In an obvious effort to chime with the mood of the deputation, the prime minister scolded Hitler, stressed his wish to cooperate with the USSR, complained about Poland, whose attitude to the USSR made it difficult to build a ‘peace bloc’ in Europe, and ended by stating that the British government was preparing ‘serious measures’ to fight aggression. The delegation left under the general impression that Chamberlain was scared and had lost all his ‘optimism’. But their conclusion must be taken with a large pinch of salt: Labourites are terribly gullible in their dealings with the powers that be.

Later, on meeting Chamberlain in parliament, Attlee and Greenwood asked him bluntly: was the prime minister prepared to undertake firm military commitments in Eastern Europe? The PM replied: ‘Yes, I am.’