic occasion – the House & galleries absolutely packed’, hanging on Chamberlain’s account of his ‘last last effort … the house was unmistakably with him all through’. Though Maisky had just missed the drama, he could not but be aware of the effusive support for Chamberlain; Sylvester papers, diary, A45, 28 Sept. 1938; Self, Chamberlain Diary Letters, IV, p. 349, 2 Oct. 1938; and Dawson papers, diary, Box 42, 28 Sep. 1938.

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Document Title28 September

AuthorLiakhovetsky, Ivan Mikhailovich (Maisky)

RecipientN/A

RepositoryN/A

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DescriptionN/A

Date1938 Sep 28

AOC VolumeThe Complete Maisky Diaries: Volume 1

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