NO FORMAL REPLY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 November 1939, Page 5

NO FORMAL REPLY

GERMANY & THE NEUTRAL PEACE APPEAL ANNOUNCEMENT MADE AT THE HAGUE. CONSIDERATION OF FURTHER ACTION. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. THE HAGUE, November IG. The Government announced that the German Foreign Minister, Herr von Ribbentrop, on behalf of Herr Hitler, informed the Belgian and Dutch envoys that no formal reply would be made to the mediation proposals. The Government added that Belgium and Holland were consulting regarding the possibility of further moves. OFFENCE IN HOLLAND DISCOURTESY TO QUEEN. REASONS FOR REJECTION CRITICISED. AMSTERDAM. November IG. The Dutch are most offended at Germany's curt rejection of the mediation offer. It is pointed out that a personal message from the Queen at least merited a similar reply from the head of the German State. Moreover, Herr von Ribbentrop’s reasons for rejection of the offer are regarded as groundless, as the Dutch Foreign Office had already issued a statement that the British and French replies appeared to leave the door open. It seems clear that Herr Hitler doubted whether the German people would tolerate a downright rejection of mediation. Therefore Hitler left to Herr von Ribbentrop the task of pretending that the British and French replies made a further effort useless. The Nazi Press significantly described

them as “a new declaration of war.” Swedish newspapers, however, says a Stockholm report, consider Germany has not entirely, rejected the BelgoDutch offices and that she possibly hopes to employ them later.