Mr. R. A. Butler's imperturbability, which on normal occa- sions
serves him so well, was his undoing in the debate on the Czecho-Slovakian Money Bill. The House was shocked to hear that the right of option from the transferred terri- tories was not to apply to Germans. Mr. Butler seemed to treat the matter casually, and gave the impression that he approved of this departure from the Munich Agreement. Mr. Wedgwood Bern patently feels deeply that we have broken our pledges to the Czechs. Sir Percy Harris broke silence to support him, and Miss Wilkinson was appealing though her dramatics never help her case. Even such a Government stalwart as Sir John Haslam said he was amazed ; we had not had a square deal, and representations should be made at once to Herr Hitler. On the third reading on Tuesday Sir John Simon refused Mr. Benn's repeated challenge to explain why the Government have allowed such alteration in the Munich Settlement. It is altogether an unpleasant business.
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