In 1938, every thinking European and American statesman and most politicians saw and understood that Nazi Germany had been tearing up treaties, breaking promises, and continuing to “reincorporate” territories weaker than it was. It was aggression in its most basic form: submit or be militarily crushed by invasion. Hitler had no qualms about saying anything, promising (lying) anything, signing anything to get the western governments to give in . . . repeatedly. British Prime Minister Chamberlain represented the Allied powers [under treaty obligation to assist Czechoslovakia if attacked] in a supposedly summit meeting with Hitler to settle Germany’s claim to part of Czechoslovakian territory. The Nazi leader had already threatened to invade if his demands for a piece of Czech land were not met. Hitler and Chamberlain met oneon- one in Munich, Germany to negotiate. The leader of Czechoslovakia was not permitted to be present at the meeting. The two attending leaders agreed that a parcel of Czech territory was to be ceded to Germany and that Germany had no further territorial ambitions in Europe. The resulting Munich Agreement was another Nazi lie; less than 90 days after the signing, the remainder of Czech territory was occupied by German armed forces.
If this sorry story rings familiar today, it’s because there is a hellish parallel happening this very week. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump sat down together last Friday to negotiate the future of territorial Ukraine. President Zelensky of Ukraine was not invited to attend the meeting just as the Czechs were not invited just prior to WW II.
President Trump is purported to be a master of “the deal” so far as power brokers go. We’ll see. Early reports from the meeting suggest that Trump reversed his earlier demand for an immediate cease-fire and further suggested a land-forpeace deal with the Russian aggressor. If these reports prove true, he was (1) outsmarted in negotiation, (2) had no right to barter what is not his, and (3) deserves the title of “Master of the Raw Deal.”
