760F.62/884: Telegram
The Minister in Czechoslovakia ( Carr ) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 18—6:43 p.m.]
202. I was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs this afternoon who said that while he was without definite information of what took place at Berchtesgaden he believed that Chamberlain had gone with no definite proposals and that he had received a bad impression from his conversation with Hitler who is thought to have demanded that a certain part of Czechoslovakia be ceded to Henlein and his followers.
He said that there have been concentrations of troops in Germany of a character indicating an intention to attack this country. A secret message had been intercepted indicating that Germany was prepared to take action against this country on the 22nd or 23rd of September. Four regiments of German police had been prepared to follow the troops into this country as was done in Austria. That information [Page 615] was considered yesterday in a special Cabinet meeting and last night couriers were sent to Paris and London with a full statement of the immediate danger Czechoslovakia feels, asking the decision of those governments as to what steps if any they propose to take and informing them that Czechoslovakia had deferred mobilization pending notification to France and Great Britain. He believes that if France and Great Britain even now show a united front and real firmness a German attack could be averted. There is no mistaking the fact that he believes danger to be real and imminent.
In respect to Soviet aid he said that it still remained on the initiative of France but privately they had intimation that Soviets might come to the aid of this country independent of France in case of emergency. He said that all was prepared for the passage of Soviet Russian troops over Rumania.