Ratcliffe’s Visit Is No Reason to Panic, So Let’s Act Rationally

The memory of 1938 hangs over the discussion of Ratcliffe’s visit, but the comparison should not trigger panic, according to the piece’s central argument.

In late August 1938, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull travelled to Berlin in an effort to dissuade the Nazi regime from attacking neighboring countries. He also went to Prague in a gesture of support for Czechoslovakia, and visited Paris and London to warn France and Britain against making deals with Adolf Hitler. In Moscow, U.S. Ambassador Joseph Davies delivered a clear message to Joseph Stalin.

None of those efforts succeeded. The United States was militarily weak and did not help guarantee Europe’s security, while Britain and France made concessions to Hitler. Poland and Lithuania argued with each other, and Estonia and Latvia declared neutrality. The result, the text says, was that nobody helped anybody.

The conclusion is deliberately reassuring: the current position is “incomparably better.” Rather than treating Ratcliffe’s visit as a reason for alarm, the piece calls for a rational response.