The Struggle For Peace

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believes that, I am sorry that he should say so publicly.
It is not one of the characteristics of totalitarian States, at any
rate, that they are accustomed to foul their own nests. I
do strongly deprecate all the statements made by persons in
responsible, or even in irresponsible positions, who take
opportunities of broadcasting to the world or in other countries
in particular that their own country is in a state of decadence."
MR. ATTLEE : " I never suggested that/*
THE PRIME MINISTER : "I was not referring to the right
hon. Gentleman in what I said then." (Interruption.)
MR. SPEAKER : " If the hon. Member for West Fife (Mr.
Gallacher) continues to interrupt I shall have to ask him to
leave the House."
THE PRIME MINISTER : " Others have gone a great deal
further than the right hon. Gentleman, but the observation
which he has made gave me an opportunity of expressing an
opinion which I think is very widely held. I do not regard the
Munich Agreement as a defeat either for the democracies or
for the cause of law and order. On the contrary, the Munich
Agreement was an attempt to carry out by discussion between
two Powers representing democracies and two Powers
representing totalitarian States an agreed solution of a problem
for which the only other solution appeared to be the use of
force. Instead of using force the Agreement has been carried
out in an orderly manner. It is quite true that there have
been many things which none of us would approve of, which
all of us would wish to have done differently—that is quite
true—but hon. Members should consider that, as my Noble
Friend the Foreign Secretary (Lord Halifax) said on another
occasion, we had to choose between hard alternatives, and
when you find fault, as you may justly find fault, with the
solution which has in fact been carried out, do not forget what
the alternative was and what the effect of the alternative
would have been upon Czechoslovakia/*
MR. ATTLEE : " The right hon. Gentleman says that the
solution has been carried out. The whole of my point was
that the solution was not carried out.9*
THE PRIME MINISTER : " That may have been the whole of
the right hon. Gentleman's point, but I hope I shall be able
to say something which will refute that point of view. After