WAR PRELUDE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20049, 22 September 1939, Page 7

WAR PRELUDE

HISTORIC TALKS MOVES FOR PEACE WHITE PAPER ISSUED HITLER UNCOMPROMISING TIRADE AGAINST ENGLAND AM B ASS A DOR'S REPORTS (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (British Official Wireless.) Reed. noon. RUGBY, Sept. 21. A White Paper of 200 pages, entitled “Documents concerning Ger-man-POlish relations and the outbreak of hostilities between Britain and Germany,” contains 144 separate documents, starting with the 19.34 Ger-man-Polish agreement which is the governing factor of German-Polish relations up to January, 1939, and ending with the broadcast of the British Prime Minister, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, to the German people after the outbreak of war.

The documents are grouped under headings which themselves tell much of the story of the past six months.

These include: "Deterioration of the European situation resulting from the German action against Czechoslavakia,” “German-Polish discussions in April and May,” “AngloPolish agreement,” “Developments of Anglo-German relations and the British attitude to the international situation in April and June,” “Deterioration of the local Danzig situation from June 3 to July 3,” “British attitude from July 10 to 15,” “Temporary easing of the Danzig situation on July 19 to August 1.” “Further deterioration in Danzig, August 4 to 15,” and ‘Treatment of the German minority in Poiar.d from August 24 to 27.”

A section is devoted to attempts at mediation by other States.

Diplomatic Correspondence

The longest section, comprising 00 documents, of which 14 already have been published in the September 1 White Paper, deals with “Developments leading immediately to the oubreak of hostilities,” while in earlier section* or great importance, interest will ./centre on the diplomatic correspondence revealing the background •'£ events during the las; nine fateful days of August.

The section opens with the now famous letter which the Prime Minister addressed, on behalf of the British Government, to Herr Hitler on August 22, after the news of the Soviet-Nazi non-aggression pact, and in which Mr. Chamberlain again gave a clear statement of British obligations to Poland, as he stated that “whatever may prove to be the nature of the German-Soviet agreement, At -cannot alter Britain’s obligations.”

A telegram of August 22 from the British Ambassador in Berlin, Sir Ncvile Henderson, published for the first time, reveals that some difficulty was made about granting Sir Nevile Henderson an interview at Berchtesgaden to deliver the letter.

Sir Nevile Henderson reported that Herr Hitler “was excitable and uncompromising. His language was violent and exaggerated, both as regards England and Poland,” he paid. “He began by asserting that the Polish question would have been settled on the most generous terms but for England’s unwarranted support.” Violent Attack “He then, violently attacked the Poles and talked of 100,000 German refugees from Poland, excesses against Germans, the closing of German institutions, and Polish systematic persecution of German nationals generally.”

The telegram proceeded: “I drew attention to the inaccuracies of this statement, our guarantee having been given on March 31 and the Polish reply to Germany on March 2G. He retorted by saying that the letter had been inspired by a British press campaign which had invented a German threat to Poland a week before. Germany had not moved to war any more than she had done during the similar fallacious press campaign about Czechoslovakia on May 20, 1938. “Herr Hitler’s next tirade was against the British support of the Czechs and Poles. He asserted that tihe former would be independent to-day if England had not encouraged them in a policy hostile to Germany. He insinuated that the Poles would be independent to-morrow if Britain ceased to encourage them to-day. “He followed this tirade against England, whose friendship he had sought for 20 years only to see every offer turned down, with contempt. The British press also was vehemently abused. 1 (contested every point and kept calling his statements inaccurate, but the only effect was to launch him on some fresh tirade.” Terms of Recrimination

Most of the conversation was recrimination, according to the Ambassador. At trie end Herr Hitler “observed in reply to my repeated warnings that direct action by Germany would mean war, that Germany had nothing to lose and Britain much, that he did not desire war but would not shrink from it if it was necessary, and that liis peoples were much more behind, him than in last September. “I replied that I honed, and was convinced, that some solution still was possible without war, and asked why contact with the Poles could not be renewed. Herr Hitler’s retort was that so long as England gave Poland a blank cheque Polish unreasonableness would render any negotiation impossible. I denied a blank cheque. But this only started Herr I-litler. off again.”,

Herr Hitler was calmer at a second talk which was reported in s telegram the next day, but no less uncompromising. He put the whole responsibility for the war on Britain and

maintained that Britain was determined to destroy and exterminate Germany. He was, he said, 50 years old and he preferred war now to when lie would be 55 or GO.

Herr Hitler said: “England is fighting for lessor races whereas he was fighting for only Germany.’' When the Chancellor spoke several times of his contentions of the rejection of his offers of friendship to England, Sir Nevile Henderson referred to Mr. Chamberlain’s efforts for peace and friendship with Germany.

“He said he believed in Mr. Chamberlain's goodwill at the time,” the telegram continued, “but, and especially since the encirclement efforts in the last few months, he did so no longer. I pointed out the fallacy of this view, but his answer was that he was now finally convinced of the rightness of the views held formerly to him by others, that England and Germany could never agree. “In referring to the Russian nc.nnggression pact, he observed that It was England which had-forced him into the agreement with Russia. He did not seem enthusiastic over it, but added that once he made an agreement it would be for a long period. The text of the agreement signed to-day confirms this, and I shall be surprised if it is not supplemented later by something more than mere non-aggression."