the Soviet-Japanese border war, the attention of the Kremlin shifted from Europe to Asia. On 20 September 1938, Litvinov had delivered a strong pro-Czechoslovak speech before the League of Nations's General Assembly in Geneva, saying: "Four nations have already been sacrificed and a fifth is next on the list". On 21 September 1938, Coulondre reported that the previous day the Soviet Union had promised Czechoslovakia "unconditional air support" in the event of a German invasion, through the ambassador added that he had seen no practical effort to put this promise into effect. On 24 September 1938, Coulondre reported to Bonnet that the Soviets were still willing to stand by their alliance with Czechoslovakia and were criticizing President Edvard Beneš for agreeing to the Anglo-French plan to transfer the Sudetenland to Germany. At the same time, Coulondre reported that Litvinov had told him that the Soviet Union would come to Czechoslovakia's defense only if the Council of the League of Nations voted for military sanctions against Germany, which he noted was tantamount to doing nothing. Coulondre accused Litvinov of "taking shelter behind the League of Nations". Despite Coulondre's best efforts to play up the possibility of the Soviet Union coming in to aid Czechoslovakia, the evidence to the contrary that crept in to his dispatches allowed Bonnet to argue to the French cabinet that the Moscow would do nothing to aid Prague if the crisis should come to war. On 30 September 1938, the Munich Agreement was signed, putting an end to the Sudetenland crisis. The same day, Coulondre visited Fierlinger to offer him his sympathy. Coulondre reported: "When I entered his study, I felt there is the coldness which penetrates one in a house where there is a dead person". On 4 October 1938, Coulondre handed over to the Soviet Vice Foreign Commissar, Vladimir Potemkin, the text of the Munich Agreement. Coulondre reported to Paris an odd conversation where Potemkin first in a formal and cold tone of voice said "I simply wish to state that the Western Powers have deliberately kept the USSR out of the negotiations". Then suddenly Potemkin grew more emotional as he put his hand on Coulondre's shoulder and said in an anguished tone: "My poor fellow, what have you done? For us, I see no other consequence, but a fourth partition of Poland". Coulondre in one of his last dispatches from Moscow reported his belief