1940-05-11 — Page 2

PAGE 2.-HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

Sir Nevile Henderson

Conclusion

EVE OF WAR

the

About a hundred yards from the door there was always a police- man on point duty where Wilhelmstrasse érosses Unter den Linden.

where we were sitting in our sid- Ing.

Ultimately we crossed the Ger- man frontler at about two pan, on Tuesday and arrived at Noiterdam at seven p.m.

All that remained to be done was to find a neutral steamer to take us to England. It was not so easy it rounds, but eventually ar- rangements were made for us to travel by the Dutchess Batavier V, which was leaving Ratterdam for London at dawn on Thursday.

DISCLOSURES Wekome sight

To-day Sir Nevile Henderson, British Ambassador in Berlin until the outbreak of war, describes the reactions of the Ger man people at the beginning of Septem- ber, 1939

silent crowds

the

HE drama had reached 1 inevitable climax and, on

the declaration of war at 11 that Sunday morning. Sep. tember 3, the curtain fell for the last time.

After returning from my interview with Ribbentrop at mid-day, I did not leave the Mr. Embassy again, until Kirk, of the United States Embassy, rendered me

one

list service by driving me in

his own car to the station the next morning.

Up to those last twenty- four hours I had gone about freely in the streets of Berlin, either on foot or in my motor with its British flag.

Germans were horror-struck

I am glad to take this oppor- tunity to bear witness to the fact that

those throughout

anxlous weeks and up to the very end, when we crossed the German frontier, neither I nor any member of my staff were subfected at any time to any discourtesy or even a single gesture of hostility.

It was a very different eve of war to that of August, 1914. Then o howling mob had surged in front of the Embassy, broken its win- dows and hurled abuse of its in- mates and at Great Britain.

My impression was that the mass of the German people, that other Germany, were horror-. struck at the whole idea of the war which was being thus thrust upon them.

It is true that I could only judge. of Berlin itself, and that I was not in position to witness

the-rc--- netion of German youth or of the soldiers in the troop trains which were leaving for the Polish front. it is true niso that the trial black-outs, the bread cards. and the strict system of rationing, which was already in force, were not exactly cheerful beginnings to #

war.

But what I can say is that the whole general atmosphere in Ber- iin itself, was one of utter loom and depression.

In order to see for myself the mond of the people after the attack on Poland, I went that last Satur- day afternoon for a walk down Unter den Linden, the main street of Berlin. Few people were about and everyone seemed completely apathetic.

Sir Nevile Henderson arriving buck in England a few days after the outbreak of war.

I happened to want a drug called "Codeln," and went into a shop to buy it. The chemist glumly told me that he could not give it to me without a doctor's prescription.

was the I mentioned that 1 British Ambassador. Be repeated that he was sorry, but the regu- Jations on the subject were quite definite.

So I said again. "I don't think you understand. I am the British

Ambassador. If you poisan me with your drug, you will get a high decoration from your Doctor Goeb- bels."

The chemist's lugubrious face lit up with pleasure at this feeble Joke and he nt once gave me all the "Codein" that I wanted;

But there was something very pathetic about it. I had the same sensation when I left the Embassy for. the last time with Mr. Kirk.

'Failure of a Mission'

PRINTER

RINTERS are now busy producing many thousand copies of a book that has be- come one of the greatest best- sellers of recent years.

It is Sir Nevile Henderson's full story of his two years as British Ambassador in Berlin -the gripping narrative from which was taken the exclusive series of long extracts which ends on this page to-day.

Called "Failure of a Mission,"* the book commands world atten- only for its historic re- tion not velations and the position of its writer, but for the many fascinat- Ing insights it gives into the of the Nazi strange, dark minds leaders.

10

It is, in fact, the answer Hitler's "Mein Kampf." It records Sir Neviledenderson's struggle against Hitler's will to war,

He wrote it because he wanted the world to know the whole truth of events in Berlin

when Germany

in the years was being trans-

formed into one vast armed comp. rearly for Conquest.

He decided that all proceeds British and Empire the Irom publication of the book should be dovoted to helping British refugees from Germany,

Book Will Aid

Hitler's

British Victims.

As he describes in the article which beads this page, he himself returned to England at the out- with comparative break of wor ease.

Many other Britons in Germany were less fortunate. Those who managed to escape in the nick of time had to make their way home by devious routes.

They were allowed to take over the frontier hardly any personal belongings and only ten marks in

money,

been Numbers of them, having domielled for years in Germany, landed here penniless and friend- Jess.

Some of their children could not even speak English.

Sir Nevile formed an organisa- tion to help these Britlali victims of the Nazi war-lords.

Viscowit Halifax, the Foreign Secretary, became the president. Lady Iveagh lent her lown house

A headquarters.

of the British has been War Refugees Fund widened to assist British refugees from all countries affected by war.

Now, the scupe

Already hundreds of people have been helped.

The proceeds from Sir Nevile's book will enable much more good work to be done.

And so the book: that authorita- tively exposes the plots of the Nazi leaders will serve to help the first British victims of those plots.

--

At that particular corner the policemen, who were not members of Himmler's Gestapo but mostly

uld soldiers of the municipal police of warships

force, used generally to salute, me when I passed.

That morning, when he saw me coming, he earefully turned his hend the other way and pretended to be preoccupied with the trofe coming in the other direction,

He naturally could not salute me and at the same time he did not wish to ignore me. He bore no -will to a man who, as he and oli Berlin knew, had striven to the last for peace.

When we left in a body from the Embassy, where the whole re- maining staff, thirty men, severi been women and two dogs, had concentrated, on the Monday morn- ing, a small crowd gathered outside and watched out luggage being put on to military lorries.

It was an absolutely silent crowd and if there was hatred or hostility

in their hearts, they gave no single sign of it.

num- There were doubtless a

agents ber of Gestapo

among them in plain clothes, and yet the people were speechless, when a litilo vocal abuse of the "en- circlers" and

ar .mongers" would probably have been gratify- Ing to their masters,

The impression persisted right 1914 the through Germany. In blinds of the trains provided for and French missions had had to be kept drawn through- out the Journey.

the British

Hitler's youths

the firebrands

one

This time they were drawn on or two occasions, when we stopped for a while at the larger stations such as Hanover; but, as the conductor apologetically said,

to save me from be it was

ing incunded by the curiosity

of Idle spectators.

The older man in the street in Germany was stunned with horror

at the idea of war.

Lo

But, as one of them had sald

too

others are "The me: strong, What can we do? We

are too small, Ing."

We can do noth-

German youth may have been enthusiastic, but age certainly was

not.

Hold-up on

the frontier

The French Embassy, headed by Coulondré, had left Berlin at nine on the Monday morning, about two-and-a-half hours before--we: did, and by the same route via Holland.

Up to within a few miles of the Dutch frontier, the arrangements made for our departure went with- out a hitch.

But when we reached the small station of Rheine. on the Monday were evening, we

suddenly in- formed that we were to be held up there pending further orders.

Some dificulty had

apparently arlsen over the journey of the German Embassy from Parls; and the French mission in front of us was consequently not being allowed to cross the German frontler until the train with the German Em- bassy from Paris should also be safe in neutral territory.

That was. I believe, the origin to of the trouble and thanks

and their German suspicions

mania for reciprocity, we were similarly detained. until the steamship with the German Em- board bassy from London on aliould arrive in Dutch territorial waters.

We remained, therefore, ut. Rheine from the Monday evening til about half-past one on the Tuesday afternoon. There was no discomfort or discourtesy about it, as there was fortunately a restau- rant car attached to our train.

Officials held

As an epilogue to our exclusive torle narrative, we print here Sir Nevile's concluding paragraphs-

scries, of extracts from this his as hostages

"Above all, we have got to be jusi ns true to, and as insistent on, our mord principles and stand- points in the blessed hour when peace cumu agnia, as we were when the war began.

"We must end the war in such a way that there shall be no hatreds left between the peoples of either side, and that the only grievance that Germany w feel shall be against the ambitious and military aggressiveness of the leaders and system willch led her a second time to defent."

However strongly many of us may criticise the policies which Sir Nevile supported in the two years before the war, there will be few to disagree with the sentirents with which he ends one of the most noteworthy books of modern times,

Published by Hodder and Stoughton, 1 78, 6d.

even

We stayed in n siding, apart from the curious, and as I had brought some bridge cards with me, we were able to while away the time.

But the Incident had one very unfortunate sequel. It gave the German Government an excuse for retaining a number of our Consu- lar officials on hostages in Germany until all the German Consular of- Beers from British territory all, over the world had safely returned to their own country.

It was not Christmas that these British officials were finally allowed to depart.

For us it was merely tiresome, and it was at Füheine that we learnt from the German papers that the British Alr Force had

raided Wilhelmshaven and that the first leaflets had been dropped in Ger- many, some of them not far from

We embarked the night before. When we went on deck the next provided with morning we were the exhilarating spectacle of three British destroyers, on each side and in front of us,

They had been detalled to escort us back home. and had met our ship as soon as it got outside Dutch waters.

Every member of our party was affected, as I was, by the sight of these silent but blessed British warships.

Throughout that beautiful sunny autumn day they remained in that formation, though one or ather would at intervals abruptly get up full steam ahead and disappear into. the blue to investigate, maybe into some other vessel or maybe some Ruspicious sound recorded submarine detector.

on its

But the only real excitement came when we were unfortunately all below at lunch-time. Then aft of a sudden the Batavier V was shuken from stem to stern by the explosion of three depth charges.

They had been dropped by the leading destroyer, and quite three miles from our ship.

What had really happened, we were never to know. The destroyer returned to its station and we at

wirelesscd. Asking

once luck?"

The only answer we

Kol was The Admiralty Instructions were to give nothing away,

"Your message received;"

I.

Saturday, MAY 11, 1940...

A Look Through

The "Telegraph”

50 Years Ago

May 11, 1000,

Leon

Tho German Parliament has opened by the Emperor, whs in h speech #ald any displacing at the balance of power would endanger the equilibrium An the forming of a baals at peaca pailey. 1s Majesty announced the i3- Iroduction of the Military bill and inea- sures for the protection of workmen.

Trials of the latest express compound locomotive in England with a special train of 18 carriages developed the u21- paralleled speed of about 60 miles an hour. The highest speed, as Treasured by a top watelt, was just over ten seconds per quarter mile. Fun.

It is stated that English women are now purchasing men's saddles for their own use. A London saddler says the crazo won't last long-lovely woman's lega aro no short that she cannot possibly, look graceful while sitting straddle-wise,

·

•

Wo read that Lord Roseberry secured the original drawing of the CAT- Toon in "Punch" of the other week. "Dropping the Pilot" was its

ol title, the principal figure being

the German Chancellor quilting the ship of Slate, over whose bulwarks the Em- peror watched his departure, Prince Uls- marck, writing to an old friendt in Lone don, anys of the picture, "It is indeed a fine one."

25 Years Ago

May 11, 1015. The Cunard 1.3. C. Ltd. announce that The Lusitania was travelling at the rale of 10 knots, when she was torpedoed. They also announce that she averaged Zi nois since Noveniber last and 22 during The last voyage,

At the inquest held at Queenstown, the Jury, in returning their verdict, suld that its was on appalling crime and contrary to International law and the conventions of all civilization. "We charge the onleerz of, the submarke, the Kaiser, and the German Government with the crime of wilful and wholesale murder."

The Liverpool Exchange tins passed a resolution excluding German and Auk trinns, even though naturalised. There is strong wit-German sentiment in London. Proceedings at the Battle, the Stock Exchange and Mark Lane opened with the National Anthem after which buyers refused to talk with those of German extraction. The committees have ro quented such persons nol to attend until further notice,

Following is the latest ofllela) informa- of the tion with regard to the toss Lusitania:- "What

Sho was torpedoed by German sub- marines of the Head of Kinsale on May 7. Torpedo boats. steamers, tugs atti armed trawlers have landed 650 survivors and 45 dead. Possibly the Kinsale nahing boats may have a few more. An armed trawler and two sing trawlers are bringing in 100 further bodies. Only a were few of the first class passengers saved. The ship, rank in from 15 to 23 minutes, and it is reported that she was alruck by two torpedoes, The Cunard Agents give 2,160 is the total on board.

nevertheless, told my staff that if the Customs authorities on arrival asked us if we had any- thing to declare the only reply to give was "One German U-boat."

We landed about seven p.m. Shortly after eight p.m. оп Thursday, September 7, we reached Victorin station.

It had taken us three days and eight hours to get from Berlin to London.

My mission to Berlin had ter- minated and the failure wis com- pleic.

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

East Indies

Shock

•

number

In the 45 round prize nght to-day for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Jack Johnson, the hitherto unde feated Champion, was beaten in the 26th reund by Jesso Willard, the White cow. boy boxer.

10 Years Ago

May 11, 1930. The New Governor of Hongkong, H.E. Sir William Feel, K.B.E. arrived in the Colony this morning with Endy Peel.

Viscount Bridgeman. First Lord of the Admiralty In the late Conservative Gov. ernment, opened a debate in the House of Lords upon the Naval Treaty resulting from the London Naval Conference.

Viscount Briditeran submitted that the Government had made a great sacrifice in giving up 20 cruisers when 10 had been agreed to be our requirement and essential for the protection at our im- perial trade. It was said that this treaty was a step towards disarmament. What country bealdes our own, has made a step towards disarmament, he asked.

Lord Parmoor, replying for the. Guverri

Germans Arrested Whenment, described the reduction an a debt

Ignorant Of War

Singapore, May 10. The Straits Times states.-"An on- nouncement "orTM the invasion of Batavia Holland was broadcast by transmitters In the Netherlands Indies. The Gavernment issued a proclamation that war between Hol- land and Germany had been declared and announced that German males over 16 would be interned forth- with," United Press.

Taken By Surprise

Singapore, May 10. The Batavia correspondent of the all the that Straits Times states Germans in Batavin have been ar- resled. The majority, working in offices, were taken unawares.-United Press

'

to

honour undertaken in the League Covenant. He thought other nations word In the same position, but it was wrong to argue that because another nation dia not do what it should int we should not da a..

5 Years Ago

-----

May 11, 1933.~*~ Great Britain la rushing construction of aircraft ordered to bring her fighting forces up to a level with those of Ger- many niul at the xanio time is taking extradrdiaury precautions in the matter of preparing the public for a possible emergency arising out of attack by an

nlr' fleet.

A nation wide scheme for making the people of the British Isles conscious of the danger troue pir raida by an enemy war fleet, as part of a comprehensive plan for the protection of the panutution In the event of another conflagration in Europe, is understood to be in process of preparation.

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A.BROKEN DOWN SYSTEM, This is a condition (or'disesta) to which may pamox are given but few really understand. Et is simply Weskopse-a break down as it worm, of the vital forces that sustala the system. matter what may be its causas (theỷ aru nimoni wamberless), its symptoms are much the sumaz the more promisses being aireplesanos, ORDEA of peostration or wearinass, depression of spirits and want of energy for all the ordinary airs of life. Now, what alone is wareziial to wil sand ouses is increased vitality-vigour, vilaj strength and anergy to throw off these morbid fookings, and as sight audcends the day this By be more certainly beanted by andres st THE NEW FRENOH REMEDY,

going ahead with great enthusiasm THERAPION No. 3

Naxi Ships Seized

by the entire cast and, the producer, Manila, May 10,

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will be the first time that the It Vindivostok.-United Press,

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ITALIANS

Fisheries

MASSING Research.

Troops

An

Concentrating

On French Frontier.

Buenos Aires, May 10.

Intercepted radio message

from Madrid states that the British

Station

Edited by

Dr. G'A. C. Herklots

authorities have closed the Straits of Now on Sale Gibraltar, and Italy lo massing troops

on the French frontier-Reuter Dul- letin.

No Special Mensurar

from

at

New York, May 10. Morning Post Building,

are un-Price $3.00.

A correspondent reporta Rome that Italian emelnie nware of the invasion of Holland. No special military measures beyond those made recently could be detect-

ed in Italy,United Press.