of 1938 and spring of 1939 and the annexation of Slovakia rounded off the territory of Greater Germany in such a way that it now became possible to consider the Polish problem on the basis of more or less favourable strategic premises." (L-172) In the speech to his military commanders on 23 November 1939, Hitler described the process by which he had rebuilt the military power of the Reich: "The next step was Bohemia, Moravia and Poland. This step also was not possible to accomplish in one campaign. First of all, the western fortifications had to be finished. It was not possible to reach the goal in one effort. It was clear to me from the first moment that I could not be satisfied with the Sudeten-German territory. That was only a partial solution. The decision to march into Bohemia was made. Then followed the erection of the Protectorate and with that the basis for the action against Poland was laid." (789-PS) LEGAL REFERENCES AND LIST OF DOCUMENTS *789-PS *998-PS *1301-PS Speech of the Fuehrer at a confer- Document Description Vol. Page III 868 *1439-PS *1536-PS Ministry, 14 October 1938, con- Treaty of Protection between Slo- 18 IV 96 *1780-PS Excerpts from diary kept by Gen- IV 360 *1874-PS 2358-PS *2360-PS *2786-PS *2788-PS Notes on conference between Goer- Speech by Hitler in Sportspalast, *2789-PS Letter from Konrad Henlein to Document Description Vol. Page V 424 V 425 *2790-PS *2791-PS *2792-PS *2793-PS *2794-PS *2795-PS *2796-PS Ribbentrop, 17 March 1938. (USA German Foreign Office minutes of German Foreign Office notes on 426 426 427 V 429 |