and democratically adjust its mutual relationship by a revision of the former constitution. The Government therefore is anxious to prepare the situation now so that religious and ecclesiastical questions after the war may not be unduly complicated and, in particular, that the relationship of the Czechoslovak Republic to the Holy See may not be complicated nor become the subject of special and lengthy negotiations or disputes either internal or international, as a result of events in the course of the war. I myself conducted all negotiations between the Czechoslovak Republic and the Holy See from 1919 and I recall how difficult it often was. I should be unwilling for this to be repeated. After long and difficult discussions I achieved, not only complete agreement with the Holy See but, in particular, an approval by the Czechoslovak people and Parliament of the settlement of the llth December, 1927, known as the modus vivendi and gladly accepted by all Czech and Slovak Catholics. I consistently saw to it that the terms of this settlement were kept, and thus in the period from 1927 to 1938 the individual conditions of the modus vivendi were successively put into effect. In my view our |