雙語暢銷書《艾倫圖靈傳》第4章:彼岸新星(99)
Nor was it the direction of history.
For there was to be no normal course of events.
因爲已經沒有課可講了。In March, the remains of Czecho-Slovakia slid into German control.
3月，德國控制了整個捷克斯洛伐克。
On 31 March, the British government gave its guarantee to Poland, and committed itself to defending east European frontiers, while alienating the Soviet Union, already the world's second industrial power.
3月31日，英國政府向波蘭承諾捍衛東歐邊界，並疏遠了世界第二工業強國蘇聯。It was a device to deter Germany, not to aid Poland, there being no way in which Britain could render assistance to its new ally.
這只是爲了遏制德國的手段，而不是真的援助波蘭，英國無法給予它的同盟什麼實質幫助。It might have seemed that there was, equally, no way in which Poland could help the United Kingdom. Yet there was.
波蘭看起來也無法幫助英國什麼，但實際上卻是可以的。In 1938, the Polish secret service had dropped a hint that they held information on the Enigma.
1938年，波蘭情報部門表示，他們掌握了一些關於謎機的信息。Dillwyn Knox had gone to negotiate for it, but returned empty-handed, complaining that the Poles were stupid and knew nothing.
迪爾威·諾克斯前去交涉，但卻空手而歸，他抱怨波蘭人什麼都不知道。The alliance with Britain and France had changed the position.
英法同盟的形勢現在已經不同了。On 24 July, British and French representatives attended a conference in Warsaw and this time came away with what they wanted.
7月24日，英法兩國代表出席華沙會議，這次他們得到了他們想要的。
