1940-05-07 — Page 4

PAGE 4.--HONGKONG TELEGRAPH.

Sir Nevile Henderson

INSTALMENT 14

August, 1939. The quarrel between Germany and Poland had reached deadlock. War was Negotiations for a pact between Britain and Russia were still dragging on interminably.

neur.

Sir Nevile

Then came the bombshell. Russia had made a pact not with Britain but "with Germany. Henderson, British Am. bassador in Berlin until

the outbreak of war, to- day describes Hitler's truculent jubilation at his new "triumph.”

TROM the outset, 1 ru

F

garded the British nego- tiations with Russia as some- thing which had 10 he attempted, but which incked all sense of realities,

I never believed in any of- fective or altruistic assistance being afforded by the Rus- sians to the Poles.

The most that. I hoped was that if the U.S.S.R., however half-heartedly, joined the pence front, Hitler would re- gurd discretion as the better part of valour and come down on the side of peaceful dis- cussion.

But I always believed that Mos- cow's chief alm was to cnbroll Germany and the Western Powers in a common rulu, This was, up to August, similarly the professed view of all Germans, from Hitler downwards, who commented on our tusslan negotiations.

1 raised this point with Hitler himself when I saw him at Herch- tesgaden on August 23.

'Ribbentrop was at Moscow on that day engageri In signing the Russo-German Treaty, and Hitler expatinted to me triumphantly on the value and great advantages of the new alliance, which, he said. was definite and permanent.

"Britain drove me to Stalin”

I reminds him of his previous attitude towards the Soviets, and expressed the opinion that he night find Russin's friendship even more dangerous thon her en- mity.

CARTOON BY

HITLER'S

Excuse for

STALIN

PACT

I added, speaking quite per- sonally and

QIL purely moral grounds. that an agreement had to be made with Moscow→→→ for whom Communism was now merely the cloak for Intense na- tionalism and whose ullerlor motives Neemed to me highly Ger- suspicious--I had rather many made it than ourselves,

Hitler was for a moment con- fused and laken aback. He torted, however, that it was all our fault; it was we who had driven him into Russia's arms.

But it was the answer of a man who was seeking to excuse hin- selt.

At the beginning of the month, the allence between Berlin und

Warsaw and the lack of progress. In on talks at Moscow were not the only mdications that the baro- meter night suddenly and rapitily fall.

Apart from the deterionition of the situation at Danzig, the Ger-

PETS GROW UP!

mah Army was rapidly nearing the completion of its" pre-mobilisation preparations.

were

The arrangements for the Tun- nenberg celebrations on August 27 proceeding systematically, and me and material were being steadily drafted castwards via Konigsberg into East Prussia,

Hitler would shortly be able to choose his own moment for pre- cipitating the crisis, and I was more than ever certain that the last week of August would prove to be zero hour.

Colonel Beck was at this time

what inquiring

Instructions. the British and French Governments proposed to give to their ambassa-

These extracts are taken from the book of Sir Nevile Henderson entitled "Failure of a Mission," preblished by Messrs., Hodder & Stoughton. Ltd.

STRUBE

STRUTLE

After signing the Russo-German pact-Ribbentrop (on left), Stalin (centre), and Molotov (right).

dors regarding the Nuremberg Rally in September,

The Polish Ambassador. whose position in Berlin had become en- tirely equivocal, would conform, he muld, with whatever was decided as regards bls British and French col- lenguts.

Mobilisation in secret

When I was asked by the Foreign Office what my views were on this point, my answer was that it was still quite uncertain whether the 1939 Nuremberg Party Day would ever take place at all, but that, if we did safely rench September, would have no hesitation in gladly attending some at least of the cele brations there.

But would we get to September in safety? That was the only con- sideration which was exercising my mind at a time,

As it was generally understand· that Hitler would himself be pre- sent and would speak at the Tan- us 1 nenberg anniversary, and feared that he would make that occasion the starting point of the crisis, 1 did my best to find out something about his intentions with regard to thnt speech.

could discover nothing, and, in fact, I was probably mistaken. Hitler's action was not to pendent on a speech.

be de-

The Tannenberg anniversary was merely cover for his mill- tary preparations against Poland; Just as the military review for the Vienna anniversary in Marc had been for his Prague coup.

The clouds were, in fact, gather ing fast, and the first mutterings of the storm were heard on August

A Polish note to the Danzig Senate had led to a provocative German verbal note to the Polish Government, and the terms of the Polish reply provided Hitler with "mative for the indispensable brain-

H11.

Up to that week of notes, public enemy No. 1 was still Great Bri tain and her alleged polley of en- cirriement,

From that date the stories of Polish atrocities and references to German honen began to take the leading place in the German news- papers.

The 1938 stories of Czech atroci- ties against its German minority were rehashed up almost verbalim in regard to the Poles. How far Herr Hitler himself believed in the, truth of these tales must be a mat-' fer for conjecture. Germans are prone In any case to convince themselves very readily of any thing which they wish to believe. Certainly he behaved as if he di believe, und, even if one gives hier the benefit of the doulit, these re- ports but served to Inflame his re- sentment to the pitch which he er his extremiste desired.

It is Impossible to exaggerate the malign influence of Ribbentrop. Goebbels, Himmler and company.

It was consistently minister, not so much because of its suggestive- ness (since Hiller alone decided policy) nor tecnuse merely ap- plauded and encouraged, but be- Ruse, if Herr Hitler appeared to hesitate the extremists of the party at once proceeded to fabricate altuations calculated to drive Herr Her into courses which 'even he, at times seems to have shrunk from risking.

So, before long, Hitler's carefully calculated patience was exhausted. On August 18 I telegraphed to Lord Halifax tint I had come to the definite conclusion that, if peace was to be preserved, the pre- sent situation could not be allowed to continue, and that the only alter- native to wor must be soene me mediate and mediatory netion.

My pleas to the Cabinet

In this connection I repeated a wuggestion which I had made some time previously, namely, that personal fetter should be addressed by the Prime Minister to litter and be delivered by same emissary from London,

Two days later I.agnin tele graphed to the same effect, and stuted my conviction that Hitler

had now finally deelded upon some form of Immediate actlin which would force the issue.

I alluded to the increased Ger- man mililty strength which had been assembled in East Prussiu under cover of the Tannenberg an- niversary, and agala expressed my apprehension test that celebration might prove the starting point for the action which Inter Con- templated,

I have little doubt that such was Hitler's original and premenditatert intention.

A few days later, definite in- formation, in fact, renched unc that the long-expected but care- fully concealed German military concentrations were already progress, and that instructions had been given to complete them by August 24.

in

One report actually mentioned August 26 as the date ilxed' for the German advance Into Poland.

1 believe that the orders to that effect were actually signed by Hitler.

The truth undoubtedly was that by this time, not only were Ger- many's military preparations suf- fciently advanced for Hitler to take the initiative, but also he could now definitely count upon Russia's complicity in his infamous designs against Poland,

What was the Russian price?

The exact date on which he was able to do the latter will be, for obvious reasons, one of the most interesting points which history will have to reveal to

us. That and the price, moral and material, which itler. paki for U.S.S.R. complieity,

***Triӊny"base"""no"far"is"the" "rest"or" the world with concerned, it was Jate in the evening of August 21 that the bombshell was exploded, announcing that negotiations had been concluded for the signature of a Russo-German non-aggression part and that Ribbentrop would fly to Moscow on August 23 to sign i

The secret, which on the Ger- man side had been known to not more than a few persons, had been well kept.

The first impression in Berlin was one of immense relief, partiy at the removal of the dreaded Rus- sian air menace, but more partien- larly because the public had been led to believe by Goebbels' pro- paganda that the British negölin- tions with the U.S.S.R. were really encirclement with a view to a pre- .ventive war..

The conclusion of Russo- Cerman

hon

aggression pact therefore meant that peace was ossured, since Beltain would not, It was told, fight for Danzig or Paland without Russian aid.

Once again the faith of the Ger man people in the ability of their Fuehrer to obtain his objective without war was reaffirmed.

Its satisfacilon was, however, short-lived and the deception con-. siderable when it was realised that Britain's word to Poland did not depend on Russian support.

Those who had fought the war of Nazism against Communism were

· furthermore puzzled by this com- plete volte-face,

Nazi

The theory of racial purity had been discarded in Murch and in August the second of its basic principles. namely, anti-Com- munism, was thus equally rèle- gated to the scrap heap.

[Copyright in all countries. Re- production in whole or in part strictly prohibited.]

TO-MORROW:

Last-minute efforts to avoid war-M y two dramatic interviews with Hitler-He says, “If I had been Chancellor in 1914 we should have won" His last effort to aplit Britain and France,

Tuesday, MAY 7, 1940.

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