The Struggle For Peace

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Czech people under the protection of the German Reich and
to guarantee to it the autonomous development of its national
life in accordance with its particular characteristics.
" The occupation of Bohemia by German military forces
began at six o'clock this morning. The Czech people have
been ordered by their Government not to offer resistance.
The President of the Czechoslovak Republic has returned to
Prague. Herr Hitler issued an order to the German armed
forces this morning to the effect that German military detach-
ments had crossed the frontier of Czech territory in order to
assume impartial control of the safety of the lives and property
of the inhabitants of the country. Every German soldier
must regard himself not as a foe but as a representative of
the German Government to restore a tolerable order. "Where
opposition was offered to the march it was to be broken down
at once by all available methods. The armed forces were to
bear in mind that they were treading on Czech soil as the
representatives of Great Germany. Meanwhile on i4th
March, as a result of incidents on the frontier between Ruthenia
and Hungary, Hungarian troops crossed the border and
occupied a Czech village. Thereafter the Hungarian Govern-
ment sent an ultimatum to Prague demanding, among other
things, the withdrawal of Czech troops from Ruthenia, the
release of Hungarian prisoners, and freedom for persons of
Hungarian nationality and race in Ruthenia to arm and to
organise. This ultimatum expired this morning, but I have
not yet received official reports on the way in which the
situation is developing.
" That completes my account of the facts as far as they
are known to me. To a large extent the information which
I have given to the House is based on Press reports, and
while I have very little reason to think that the general effect
is not as I have described, it to be, final judgment on all the
details should await further confirmation. I must deal with
three matters which arise out of the circumstances I have
described. In the first place, hon. Members will want to
know how they affect the guarantee which was described
by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the
Dominions on 4th October last in the following words :
The question has been raised whether our guarantee to