Clearly, the ‘umbrella policy’ is having a very bad time of it.

Masaryk, whom I saw two days ago, told me that during his farewell audience the king complained to him at length about the difficulties which Chamberlain faced in trying to carry through his policy of ‘appeasement’ while dealing with people such as Hitler and Mussolini. Then the king said verbatim: ‘These people (i.e. Hitler and Mussolini) were once useful to their nations. They united them and inspired them with courage and confidence. But the useful mission of Hitler and Mussolini is over. Everything they do now is directed against us and against civilization.’

And Halifax asked Masaryk, during his farewell visit, to convey to Roosevelt, whom Masaryk hopes to meet on his trip to the USA, that ‘neither the prime minister nor I cherish any illusions about Germany’.

Symptomatic.