Jan Masaryk

Jan Masaryk , 1886-1948, Czechoslovak diplomat, son of Thomas G. Masaryk. He was (1925-38) Czechoslovak minister to Great Britain, and in London he became (1940) foreign minister in the Czechoslovak government in exile headed by Eduard Beneš after the German occupation of Czechoslovakia. During World War II, Masaryk supported a policy of cooperation with the Soviet Union as well as with the Western powers. He continued to hold his post after his government returned (1945) to Prague, and he remained in office after the Communist coup of Feb., 1948. A few days later it was officially announced that he had committed suicide by throwing himself from a window. The announcement aroused world consternation. No real evidence was ever adduced to prove whether his death was or was not voluntary.

Bibliography: See C. Sterling, The Masaryk Case (1982).

Masaryk, Jan (1886–1948) Czechoslovak diplomat and statesman. The son of Tomáš MASARYK, he helped in establishing the Czech republic and thereafter was mainly involved in foreign affairs. As ambassador to Britain (1925–38), he resigned in protest at his country's betrayal under the MUNICH PACT (1938). On the liberation of Czechoslovakia by the Allies (1945) he became Foreign Minister, and was dismayed at the Soviet veto of Czechoslovak acceptance of US aid under the MARSHALL PLAN. At the request of President BENEŠ, he remained in his post after the communist coup of February 1948, but he either committed suicide or was murdered three weeks later.

Masaryk, Jan (b. 14 Sept. 1886, d. 10 Mar. 1948). Czechoslovak Foreign Minister 1940–8 Born in Prague, the son of Tómas Masaryk, he was educated in Prague and Vienna and served for a while in the Austro-Hungarian army. In 1907 he immigrated to the USA, but returned to Prague in 1918 and became a personal assistant to Benes. As ambassador to Britain 1925–38, he resigned in protest at his country's betrayal by the Munich Agreement. In 1940, he became Foreign Minister of the Czechoslovak government-in-exile, a post which he continued to hold in the government after liberation. Much to his disappointment, he was unable to prevent the Soviet veto of Czechoslovak acceptance of Marshall Aid. At the request of President Benes he remained in his post after the Communist coup of February 1948, but his death in mysterious circumstances three weeks later signalled the end of the old, liberal order of interwar Czechoslovakia, of which he, and particularly his father, had been such important symbols.