Personal and Paris, September 16, 1939. Confidential Dear Mr. President: As you know, Benes arrived in Europe intending to set up a "provisional government of Czechoslovakia". He naturally ran into a series of snags. In the first place, both the French and British took the position that they had refused to admit that Czechoslovakia had ceased to exist as an independent state, and were still recognizing the competence of the Ministers of Czechoslovakia in both Paris and London. They desired to continue to recognize these Ministers as representing the Czechoslovak State until it should be possible to recreate a Czechoslovak State. They could see no basis for a Benes provisional government, except Benes's desire to place himself at the head of something again. Moreover, The Honorable Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, Washington, D. C. |