Butler ya fi sauri fiye da mutane da yawa don fahimtar canjin zamantakewar da yakin zai kawo. Ya yi magana da Robert Barrington-Ward na "The Times" (12 ga Fabrairu 1940) game da "sabon juyin juya halin zamantakewar da ke kan hanya, da kuma yadda za a yi tsammani da kuma saduwa da shi". Maisky ya ba da shawarar (22 Fabrairu) Butler a matsayin mai shiga tsakani a cikin
Yaƙin Rasha da Finland. Channon ya yi adawa da wannan, yana tunanin za a gan shi a matsayin wani Munich. Butler ya yi adawa (12 Maris) shirin gwamnati na aika da rundunar balaguro zuwa Finland idan tattaunawar da Soviets ta lalace.