Democracy. Today and Tomorrow

BENES, Eduard

First edition; 8vo; original boards. Inscribed by the author on half title,"To my dear friend, H. E. Anthony Eden, with sincere thanks and best wishes, Eduard Benes, Nov. 1st 1939." With a number of annotations and highlightings in pencil by Eden.Eduard Benes (1884-1948) served as President of Czechoslovakia from 1935 to 1938 and from 1945 to 1948. During World War II he led the Czech Government in exile from London. His first resignation in 1938 came as a result of the Munich Agreement and the resulting German occupation of Czechoslovakia; his second, in 1948, following the communist coup in Czechoslovakia in 1948. The book was inscribed to Anthony Eden less than a month after the outbreak of World War II. Eden became Foreign Secretary in 1935 and at first supported Chamberlain and his National Government in their efforts to preserve peace through reasonable concessions to Nazi Germany. Eden resigned in February 1938 as a public protest against Chamberlain's policy of coming to friendly terms with Fascist Italy. There was much speculation that Eden would become a rallying point for all the disparate opponents of Chamberlain, but Eden's position declined heavily among politicians since he maintained a low profile and avoided confrontation though he opposed the Munich Agreement and abstained in the vote on it in the House of Commons.

Hitler's Interpreter

SCHMIDT, Paul-Otto

Edited by R. H. C. Steed. First English edition; 8vo; original boards. Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon's copy with his bookplate loosely-inserted. Annotated and highlighted in pencil throughout by Eden, with extensive notes on the rear end papers. The front free endpaper is inscribed by Eden in pencil, "Sent to me by Schmidt. A.E." Paul-Otto Schmidt (1899–1970) was an interpreter in the German foreign ministry from 1923 to 1945. During his career, he served as the translator for Neville Chamberlain's negotiations with Adolf Hitler over the Munich Agreement, the British Declaration of War and the surrender of France. Sir Nevile Henderson, British Ambassador in Berlin until the outbreak of war thought that Schmidt showed showed considerable courage of a negative kind in that, despite his very special position, he resisted pressure to join the Nazi Party until 1943 ... I think Schmidt might fairly be described as an enlightened, cosmopolitanised German nationalist, and find it a little hard on him that we have to hand him down to posterity as 'Hitler's Interpreter' and not, perhaps more aptly, as 'Stresemann's Interpreter' - a title to which he has at least an equal claim." Eden though in turn was critical of Henderson on page 86 "& yet he was pathetically pro-German". A fascinating document. A very good copy with a little wear to the extremities.

The 1922: The Story of the Conservative Backbenchers' Parliamentary Committee

GOODHART, Philip, with Ursula Branston

First edition; 8vo; original boards and dust jacket. Signed by the author and 15 other members of the 1922 Committee on 5th December 1974. Signatures of Edward du Cann, Charles Morrison, Geoffrey Finsberg, John Biffen, Paul Bryan, Peter Morrison, Mark Carlisle, Nigel Fisher, David Walder, Bernard Braine, Godman Irvine, Airey Neave and three others. Additionally inscribed on the publication page " To Bernard - with gratitude for your guidance in exciting tomes - Gerry M." Bernard is likely to be Bernard Weatherill, later speaker of the House. Philip Goodhart (1925-2014) served a record 19 years as a secretary of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee, and wrote its history. His study provided insight but was too discreet to be a definitive assessment of that highly influential body.on title page.(Independent Obituary). Following Edward Heath's defeat in the October 1974 election he resolved to remain Conservative leader, and at first it appeared that by calling on the loyalty of his front-bench colleagues he might prevail. In the weeks following the election defeat, Heath came under tremendous pressure to concede a review of the rules with the 1922 Committee and agreed to establish a commission to propose changes and to seek re-election. There was no clear challenger to Heath but Margaret Thatcher joined the leadership contest aided by Airey Neave's campaigning among backbench MPs — she emerged as the only serious challenger. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket with bookplate to front pastedown.

Typed letter signed

PANKHURST, Christabel

Typed letter signed on 'Votes for Women' National Women's Social & Political Union headed paper, 26th January 1909; 8vo one page. Christabel Pankhurst (1880-1958) writes to the Editor of the Evening Standard, reporting that 'Five Women have been arrested for seeking an interview with the Prime Minister at Downing Street and complaining that 'Mr Asquith has never, since assuming this office of Prime Minister, received a deputation from any of the Women's Societies which claim the vote. It will be generally admitted that this attitude on his part is unreasonable'. Christabel Pankhurst was at that time organising secretary of the National Women's Social & Political Union and goes on in the letter to state that further delay in a parliamentary vote would preclude women from voting in the upcoming election. Three Conciliation bills were put before the House of Commons, one each year in 1910, 1911 and in 1912 which would have extended the right of women to vote in the United Kingdom to around 1,000,500 wealthy, property-owning women. The 1910 vote failed. The Bill was debated again in May 1911 and was passed by a majority of 255 to 88 votes as a private member's bill and the Government of Asquith promised a week of government time to debate the Bill. However, in November Asquith announced that he was in favour of a manhood suffrage bill and that suffragists could suggest and propose an amendment that would allow some women to vote. The bill was consequently dropped.

Munich. Prologue to Tragedy

WHEELER-BENNETT, John W.

First edition; 8vo; original cloth boards. Inscribed on the front free end paper "For Anthony Eden, with warmest best wishes and very many thanks, John W. Wheeler-Bennett, May, 1948." Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon with his bookplate loosely-inserted and annotated by him in ink, eg on p.15 (commenting on Sir Nevile Henderson, British Ambassador to Germany from 1937-39), Eden writes: "Disastrous man and disloyal to me. Note his conversation with Buchanan in our Embassy Berlin day 1 ... He proclaimed his delight & added now we shall be able to make friends with Germany". Sir John Wheeler Wheeler-Bennett 1902-1975) was an historian of German and diplomatic history, and the official biographer of King George VI. Wheeler-Bennett lived in Germany between 1927 and 1934 and witnessed at first-hand the final years of the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazi Germany. During his time in Berlin, he became an unofficial agent and advisor to the British government on international events. In 1933, Wheeler-Bennett told the Royal Institute of International Affairs:
Hitler, I am convinced, does not want a war. He is susceptible to reason in matters of foreign policy. He is greatly anxious to make Germany self-respecting and is himself anxious to be respectable. He may be described as the most moderate member of his party. Wheeler-Bennett abandoned this view after reading Mein Kampf, which caused him to recognize that Hitler had more radical goals. After the war, Wheeler-Bennett was a critic of Appeasement, and ten years after the Munich Agreement he wrote this book condemning it. Very good.

Autograph Letter signed "Stephen" to John Morris, Head of the Far Eastern Service of the BBC on the 'Cambridge Spies'

SPENDER, Stephen

Autograph Letter signed, 1½pp, original envelope, 4to, Albergo, Verona, [Italy], 18th June [1951]. "It happens that as Wystan [WH Auden] was staying with us, I was the last person telephoned by Guy Burgess, who wanted to see him. On this occasion, he made the harmless remark that World Within World exactly expressed his own views about politics, which I thought might as well be reported. Apart from this I know nothing of him, for I have not seen him for at least five years. Just after this appeared, John Lehmann wrote me a letter saying I was wrong, for various reasons, about Guy. Two days ago, a Daily Express reporter turned up and to show him I knew nothing about Guy, I showed him John's letter, explaining that he must on no account quote it, but that his office should seek out John perhaps. However, they have now quoted it in the most sensational way possible. I feel an absolute cad..." Spender's friend and fellow poet, WH Auden was suspected of playing a part in the escape to Moscow of Burgess and Donald Maclean. He had known Burgess for 20 years (they were at Cambridge together) and he had been at school with Maclean. Auden repeatedly evaded British intelligence's attempts to find out whether he was involved in the disappearance of Burgess and Maclean.
The suspicion was triggered by this call to Spender by Burgess the day before he left England. Investigators thought Burgess may have been planning to flee to Auden's holiday villa on the island of Ischia off Italy, near Naples.
MI5 files released show that Auden evaded the security services' attempts to make him explain the incident, and ignored a request for an interview. Burgess and Maclean left Britain on a Channel ferry on May 25 after a warning by fellow Soviet double agent Kim Philby - who was working for MI6 in Washington - that Maclean was about to be unmasked as a Russian spy. A source, possibly a journalist, told MI6 that Spender had said that he and his wife were certain Burgess had called their home twice between May 20 and 24 and was "most anxious" to speak to Auden. When they informed Auden, they said he replied that Burgess "must be drunk". Auden denied being told about the call, leading MI6 to conclude that "either Auden or Spender is deliberately prevaricating". MI5, reported "there seems little doubt that Spender and his wife hold or at least held pro-Communist views ..." They also discovered a remarkable coincidence from the Italian police: Auden had arrived on Ischia three days after Burgess and Maclean fled. In late June 1951, MI6 reported that "Auden reluctantly admitted that Spender was probably right in saying he had told Auden of Burgess's telephone calls. Auden had been drinking heavily. It is likely that Auden was lying when he previously stated he remembered nothing of Burgess's calls."
However, when he was eventually interviewed by Italian police at the end of the month, he returned to his original story that Spender had not mentioned the call. M16 was still desperate to interview him, but he refused to reply to a letter requesting a meeting and in October abruptly left for his adopted home in America. In Britain MI5's efforts to reconstruct Burgess's social network led to Anthony Blunt, who named the poet Christopher Isherwood and three others.