Chamberlain returns from Munich

Image: Neville Chamberlain and his piece of paper.

During the Munich Crisis of 1938, when Hitler threatened to invade Czechoslovakia, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain visited Nazi Germany three times in an attempt to avert war.

On 30 September he returned to Heston Aerodrome with an agreement which removed the imminent threat, while allowing Hitler to annexe parts of Czechoslovakia. He brandished a statement signed by the two leaders which said the agreement was "symbolic of the desire of our two peoples never to go to war with one another again". Speaking at Downing Street a short while later he said it promised "peace for our time". This optimism was short lived, as the Munich Agreement was broken within a year and Britain went to war over the Nazi invasion of Poland.

Richard Dimbleby described the scene at Heston on 30 September for radio and for the small television audience. As Chamberlain's plane arrived a large excited crowd gathered to greet him. He was received by the Foreign Secretary and The Minister of War, then spoke to the expectant crowd and waiting media.

The BBC reported the 1938 crisis in some detail, rescheduling many programmes to cover it. It also made civil defence announcements and instituted news broadcasts to Europe. When the War began the Corporation was ready to take its place at the heart of national life, providing news, information and morale-boosting entertainment.