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HACHA'S ORDEAL.
Third Degree in Berlin.
LONDON, March 20.—Authentic
sources, reporting the third-degree me-
thods by means of which Dr. Hacha, the
Czechoslovak President, was induced to
sign the instrument handing over Czecho-
slovakia to Germany, state that Herr
Hitler received Dr. Hacha and Dr. Chval-
kovsky (the Czech Foreign Minister) in
Berlin at 1.30 a.m. on March 14. He
told them that Germany had irrevocably
decided that her troops should occupy
Prague on the following day. He then
signed a document which was lying on
the table and walked out of the room.
Dr. Hacha and Dr. Chvalkovsky, left
alone with German Ministers, passion-
ately protested, it is stated, but the Ger-
man Ministers pitilessly and continuously
placed the document before Dr. Hacha,
thrust a pen into his hand, and threat-
ened that if he did not sign Prague
would be laid waste by 800 bombers which
were standing ready to be sent off at 6
o'clock that morning.
Dr. Hacha several times collapsed dur-
ing his long ordeal, and was revived by
doctors who were waiting from the out-
set. At 5.30 a.m. he collapsed entirely
and had to be revived by means of an
injection. His resistance broken, he
signed.
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