44 Days in Prague: The Runciman Mission and the Race to Save Europe

After discovering that her grandmother had pro-German sympathies, Ann Shukman resolved to investigate her grandfather Walter Runciman`s 1938 Mission to Prague. This government-sponsored British delegation sought to broker peace between the Czechoslovak republic and its Sudeten German minority-a dispute that Hitler was aggravating with virulent anti-Czech propaganda and threats of invasion. Drawing fresh evidence from personal diaries, private papers and Czech publications, 44 Days in Prague exposes the misunderstandings and official ignorance that provoked a calamitous series of betrayals. It reveals that, while Walter Runciman always supported Czechoslovakia`s integrity, his wife Hilda-whose role became crucial-publicly favoured the German cause.This is a moving portrayal of Walter`s declining influence as tensions mounted, from the couple`s efforts to court a divided old aristocracy at glittering social occasions, to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain`s fatal undermining of the Mission, in his abrupt decision to negotiate directly with Hitler. Shukman`s vivid narrative combines personal insight with meticulous research to shine new light on this pivotal yet tragic episode of European history.