Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

"Men of the German Reichstag! France has replied to the repeated friendly offers and peaceful assurances made by Germany by infringing the Reich pact through a military alliance with the Soviet Union exclusively directed against Germany. In this manner, however, the Locarno Rhine Pact has lost its inner meaning and ceased in practice to exist. Consequently, Germany regards herself, for her part, as no longer bound by this dissolved treaty. The German government are now constrained to face the new situation created by this alliance, a situation which is rendered more acute by the fact that the Franco-Soviet treaty has been supplemented by a Treaty of Alliance between Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union exactly parallel in form. In accordance with the fundamental right of a nation to secure its frontiers and ensure its possibilities of defense, the German government have today restored the full and unrestricted sovereignty of Germany in the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland.” (2289-PS)

The German reoccupation of the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland caused extensive international repercussions. As a result of the protests lodged with the League of Nations, the Council of the League made an investigation and announced the following finding, which is published in the League of Nations monthly summary, March, 1936, Volume 16, Page 78. [It is also quoted in the American Journal of International Law, page 487 (1936)]:

"That the German government has committed a breach of Article 43 of the Treaty of Versailles, by causing on March 7, 1936, military forces to enter and establish themselves in the demilitarized zone, referred to in Article 42 and the following articles of that Treaty, and in the Treaty of Locarno. At the same time, on March 7, 1936, the Germans reoccupied the Rhineland in flagrant violation of the Versailles and Locarno Treaties. They again tried to allay the fears of other European powers and lead them into a false sense of security by announcing to the world 'we have no territorial demands to make in Europe.'"

The last phrase occurred in Hitler's speech on 7 March 1936: "We have no territorial claims to make in Europe. We know above all that all the tensions resulting either from false territorial settlements or from the disproportion of the numbers of inhabitants to their living space cannot, in Europe, be solved by war." (2289-PS)

The existence of prior plans and preparations for the re-occu

pation and fortification of the Rhineland is indisputable. The method and sequence of these plans and their accomplishments are clearly indicative of the increasingly aggressive character of the Nazi objectives, international obligations and considerations of humanity notwithstanding.

The Nazi conspirators were determined, as these documents have shown, to use whatever means were necessary to abrogate and overthrow the Treaty of Versailles and its restrictions upon the military armament and activity of Germany. In this process, they conspired and engaged in secret armament and training, the secret production of munitions of war, and they built up an air force. They withdrew from the International Disarmament Conference and the League of Nations on 14 October 1933. They instituted universal military service on 16 March 1935. On 21 May 1935 they falsely announced that they would respect the territorial limitations of Versailles and Locarno. On March 7 1936 they reoccupied and fortified the Rhineland and at the same time, falsely announced that they had no territorial demands in Europe. • The accomplishment of all these objectives, particularly the repudiation of the Versailles Treaty restrictions, opened the gates for the numerous aggressions which were to follow.

LEGAL REFERENCES AND LIST OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO PREPARATION FOR AGGRESSION: 1933-1936

[blocks in formation]

Document

Description

number indicates that the docu-
ment was referred to during the
trial but was not formally received
in evidence, for the reason given in
parentheses following the descrip-
tion of the document. The USA
series number, given in paren-
theses following the description of
the document, is the official exhibit
number assigned by the court.

Vol. Page

*789-PS

*1143-PS

*1168-PS

*1639-A-PS

**1654-PS

*2194-PS

Speech of the Fuehrer at a confer-
ence, 23 November 1939, to which
all Supreme Commanders were
ordered. (USA 23) . . . .

Letter from Schickendanz to
Rosenberg, 20 October 1932, for
personal transmission to Hess con-
cerning organization of Air Force.
(USA 40).

Unsigned Schacht memorandum
to Hitler, 3 May 1935, concerning
the financing of the armament pro-
gram. (USA 37). . . .

Mobilization book for the Civil
Administration, 1939 Edition,
issued over signature of Keitel.
(USA 777)...

Law of 16 March 1935 reintroduc-
ing universal military conscrip-
tion. 1935 Reichsgesetzblatt,
Part I, p. 369. (Referred to but
not offered in evidence)....
Top secret letter from Ministry
for Economy and Labor, Saxony,
to Reich Protector in Bohemia and
Moravia, enclosing copy. of 1938

[blocks in formation]

Document

*2261-PS

*2288-PS

*2289-PS

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Secret Defense Law of 4 Septem-
ber 1938. (USA 36). . .

Directive from Blomberg to Su-
preme Commanders of Army,
Navy and Air Forces, 24 June
1935; accompanied by copy of
Reich Defense Law of 21 May
1935 and copy of Decision of Reich
Cabinet of 12 May 1935 on the
Council for defense of the Reich.
(USA 24)....
Adolf Hitler's speech before the
Reichstag, published in Voelk-
ischer Beobachter, Southern Ger-
many Special Edition, No. 142a,
22 May 1935. (USA 38)...
Hitler's speech in the Reichstag,
7 March 1936, published in Voelk-
ischer Beobachter, Berlin Edi-
tion, No. 68, 8 March 1936. (USA
56)...

[blocks in formation]

*2292-PS

*2322-PS

*2353-PS

Interview of Goering by represent-
ative of London Daily Mail, con-
cerning the German Air Force,
from German report in The Ar-
chive, March 1935, p. 1830. (USA
52)...
Hitler's speech before the Reichs-
tag, 1 September 1939. (USA 39).. IV
Extracts from General Thomas'
Basic Facts for History of German
War and Armament Economy.
(USA 35)....

IV

995

1026

IV

1071

[blocks in formation]

Document

Description

Vol. Page

[blocks in formation]

*3308-PS

*3474-PS

*3575-PS

3581-PS

3585-PS

3586-PS

Affidavit by Paul Otto Gustav
Schmidt, 28 November 1945. (GB
288)....

Manuscript notes by Bodenschatz
on conference of German Air
Forces leaders, 2 December 1936.
(USA 580)..

Memorandum, 19 November 1938,
concerning meeting of Reich De-
fense Council. (USA 781)....
Letter from Minister of Interior to
Minister of Propaganda Goebbels,
20 July 1934, concerning unauthor-
ized press releases about military
affairs..

Letter from Chief of Staff of Army
(von Fritsch) to Minister of War,
8 October 1934, enclosing memo-
randum signed by Brauchitsch
29 September 1934, on military
situation in East Prussia.....
Directive to Counter Intelligence
units, 16 October 1934, directing
that new troop units which may
be activated should be listed in
telephone books only under cam-
ouflage designations...

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »