5
Dec. 45
On the
diplomatic level the Defendant Ribbentrop was
quite active. On 13 March, the same day on which
Horthy wrote his letter, Ribbentrop sent a
cautionary telegram to the German Minister in
Prague outlining the course of conduct he should
pursue during the coming diplomatic pressure. I
offer in evidence Document 2815-PS as Exhibit
USA-116. This is the telegram sent by Ribbentrop
to the German Legation in Prague on 13 March.
"Berlin,
13 March 1939.
"Prague.
Telegram in secret code.
"With
reference to telephone instructions
given by Kordt today. In case you should
get any written communication from
President Hacha, please do not make any
written or verbal comments or take any
other action on them, but pass them on
here by cipher telegram. Moreover, I
must ask you and the other members of
the legation to make a point of not
being available if the Czech Government
wants to communicate with you during the
next few days."
-Signed- "Ribbentrop."
On
the afternoon of 13 March Monsignor Tiso,
accompanied by Durcansky and Herr Meissner and
the local Nazi leader, arrived in Berlin in
response to the summons from Hitler to which I
have heretofore referred. Late that afternoon
Tiso was received by Hitler in his study in the
Reich Chancellery and presented with an
ultimatum. Two alternatives were given him:
Either declare the independence of Slovakia, or
be left without German assistance to what were
referred to as the emergence of Poland and
Hungary. This decision Hitler said was not a
question of days, but of hours. I now offer in
evidence Document 2802-PS as Exhibit USA-117 —
again a document captured in the German Foreign
Office — German Foreign Office minutes of
the meeting between Hitler and Tiso on 13 March.
I read the bottom paragraph on Page 2 and the
top paragraph on Page 3 of the English
translation. The first paragraph I shall read is
a summary of Hitler's remark. You will note that
in the inducements he held out to the Slovaks
Hitler displayed his customary disregard for the
truth. I quote:
"Now
he had permitted Minister Tiso to come
here in order to make this question
clear in a very short time. Germany had
no interest east of the Carpathian
mountains. It was indifferent to him
what happened there. The question was
whether Slovakia wished to conduct her
own affairs or not. He did not wish for
anything from Slovakia. He would not
pledge his people, or even a single
soldier, to something which was not in
any way desired by the Slovak people. He
would like to secure final confirmation
as to what Slovakia