29 Nov. 45
behavior of the Chancellor Schuschnigg in
breaking the Berchtesgaden agreement.
"Thereafter a conversation took place between Göring
and the Führer. Afterwards Göring again telephoned
Seyss-Inquart. This conversation was held at 15:05.
"Göring told Seyss-Inquart that Berlin did not agree
whatsoever with the decision made by Chancellor Schuschnigg since he
did not enjoy any more the confidence of our Government because he
had broken the Berchtesgaden Agreement, and therefore further
confidence in his future actions did not exist. Consequently the
national Ministers, Seyss-Inquart, and the others are being requested
immediately to hand in their resignations to the Chancellor, and also
to ask the Chancellor to resign. Göring added that if after a
period of 1 hour no report had come through, the assumption would be
made that Seyss-Inquart would no more be in a position to telephone.
That would mean that the gentlemen had handed in their resignations.
Seyss-Inquart was then told to send the telegram to the Führer
as agreed upon. As a matter of course, an immediate commission by the
Federal President for Seyss-Inquart to form a new cabinet would
follow Schuschnigg's resignation."
Thus you see that at 2:45 p.m. Göring told Seyss-Inquart
over the telephone that it was not enough for Schuschnigg to cancel
the elections; and 20 minutes later he telephoned Seyss-Inquart to
state that Schuschnigg must resign. That is your second ultimatum.
When informed about an hour later that Schuschnigg had resigned he
pointed out that in addition it was necessary to have Seyss-Inquart
at the head of the Cabinet. Shall I go into another one of these?
THE PRESIDENT: I think we had better adjourn now until 2 o'clock.
[The Tribunal recessed until 1400 hours.]