5
Dec. 45
In
their private conversations the Nazi
conspirators gave abundant evidence that they
considered Slovakia a mere puppet state —
in effect a German possession.
I offer
in evidence Document R-100 as Exhibit USA-121.
This document is a memorandum of information
given by Hitler to Von Brauchitsch on 25 March
1939. Much of it deals with problems arising
from recently occupied Bohemia and Moravia and
Slovakia. I quote, beginning at the sixth
paragraph:
"Colonel
General Keitel shall inform Slovak
Government via Foreign Office that it
would not be allowed to keep or garrison
armed Slovak units (Hlinka Guards) on
this side of the border formed by the
river Waag. They shall be transferred to
the new Slovak territory. Hlinka Guards
should be disarmed.
"Slovakia
shall be requested via Foreign Office to
deliver to us, against payment, any arms
we want and which are still kept in
Slovakia. This request is to be based
upon agreement made between Army and
Czech troops. For this payment those
millions should be used which we will
pour anyhow into Slovakia.
"Czech
Protectorate:
"H. Gr."
— the translator's note indicates
that that probably means army groups,
but I can't vouch for it — "shall
be asked again whether the request shall
be repeated again for the delivery of
all arms within a stated time limit and
under the threat of severe penalties.
"We
take all war material of former
Czechoslovakia without paying for it.
The guns bought by contract before 15
February, though, shall be paid for . .
. . Bohemia and Moravia have to make
annual contributions to the German
Treasury. Their amount shall be fixed on
the basis of the expenses earmarked
formerly for the Czech Army."
The
German conquest of Czechoslovakia, in direct
contravention of the Munich Agreement, was the
occasion for the formal protest by the British
and French Governments. These documents, Numbers
TC-52 and TC-53, dated 17 March 1939, will be
presented to the Tribunal by the British
prosecutor.
On the same day, 17 March
1939, the Acting Secretary of State of the
United States Government issued a statement,
which I will offer in evidence and I invite the
Court to take judicial notice of the entire
volume, Document 2862-PS as Exhibit USA-122,
which is an excerpt from the official volume
entitled Peace and War: United States
Foreign Policy, 1931-1941 issued under the
seal of the Department of State of the United
States of America. Incidentally, this volume
which happens to be my own copy — and I
hope I can