Munich: the cost

One of the most enduring images of 20th-century British history is of Neville Chamberlain descending the steps of a shining new aircraft, triumphantly waving that fateful 'piece of paper'. But another scrap of paper related to Chamberlain's flight to Munich - British Airways Ltd's bill for the return flight - sheds light not only on Britain's developing civil aviation industry but also on relations between Whitehall departments. The question of which department should be responsible for the bill dragged on for several months, revealing Whitehall's determination that the expenditure should be correctly attributed. Reprinted by permission of Carfax Publishing, Taylor & Francis Ltd.