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Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20115, 8 December 1939, Page 7

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NAZI INSISTENCE CALL TO DUTCH BOYCOTT OF BRITAIN TRULY NEUTRAL HOLLAND’S REMINDERS BISMARCK REASONING (Kiev. Tel. Copyright—United Kress Assn.) (Reed. Dec. 8, 11.50 a.m.) LONDON, Dec. 7. A semi-official statement issued at The Hague in reply to Germany’s demand that neutrals should resist the Allied blockade declares that compliance with the German wishes would mean war with Britain and France. The Dutch statement emphasises that neutrality imposes no obligations on neutrals to reply with force, “nor does any obligation exist to answer with force 'the German - submarine action or Germany’s unreasonably long detention of Dutch timber ships coming from the Baltic.” It is added: “Germany must know that no neutral land willingly submits to superior force. /Bismarck found it so in 1870. when neutral Britain delivered war material to France, but the ‘lron Chancellor’ did not answer with force what he considered unneutral conduct. On the contrary he confined himself to making representations to the British Government, because he was not in a position to oppose the British sea superiority with any chance of success. That is the ease of neutrals to-day, at any rate of the smaller of them, but they do not thereby in any wise lose their neutrality.” According to Berlin reports a semiofficial reply to the Dutch statement says that Germany will consider Holland truly neutral only if she refuses to export to Britain.