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TRANSCRIPTION
October 8th 1938
France and Britain have retired behind
their Chinese wall in Europe - the Maginot Line -
and abandoned the rest of the Continent to
Germany. I do not think this is an exaggerated
view of what has happened during the past month:
even a few weeks ago France still had allies in
Europe and an actual and potential strength:
to-day she has none.
De Valera as President of the Assembly, on
the 30th of September said that Europe had come
to the brink of the abyss and had shrunk back
appalled by what they saw.
Since May, when the Anglo-French intervention
checked the German threat to Czechoslovakia,
Hitler has been preparing; towards the end of
August, 1 million and 1/2 men were under arms in
Germany and for months a violent blast of propaganda
was emitted daily by Goebbels, magnificent
propaganda machine: Britain and France, uneasy,
looked on. Heinlein claimed complete autonomy
within the Czech State and even the right to
decide on foreign policy in respect of the Franco-
Russian alliances. The Czechs had negotiated and
drawn up various schemes to meet Sudeten claims,
but early in September, it was apparent that the
Sudeten's case - and of course they had one,
though not as much as the Germans in Poland and
the Germans in Italy - was being used as a pretext.
Czechoslovakia must be destroyed. Britain
and France began to stiffen. I came back from
my holidays saying there would be no war because
I believed that France and England had at last
reached the point where they would have to stand.
The Czechs on the whole remained cool and remarkably
restrained.
Language(s) of Transcription
LOCATION
Gdańsk (Poland) (54.3612, 18.5499)
Story Location
ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
Document Date
Document Type
Document Description
Language of Description
Keywords
External Web Resources
STORY INFORMATION
Title
Diary 6: September 1938 - March 1939
Creator
Lester | Seán | 1888-1959
Contributor
Lester, Seán, 1888-1959
Seán Lester
Date
September 1938-30 March 1939
Type
Text
Rights
This collection has been digitised and made available by Dublin City University Library. Please credit Dublin City University Library when using these images, creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Language
eng
Identifier
#ws85q5671
LandingPage
https://www.europeana.eu/item/707/_ws85q5671Country
Ireland
DatasetName
707__Dublin_City_University
Begin
1936-05-01
End
1937-02-28
Language
en
Created
2022-03-23T16:13:34.244Z
2022-03-23T16:13:36.837419Z
2022-03-23T16:13:36.838261Z
Story Description
Handwritten and typed diary entries relating to Lester' time as Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nations in Geneva. Includes copy letters from Lester to: Joseph Avenol, Secretary General of the League of Nations, and RM Smyllie, editor of the Irish Times. Includes letters to Lester from: Daniel Anthony Binchy, University College Dublin lecturer and former Irish diplomat; John Marcus O' Sullivan, TD, academic and former member of the Irish delegation to the League of Nations; Alfred O’Rahilly, professor of mathematical physics at University College Cork, mainly concerning the potential promotion of O’Rahilly's new book Electromagnetics: A Discussion of Fundamentals in Switzerland; James Cousins, Irish writer and lecturer at the University of Travancore, India. Includes copy letters from: Arthur Sweetser to [?Lewis Lerwin] in the USA;, and HR Cummings, London representative of the League of Nations Secretary General, to Joseph Avenol. Also includes a list of names and occupations of individuals in the museum sector who attended at luncheon on 8 March [?1939].
TRANSCRIPTION
LOCATION
DESCRIPTION
PEOPLE
STORY INFO
TUTORIAL
October 8th 1938
France and Britain have retired behind
their Chinese wall in Europe - the Maginot Line -
and abandoned the rest of the Continent to
Germany. I do not think this is an exaggerated
view of what has happened during the past month:
even a few weeks ago France still had allies in
Europe and an actual and potential strength:
to-day she has none.
De Valera as President of the Assembly, on
the 30th of September said that Europe had come
to the brink of the abyss and had shrunk back
appalled by what they saw.
Since May, when the Anglo-French intervention
checked the German threat to Czechoslovakia,
Hitler has been preparing; towards the end of
August, 1 million and 1/2 men were under arms in
Germany and for months a violent blast of propaganda
was emitted daily by Goebbels, magnificent
propaganda machine: Britain and France, uneasy,
looked on. Heinlein claimed complete autonomy
within the Czech State and even the right to
decide on foreign policy in respect of the Franco-
Russian alliances. The Czechs had negotiated and
drawn up various schemes to meet Sudeten claims,
but early in September, it was apparent that the
Sudeten's case - and of course they had one,
though not as much as the Germans in Poland and
the Germans in Italy - was being used as a pretext.
Czechoslovakia must be destroyed. Britain
and France began to stiffen. I came back from
my holidays saying there would be no war because
I believed that France and England had at last
reached the point where they would have to stand.
The Czechs on the whole remained cool and remarkably
restrained.
- English (English)
October 8th 1938
France and Britain have retired behind
their Chinese wall in Europe - the Maginot Line -
and abandoned the rest of the Continent to
Germany. I do not think this is an exaggerated
view of what has happened during the past month:
even a few weeks ago France still had allies in
Europe and an actual and potential strength:
to-day she has none.
De Valera as President of the Assembly, on
the 30th of September said that Europe had come
to the brink of the abyss and had shrunk back
appalled by what they saw.
Since May, when the Anglo-French intervention
checked the German threat to Czechoslovakia,
Hitler has been preparing; towards the end of
August, 1 million and 1/2 men were under arms in
Germany and for months a violent blast of propaganda
was emitted daily by Goebbels, magnificent
propaganda machine: Britain and France, uneasy,
looked on. Heinlein claimed complete autonomy
within the Czech State and even the right to
decide on foreign policy in respect of the Franco-
Russian alliances. The Czechs had negotiated and
drawn up various schemes to meet Sudeten claims,
but early in September, it was apparent that the
Sudeten's case - and of course they had one,
though not as much as the Germans in Poland and
the Germans in Italy - was being used as a pretext.
Czechoslovakia must be destroyed. Britain
and France began to stiffen. I came back from
my holidays saying there would be no war because
I believed that France and England had at last
reached the point where they would have to stand.
The Czechs on the whole remained cool and remarkably
restrained.
Language(s) of Transcription
English Translation
Transcription History
October 8th 1938 France and Britain have retired behind their Chinese wall in Europe - the Maginot Line - and abandoned the rest of the Continent to Germany. I do not think this is an exaggerated view of what has happened during the past month: even a few weeks ago France still had allies in Europe and an actual and potential strength: to-day she has none. De Valera as President of the Assembly, on the 30th of September said that Europe had come to the brink of the abyss and had shrunk back appalled by what they saw. Since May, when the Anglo-French intervention checked the German threat to Czechoslovakia, Hitler has been preparing; towards the end of August, 1 million and 1/2 men were under arms in Germany and for months a violent blast of propaganda was emitted daily by Goebbels, magnificent propaganda machine: Britain and France, uneasy, looked on. Heinlein claimed complete autonomy within the Czech State and even the right to decide on foreign policy in respect of the Franco- Russian alliances. The Czechs had negotiated and drawn up various schemes to meet Sudeten claims, but early in September, it was apparent that the Sudeten's case - and of course they had one, though not as much as the Germans in Poland and the Germans in Italy - was being used as a pretext. Czechoslovakia must be destroyed. Britain and France began to stiffen. I came back from my holidays saying there would be no war because I believed that France and England had at last reached the point where they would have to stand. The Czechs on the whole remained cool and remarkably restrained.
[Page two:] October 8th 1938 France and Britain have retired behind their Chinese wall in Europe - the Maginot Line - and abandoned the rest of the Continent to Germany. I do not think this is an exaggerated view of what has happened during the past month: even a few weeks ago France still had allies in Europe and an actual and potential strength: to-day she has none. De Valera as President of the Assembly, on the 30th of September said that Europe had come to the brink of the abyss and had shrunk back appalled by what they saw. Since May, when the Anglo-French intervention checked the German threat to Czechoslovakia, Hitler has been preparing; towards the end of August, 1 million and 1/2 men were under arms in Germany and for months a violent blast of propa- ganda was emitted daily by Goebbels, magnificent propaganda machine: Britain and France, uneasy, looked on. Heinlein claimed complete autonomy within the Czech State and even the right to decide on foreign policy in respect of the Franco- Russian alliances. The Czechs had negotiated and drawn up various schemes to meet Sudeten claims, but early in September, it was apparent that the Sudeten's case - and of course they had one, though not as much as the Germans in Poland and the Germans in Italy - was being used as a pre- text. Czechoslovakia must be destroyed. Britain and France began to stiffen. I came back from my holidays saying there would be no war because I believed that France and England had at last reached the point where they would have to stand. The Czechs on the whole remained cool and remarka- bly restrained.
October 8th 1938 France and Britain have retired behind their Chinese wall in Europe - the Maginot Line - and abandoned the rest of the Continent to Germany. I do not think this is an exaggerated view of what has happened during the past month: even a few weeks ago France still had allies in Europe and an actual and potential strength: to-day she has none. De Valera as President of the Assembly, on the 30th of September said that Europe had come to the brink of the abyss and had shrunk back appalled by what they saw. Since May, when the Anglo-French intervention checked the German threat to Czechoslovakia, Hitler has been preparing; towards the end of August, 1 million and 1/2 men were under arms in Germany and for months a violent blast of propa- ganda was emitted daily by Goebbels, magnificent propaganda machine: Britain and France, uneasy, looked on. Heinlein claimed complete autonomy within the Czech State and even the right to decide on foreign policy in respect of the Franco- Russian alliances. The Czechs had negotiated and drawn up various schemes to meet Sudeten claims, but early in September, it was apparent that the Sudeten's case - and of course they had one, though not as much as the Germans in Poland and the Germans in Italy - was being used as a pre- text. Czechoslovakia must be destroyed. Britain and France began to stiffen. I came back from my holidays saying there would be no war because I believed that France and England had at last reached the point where they would have to stand. The Czechs on the whole remained cool and remarka- bly restrained.
English Translation
Handwritten and typed diary entries relating to Lester' time as Deputy Secretary General of the League of Nations in Geneva.
Includes copy letters from Lester to: Joseph Avenol, Secretary General of the League of Nations, and RM Smyllie, editor of the Irish Times.
Includes letters to Lester from: Daniel Anthony Binchy, University College Dublin lecturer and former Irish diplomat; John Marcus O' Sullivan, TD, academic and former member of the Irish delegation to the League of Nations; Alfred O’Rahilly, professor of mathematical physics at University College Cork, mainly concerning the potential promotion of O’Rahilly's new book Electromagnetics: A Discussion of Fundamentals in Switzerland; James Cousins, Irish writer and lecturer at the University of Travancore, India.
Includes copy letters from: Arthur Sweetser to [?Lewis Lerwin] in the USA;, and HR Cummings, London representative of the League of Nations Secretary General, to Joseph Avenol.
Also includes a list of names and occupations of individuals in the museum sector who attended at luncheon on 8 March [?1939].
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