3
Dec. 45
war
only if active military assistance by
Great Britain is definitely assured."
Now,
knowledge of the pending or impending action
against Czechoslovakia was not confined to a
close circle of high officials of the Reich and
the Nazi Party. During the summer Germany's
allies, Italy and Hungary, were apprised by one
means or another of the plans of the Nazi
conspirators. I offer in evidence Document
2800-PS as Exhibit USA-85. This is a captured
document from the German Foreign Office files, a
confidential memorandum of a conversation with
the Italian Ambassador Attolico, in Berlin on 18
July 1938. At the bottom is a handwritten note
headed "For the Reichsminister only",
and the Reichsminister was the Defendant
Ribbentrop. I now read this note. I read from
the note the third and fourth paragraphs: "
Attolico
added that we had made it unmistakably
clear to the Italians what our
intentions are regarding Czechoslovakia.
He also knew the appointed time well
enough so that he could take perhaps a 2
months' holiday now which he could not
do later on.
"Giving an
idea of the attitude of other
governments, Attolico mentioned that the
Romanian Government had refused to grant
application for leave to its Berlin
Minister."
THE
PRESIDENT: Would this be a convenient time to
break off for 10 minutes?
MR.
ALDERMAN: Yes, Sir.
[A
recess was taken.]
MR.
ALDERMAN: May it please the Tribunal, a month
later Mussolini sent a message to Berlin asking
that he be told the date on which Case Green
would take place. I offer in evidence Document
Number 2791-PS as Exhibit USA-86, a German
Foreign Office note on a conversation with
Ambassador Attolico. This note is signed "R"
for Ribbentrop and dated 23 August 1938. I now
read two paragraphs from this memorandum:
"On
the voyage of the Patria
Ambassador Attolico explained to me that
he had instructions to request the
notification of a contemplated time for
German action against Czechoslovakia
from the German Government.
"In
case the Czechs should again cause a
provocation against Germany, Germany
would march. This would be tomorrow, in
6 months, or perhaps in a year. However,
I could promise him that the German
Government, in case of an increasing
gravity of the situation or as soon as
the Führer made his