It’s the early hours of March 15, 1939. The world is teetering on the edge of a precipice, though few can yet see the abyss that lies ahead. Inside the imposing Reich Chancellery in Berlin, a drama is unfolding that will soon plunge Europe into darkness.
Emil Hácha, the elderly and frail President of Czechoslovakia, has been summoned to meet with Adolf Hitler. It’s no secret why he’s been called. Since the Munich Agreement of the previous year, Czechoslovakia had been sliced apart, its defenses gutted, and its sovereignty mortally wounded. But now, as Hácha waits in the cold corridors of the Chancellery, the final blow is about to be struck.
For hours, Hitler keeps Hácha waiting. This is a power play—a psychological assault before the physical one. Hitler, in his usual display of contempt for those he views as weak, spends the time watching a film. It’s not until 1:30 a.m. that the Führer finally deigns to see his guest.
