Nazism could have been defeated much earlier

Re: ‘Peace In Our Time,’ 75 Years Later, George Jonas, Oct. 5. George Jonas’ portrayal of the chamberlain-baldwin appeasement policy, culminating in the disgrace of Munich, as anything other than utterly misguided denies historical reality. When Neville chamberlain sought approval for his “piece of paper guaranteeing peace in our time,” Winston churchill, in one of his most magnificent stands, eviscerated the Munich Agreement. In his speech to the House on Oct. 5, 1938, churchill minced no words: “We have sustained a total and unmitigated defeat.” This was not hindsight; it was wisdom based upon a clear understanding of the rising power of the most virulent evil the world had ever faced. chamberlain and the other men of Munich turned a blind eye to what was obvious.

Had the Nazi power been dealt with as churchill would have dealt with it, war would either have been totally averted or would have been fought when Germany was much weaker.

Barry Kirkham, Vancouver.

George Jonas claims that there is no way of knowing how Hitler might have reacted in 1939, had he been offered resistance rather than appeasement. This is simply not so. The German army in the west was so weak in September 1939 — all of its forces being engaged against the Poles — that the German General Staff was prepared to depose Hitler and make peace with britain and France had the allies showed any sign of invading Germany.

General Walter Warlimont, one of Hitler’s most able officers, has said at Nuremberg that never before had a German army entered into a war more inadequately equipped than that of 1939. When interviewed after the war on the bbc he was asked how long the Germans could have held out against the West, had britain and France invaded — his response was, “Two weeks, possibly five”.

All of which goes to show that if you are going to declare war you had better do something about it, instead of waiting to be crushed.

Graham McCracken, White Rock, B.C.

It was not “equally naive for churchill and U.S. president F.d. roosevelt to think that Stalin would limit himself to what he promised at yalta” — the naïveté was all Franklin d. roosevelt’s. by the time of yalta, britain was depleted; the United States was paying the bills and calling the shots, allowing Fdr to sideline churchill and cozy up to uncle Joe. by then, and more so by Potsdam, Fdr was cognitively impaired and moribund and no match for Stalin.

Had churchill’s views been heard, the post-war tragedy of the Iron curtain might have been averted.

Don Thomson, Toronto.