The Chance of a Settlement The hardening of world-opinion indeed
may have some effect on Germany, for though the United States and the Scan- dinavian countries may not be regarded as among Germany's possible opponents, at any rate in the opening stages of a European war, their passive hostility would be among the imponderables of which account must necessarily be taken. Even Polish sympathies appear to be moving steadily away from Germany, and Hungary, in spite of last week's festivities at Berlin, would be most unlikely to join in action against Czechoslovakia. These may be taken as indications of slight, but not quite negligible, weight telling against the probability of war. Another is the evidence, not as yet convincing but again not negligible, of a split between extremists like Herr Franck and moderates like Herr Hcnlein and Herr Kundt in the Sudeten German camp. Herr Henlein has been in touch with Lord Runciman and Herr Kundt with Dr. Benes, and they may not have been impervious to those influences. It is certain that if any Sudeten German leader of note took a stand for a moderate settlement he would be widely supported, for though they have been largely suppressed by extremist terrorism the Sudeten German parties, numbering about a million adherents, who were till recently co-operating with the Czech Government, are undoubtedly ready for a reasonable agreement, and in the absence of an actual German invasion, or some speech representing the burning of every boat by Herr Hitler at Nuremberg, there is still a chance that with the help of Lord Runciman's continuing mediation an agreement may be reached.
