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At five minutes before noon on the fatal day, with German troops actually in motion toward the Czech border which they were to cross at 2 p.m., Il Duce in Rome rang up Chancellor Hitler at Berlin and they talked for 45 minutes. The Führer had received that morning a second appeal for peace from President Roosevelt, an appeal to which the only reply was an anti-Roosevelt tirade delivered that same evening to an audience of 175,000 Germans by No. 3 Nazi Goebbels. The results of the Mussolini-Hitler conversation were flashed to London where they brought the high point of drama in a speech to the House of Commons made by the Prime Minister, while in the gallery Queen Mary wept with emotion and Earl Baldwin watched every move.
M.P.'s said afterward that the lengthy speech of Neville Chamberlain seemed to many of them to be trending toward a declaration of war, then suddenly the Prime Minister began to tell how he had sent a personal letter to Il Duce urging him to contact the Führer. This Mussolini did. "In response," said Mr. Chamberlain, "Herr Hitler has agreed to postpone mobilization for twenty-four hours. Whatever views the honorable members have had about Signor Mussolini in the past, I believe every one will welcome his gesture of being willing to work with us for peace in Europe!"
Precisely at this moment, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir John Simon handed the Prime Minister a message just received from the Führer, and Neville Chamberlain, after reading it, went on with emotion in his voice:
"I have something further to tell the House. I have now been informed by Herr Hitler that he invites me to meet him in Munich tomorrow morning. He has also invited Signor Mussolini and Monsieur Daladier. Signor Mussolini has accepted and I have no doubt that Monsieur Daladier will also accept. The House will not need to ask me what my answer will be!"
This touched off such a tempest of applause by M.P.'s as the House of Commons has not heard for a generation. Labor and Liberal opposition leaders joined the crowd of M.P.'s who rushed up to shake Neville Chamberlain's hand and tell him how relieved they and their constituents were that now Britain would not be bombed. But Anthony Eden was seen to walk out, unsmiling, white-lipped.
Early next morning, no less than 14 of the 21 members of the British Cabinet spontaneously went to Heston Airport, jubilated in unprecedented fashion before news cameras (see cut) as they said good-by to Neville Chamberlain, wished him all success at Munich.
"Ein Ganzer Kerl!" Adolf Hitler, who makes it his crude habit to rub the noses of distinguished foreign guests as deeply as possible in Nazidom, characteristically staged the Munich conference at the very hub of the Nazi movement, the Führerhaus (Leader's House).