"Tragedy of Teschen"

In Warsaw and in Budapest last week the overwhelming will of two highly emotional peoples to grab slices of Czechoslovakia was such that Poland and Hungary would certainly have overthrown their Cabinets, had not Polish Marshal Edward Smigly-Rydz and Hungarian Regent Nicholas Horthy been 100% in accord with popular opinion. A slice of defeated Hungary containing 1,000,000 Magyars was carved off in 1920 by the Allies to help make up Czechoslovakia.

In 1919, when Poland was at war with the Soviet Union, the Czechoslovak Army occupied the Teschen area in Poland, with about 200,000 population. Thus, last week Poles and Hungarians did not regard Czechoslovakia as a virgin land which Germany had just been permitted to rape, did not regard themselves as rapists eager for a second and third outrage. On the contrary, fervent Polish and Hungarian crowds shrieked in the streets for what they were convinced was "Justice!'' Poland, powerfully armed, last week had 500,000 of her 1,500,000 soldiers lined up to invade Czechoslovakia. The threat of Joseph Stalin fortnight ago that the Red Army would march if Poland committed "unprovoked aggression" on Czechoslovakia was no longer taken seriously by the Warsaw General Staff. Polish officers squawked, "We have called the Communist bluff!" Hungary was and acted weak. Drastically disarmed after the World War as one of the defeated nations, her present rearmament is incomplete and the Czechoslovak Army probably today could whip the Hungarian Army if the two could meet alone in battle. Events showed clearly last week how Might can make two similar cases quite different.

In Prague, undaunted President Eduard Benes, still "Europe's Smartest Little Statesman," calmly considered high-powered demands he had received from Warsaw and from Budapest, each saying in effect "You must let us take what was ours in Czechoslovakia--or else."

Dr. Benes well knew that Hungarian Regent Horthy has twice within the last 30 days been in Germany, first on a splendiferous State visit when he was feted by Hitler and Goering, later privately at Goering's rustic snuggery. However, President Benes observed that Adolf Hitler, although at Godesberg he pounded the table for Hungary & Poland, last week made no such demands at Munich, where the Big Four left such questions open for 90 days (see p.13). Dr. Benes therefore evasively replied to Regent Horthy that he was "willing to negotiate" but no more. Result : this week in Hungary its native Nazis--a party cracked down on by the police-- began working up popular discontent with shouts of "The Government must resign! Let good Hungarians (i.e.. Nazis) rule the state and fight Czechoslovakia!" The reply which President Benes sent to Warsaw was of such a different nature that the Polish radio stations--super-powered to drown out when possible the super-powered Soviet stations--suddenly thundered out over all Europe: "The Polish Government is happy to announce that the painful dispute between the two nations [Czechoslovakia and Poland] has been peacefully settled." Since Strong Man Hitler had set the fashion of marching into Czechoslovakia at exactly 2 p. m. (see p. 18), Polish troops at exactly 2 p. m. the following day marched across a bridge to occupy Teschen, their bayonets decked with flowers and greeted with cheers by flower-throwing Teschen residents. The radiorating voice of Marshal Edward Smigly-Rydz boomed simultaneously: "The majesty of the Polish Republic crosses the Olza on your bayonets. As soldiers you are the personification of the Nation's will. March on." To Czechoslovaks this was "the Tragedy of Teschen." The Moscow press scathingly told Warsaw that Hitler will soon seize not only the Polish Corridor but also partition Poland.

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