William L Shirer, journalist and war correspondent appears as himself and opens the story with these words; "five years ago this night the German armies marched in to what was left of a betrayed and ravished Czechoslovakia and the last remaining island of democracy in central Europe was engulfed. I saw that betrayal, that ravaging of a betrayed democratic land but tonight, this program is concerned mostly with these last five years and of the day yet to come..."

President Edvard Benes of Czechoslovakia was originally scheduled to appear on this program, but was at the last minute unable to do the show because of pressing matters of state.