 Bernays made a slow start in the House of Commons – his maiden speech was badly affected by the stammer which continued to plague him in debate (he preferred making prepared speeches rather than impromptu interventions because of it), and he was "hors de combat" for some time in 1932 after having his appendix removed.That autumn, however, he visited Germany for the first time to observe political developments there; he subsequently developed an expert knowledge of the country and was a consistent and determined critic of the Nazis after their accession to power in early 1933.His account of his journalistic and political travels between 1930 and 1933, "Special Correspondent", was published in 1934.