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[al...] liance lice pact o f 22 May 1939; the German-Danish
nonaggression pact of 31 May 1939; a nonaggression pact between the German
Reich and the Republic of Estonia of 7 June 1939; and a similar pact with the
Republic of Latvia on the same date. On 23 August 1939, Germany and the Union
of Socialist Soviet Republics likewise entered into a non-aggression pact.
These agreements were all made public and are of such a nature as to tend to
conceal rather than expose an intention on the part of Hitler and his immediate
circle to start an aggressive war.
But what of Poland? In April 1939,
Hitler issued strict directives to the High Command to prepare for war against
Poland. But, in a speech to the Reichstag, on 28 April 1939, he said:
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| |
“I have regretted greatly
this incomprehensible attitude of the Polish Government, but that alone is not
the decisive fact the worst is that now Poland like Czechoslovakia a year ago
believes, under the pressure of a lying international campaign, that it must
call up its troops, although Germany on her part has not called up a single
man, and had not thought of proceeding in any way against Poland * * * . The
intention to attack on the part of Germany which was merely invented by the
international press * * *.” |
| Thus he continued to mislead the public with reference to his true
purpose. He led the public to believe that he still maintained the view that
Poland and Germany could work together in harmony — a view which he had
expressed to the Reichstag on 20 February 1938, in these
words: |
| |
“And so the way to a
friendly understanding has been successfully paved, an understanding which,
beginning with Danzig, has today, in spite of the attempts of certain mischief
makers, succeeded in finally taking the poison out of the relations between
Germany and Poland and transforming them into a sincere, friendly cooperation.
Relying on her friendships, Germany will not leave a stone unturned to save
that ideal which provides the foundation for the task which is ahead of us
— peace.” |
While it is true that those with an insight into the evil
machinations of power politics might have suspected Hitler was playing a
cunning game of soothing restless Europe, the average citizen of Germany, be he
professional man, farmer, or industrialist, could scarcely be charged by these
events with knowledge that the rulers of the Reich were planning to plunge
Germany into a war of aggression.
During this period, Hitler’s
subordinates occasionally gave expression to belligerent utterances. But, even
these can only by remote inference, formed in retrospect, be connected with a
plan for aggressive war. The point here is the common or general knowledge of
Hitler’s plans and purpose to wage aggressive war. He was the dictator.
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1106 |
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