5
Dec. 45
will
therefore do everything to keep these
countries neutral, above all England and
Poland."
Thereafter,
it sets out the conditions which are to be the
basis for the discussion. Before I leave that
document, the date will be noted: June 1937; and
it shows clearly that at that date anyway, the
Nazi Government appreciated the likelihood, if
not the probability, of fighting England, and
Poland, and France, and were perfectly prepared
to do so, if they had to. On the 5th of November
1937 — the Tribunal will remember —
Hitler held his conference in the Reich
Chancellery, the minutes of which have been
referred to as the Hossbach notes. I refer to
only one or two lines of that document to draw
the attention of the Tribunal to what Hitler
said in respect to England, Poland, and France.
On Page 1 of that Exhibit, the middle of the
page:
"The
Führer then stated: 'The aim of
German policy is the security and
preservation of the nation and its
propagation. This is consequently a
problem of space."'
He
then went on, you will remember, to discuss what
he described "participation in world
economy," and at the bottom of Page 2 he
said:
"The
only way out, and one which may appear
imaginary, is the securing of greater
living space, an endeavor which at all
times has been the cause of the
formation of states and movements of
nations." And at the end of that
first paragraph on Page 3:
"The
history of all times, Roman Empire,
British Empire, has proved that every
space expansion can be effected only by
breaking resistance and taking risks.
Even setbacks are unavoidable. Neither
formerly, nor today, has space been
found without an owner. The attacker
always comes up against, the proprietor."
My
Lord, it is clear that that reference was not
only . . . .
THE PRESIDENT: [Interposing.]
It has been read already.
LT. COL.
GRIFFITH-JONES: My object was only to try to
collect, so far as England and Poland were
concerned, the evidence that had been given. I
would welcome in actual fact if the Tribunal
thought that it was unnecessary, I would welcome
the opportunity to . . . .
THE
PRESIDENT: The Tribunal would wish you not to
read anything that has been read already.
LT.
COL. GRIFFITH-JONES: I would pass then to the
next document in that part of your document
book. I put that document in. It was referred to
by the Attorney General in his address
yesterday,