5
Dec. 45
repudiation
of the Munich Agreement and a denial of
the spirit in which the negotiators of
that Agreement bound themselves to
co-operate for a peaceful settlement.
"His Majesty's Government
must also take this occasion to protest
against the changes effected in
Czechoslovakia by German military
action, which are in their view, devoid
of any basis of legality."
And
again at Mr. Alderman's request, I put in as
GB-10 the Document TC-53, which is the French
protest of the same date, and if I might read
the third paragraph:
"The
French Ambassador has the honor to
inform the Minister for Foreign Affairs
of the Reich, of the formal protest made
by the Government of the French Republic
against the measures which the
communication of Count de Welczeck
records.
"The Government
of the Republic consider, in fact, that
in face of the action directed by the
German Government against
Czechoslovakia, they are confronted with
a flagrant violation of the letter and
the spirit of the agreement signed at
Munich on September 29, 1938.
"The
circumstances in which the agreement of
March 15 has been imposed on the leaders
of the Czechoslovak Republic do not, in
the eyes of the Government of the
Republic, legalize the situation
registered in that agreement.
"The
French Ambassador has the honor to
inform His Excellency, the Minister for
Foreign Affairs of the Reich, that the
Government of the Republic cannot
recognize under these conditions the
legality of the new situation created in
Czechoslovakia by the action of the
German Reich."
I
now come to Part 5 of the Versailles Treaty, and
the relevant matters are contained in the
British Document TC-10. As considerable
discussion is centered around them, I read the
introductory words:
"Part
V, Military, Naval, and Air Clauses: In
order to render possible the initiation
of a general limitation of the armaments
of all nations, Germany undertakes
strictly to observe the military, naval,
and air clauses which follow.
"Section
1. Military Clauses. Chapter I.
Effectives and Cadres of the German
Army.
"Article 159. The
German military forces shall be
demobilized and reduced as prescribed
hereinafter.
"Article
160. (1) By a date which must not be
later than March 31, 1920, the German
Army must not comprise more than seven
divisions of infantry and three
divisions of cavalry.