English Translation

15 - 5 - Autumn events of the year 1938. The delegates had received Diplo- matenpasses for this trip, which ultimately did not take place. The manuscript of the speech, which was to be held by the delegation before the foreign chapels in America, is available. It says that the assignment of the Sudetengau, allegedly a screaming injustice, is only due to a violent act. In particular, the Czech mobilization of May 21, 1938, which had shaken all of Europe, is glorified in detail. The speech of the leader on the situation of the Czechoslovak Republic in September 1938 is described as heroic and provocative, among other things. Another foreign policy activity of the National Council is characterised by the following case: the director of the Milan cement factory Riccardo Illovy, who was a Czechoslovak citizen but has naturalized himself in Italy, was in contact with the National Board and at the same time with higher Italian circles in order to rebuild the Czech-Italian friendship, which was founded at that time by the leglonaries, and in the autumn of 1938 suffered a severe setback. Illovy reported to the National Council, among other things, that in January 1939 he strongly agitated for the Czechs in Italy and sought to approach Count Ciano in order to vote for the Chechens. At the same time he informed that he had a good friend, an Italian minister who was also friends with Mussolini. He (Illovy) wanted to try to influence the Duce in a favorable way. After the establishment of the Protectorate, the National Council was again the decisive place, which kept the nerves in the general headlessness of the first days and worked constructively. First of all, it comes from its suggestion, following the world war tradition, the plan of a Czech unity movement, which President Hácha then already one week after the establishment of the protectorate as "National Community - Národni souručenstvi" (note the even named agreement with the World War!). Hácha confirmed immediately the newly formed board of the National Council under the leadership of the Minister of Education Univers.Prof. Dr. Jan K a p r a s. - 9 -