WHITE PAPER

Wairarapa Times-Age, 2 September 1939, Page 6

WHITE PAPER

EXCHANGES BETWEEN BRITAIN AND GERMANY COMMUNICATIONS PUBLISHED. ENGLAND’S POSITION CLEARLY STATED. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day. 11.8 a.m.) RUGBY, September 1. Communications recently exchanged between the British and German governments are published as a White Paper. The correspondence begins with a letter addressed by the Prime Minister on behalf of the British Government «to Herr Hitler on August 22. He opened with reference to precautionary measures which Britain had started to take and said: “These steps, in. the opinion of the British Government, have been rendered necessary by. military movements which have been reported from Germany and by the fact that; apparently the announcement of a GermanSoviet Agreement is taken in some quarters in Berlin to indicate that intervention by Britain on behalf of Poland is no longer a contingency that need to be reckoned with. No greater mistake could be made. Whatever may prove to be the nature of the GermanSoviet Agreement it cannot alter Britain's obligation to Poland, which the British Government stated in public, repeatedly and plainly, and which it is determined to fulfill.”

Emphasising the British Government’s intention that there would be no possibility to misunderstand its attitude as it had sometimes alleged there had been in 1914, Mr Chamberlain made a striking affirmation, which he cited in the House of Commons on August 24 that if the case should arise, it “is resolved and prepared to employ without delay all forces at its command,” adding, “and it is impossible to forsee the end of hostilities once engaged in'. It would be a dangerous illusion to think that if war once starts it will come to an early end, even if success on any one of several fronts on which it will be engaged should have been secured.” The letter then proceeds as follows to its end: “Having thus made our position perfectly clear, I wish to repeat to you my conviction that war between our two peoples would be the greatest calamity that could occur. I am certain it is desired neither by our people nor by yours and I cannot see there is anything in question arising between Germany and Poland which could not and should not be resolved without the use of force, if only a situation of confidence could be restored to enable discussions to be carried on in an atmosphere different from that which prevails today. We have been and at all times will be ready to assist in creating conditions in which such negotiations could take place and in which it might be possible concurrently to discuss wider problems affecting the future of international relations, including matters of interest to us and to you. The difficulties in the way, of any peaceful discussion in the present state of tension are, however, obvious and the longer tension is maintained the harder will it be for reason to prevail. These difficulties, however, might be mitigated if not removed provided there could, for an initial period, be a truce on both sides and indeed on all sides to press polemics and to remove all incitement. If such a truce could be arranged, then at the end of that period, during which steps could be taken to examine and ‘deal with complaints made by either ride as to the treatment of minorities, it is a reasonable hope that suitable conditions might have been established for direct negotiations between Germany and Poland upon the issues between them —with the aid of a neutral intermediary, if both sides should think that 1 would be helpful. But I am bound to say that there would be slender hope of bringing such negotiations to a successful issue unless it were understood beforehand that any settlement reached would, when concluded, be guaranteed by other Powers. The British Government would be ready, if desired. to make such contribution as they could to the effective operation of such a guarantee. At ths moment, I confess I can see no other way to avoid a catastrophe that will involve Europe in war. In view of the grave consequences to humanity which may follow from the action of their rulers, I trust your Excellency will weigh with the utmost deliberation the considerations I have put before you."