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Proclamation of the Fuhrer to the German People
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OF ICE
Proclamation
of the' Fiihrer
to the German People
RSITY
OF TOLEDO
-;v-:o
NOV 281939
For centuries England has pm·sued the goal of
rendering the peoples of EUl'opc defenseless
against the Br·itish policy of world conquest, by
proc.laiming the doct11ine of the balance of power,
,·
after assuming the right on threadbare pretexts
to attack and annihilate whatever EtU'opean state
seemed most clanger·ous to her· at the time. Once
upon a time it · was the wor\d power of Spain
that she fought, later· of Holland, then of France,
and since 1871 of Germany. We o.w·seh'es
witnessed the encir·clement policy which England
As soon as Germany under her National
Socialist leade1·ship began to t•ccover from the
frightful consequences of the Vc1·sailles Tr·caty
ancl tlll'eatened to ove1·come the crisis, British
encit·clcment began again immediately. Bl'itish
warmongei·s, familia1· to us since the World War,
do not wish the German peo}lle to live. Before
the wa1• they spread the lie that theh• struggle
was me1·cly with the House of Hohenzollern, m•
with German milital'ism, that they hacl no
designs on Gcr•man colonies, .t hat they had no
thought of taking om· merchant fleet from us.
Thei•eupon they for·ced the Ver.· sailles Tl'eaty on
the Ge1•man people. To have cm·1·ied out this
dictated treaty literally would have meant soone1•
or later the destmction of 20 million Germans.
I uncler•took the task of mobilizing the
resistance of the German people against it and
in a consistent peaceful endeavour to assm·e the
Ger•man people again of work and br·ead. Just to
that extent, however, to which peaceful revision
of the enfm·ced Tr·eaty of Vc1·saillcs seemed to be
succeeding and the German p eople began to live
once more, the new English encirclement policy
began. The same warmongers as before 1914
ap11eared on the scene.
I have offered England and the English people
the unde1·standing and the friendship of the
German people time aftei· time. My whole policy
· was built on the thought of this unclerstandir•g.
My proposals have always been rejected and cew
pretexts, clothed in hypocl'itical declarations,
have always been sought, to rcstr·ict the ~ ·of
difficult or impossible for us where we have
never threatened British inte1·ests.
England has caused that very attitude on
Poland's part, which rendered a friemlly unclerstamling impossible. Through the declaration of
he1· guar·antees she opened up the p1'0spect for
the Polish Govel'Umcnt of being able to provoke,
and even to attack Germany with complete
impunity. There is one mistake which the Bl'itish
Government has made. The Germany of 1939 is
no longer the Ge1·many of 1914, and the Reich
of to-day no longe1• has a Bethmann-Hollweg as
its cbancellol'.
In my speech in Saarbl'iicken and in Wilhelmshaven I have ah·eacly stated that we shall defend
ourselves against the British encirclement policy.
Pm•ticular·ly did I leave no doubt hat, despite
all the patience and forbearance we have shown,
the Polish attacks on Germans and on the Free
City of Danzig must come to an encl.
Fm·tified by the Bl'itish gum·antec and by the _
assurances
of
Bl'itish
wa1·monge1·s,
Poland
thought she could cast this waming to the winds. For two days now the German army has been
fighting on the Eastcm front to 1·cstoi·e the scclll'ity
of the territory of the Reich. Polish resistance -~
is being broken by om· soldiers. Let England
be ass1ucc1 that to-clay in the German Reich
90 million-people m•c united. They are determined
not to allow themselves to be strangled by England. They· have not, as bas England, conquc1·cd
40 million square kilomeh'~s of this c3I'th by
war. But they m·e determined to live on that soil
which is thch·s and not to let England clc1ll'ivc
them of this 1·ight.
'we realize that the 1·csponsibility for all this
cannot be laid on the British people as a whole.
It is that stratum of Jewish and plutocratic
democracy which would sefl in all the peoples
of the world nothing but obedient slaves. They
hate om· new Reich because they see in it a
model of a social wor·king prncess, which makes
them ·afraid that it may have .a contagious effect
-in their owu countries.
We m·e now beginning the contest against this
new attempt to annihilate Germany. We shall
conc:hicl it with the determination of National
Socialists. The ~ritisJi money-politician~~ powcr-JlOlilicians will learn however what if
m eans to dl'3w National Socialist Germany into
war without any reason.
I have been awm·c fo1· ,:nonths that the aim of
these warmonge1•s has long since been determined
upon. The intention of attacking Germany
whenever a favom·able opportunity might occur
September 3rd, 1939.
was a fh·m one. My determination to take up
this fight aml to strike back is still firmer.
Ge1·many will not capitulate again. Existence
unde1· another and still worse dictated treaty of
Versailles is senseless.
\Ve have never been a people of slaves nor· clo
we wish to be in the future. Whateve1· sac1·ificcs
Gcr~ans have had to make in the past that om•
Jleople and om· Reich might live, we must be
ready to accept g1·cate1· sacl'ifices to-clay. This
resolve is il'l•evocahlc.
This the1·efore 1·equii·es most incisive mcasm•es.
There is one lmv in pm·ticular which it enforces
on us. When sohUc1•s arc at the front, no one
must profit from the war. When solclie1·s at
the front fall, no one at home may shirk his
duty. \\Thoever 01lposcs these laws is not entitled
to any consideration from the community o the
people. Fm·thc1·morc we know as long as the
German people th1•oughout its histo1·y was united,
it was nevc1· conc1ue1·cd. It was alone the lack
of unity in 1918 that led to collaJlSe. Therefore
whoever now transgresses this unity, can ex1lcct
nothing other than to be blotted out as an enemy ·
of the nation. If ou1· pco1lle fulfills its highest
jluty_ in th!s spirit, Goel who has alwa s bestowed
his mercies on those who were dctCl'mincd to
help themselves, _will likewise aid us.
The laws necessary for the defence and
sccul'ity of the Ueich will be dec1·eed and the
men to whom their execution and observance
arc "to be entrusted, will be appointed. I myself
am leaving to-day fol' the front.
•
Signed: Adolf Hillel'.
Memoranduin
from the German Government
handed to the British Ambassador by the Reim Minister for Foreign A/lairs
On th e m orn ing of Sep tem ber 3rd, 1939, at
Germany was forced to accept in th e East h eld
9 o'clock, notification was given through the
the seed of future wars. To do away with th is
Bs·itish Ambassador in Bulin in a challenging
danger has been the desire of eve1·y German
note that if a satisfactory 1·cply was not ·received
Govemment, and in particular t he aim of the
by 11 o'clock in London, England would consider
new Na tion al Socialist Govemment of the
herself in a state of war with Germany.
German people. The policy of th e British
Thc1·eupon the following Memorandum was
Cabinet is to blame for the fact that a peaceful
revision has not beei;i reached.
•
banded to the British Ambassador:
The Reich Govel'llmcnt acknowledges receipt
(3) The British Govemment- an unp1·ecedeuted
of the British Government's uttimatum of
occurrence in history - has given Poland full
Scptcmbc1• 3rd, 1939, to which the Reich
power with regard to any action against Germany
Gove1·nment has the honour to reply as follows:
which she might intend to undertake: The
(1) The Reich Government and the German
British Government gave the Polish Government
people refuse to be handed, to accept and, still
the assurance of their military support in any
less, lo comply with demands amounting to an ·
circumstances, in case Germany should comultimatum made by the British Gove1•nment.
mence hostilities in 1·ep)y to a n y provocation
01• attack. Thereupon Polish acts 'o f terror
(2) For many months 1mst a state of war has
against
Germans domiciled in the distr icts tor•n
actually prevailed along our eastern border.
;Jrom
Germany
immediately assumed intolerable
Eve1· since the Treaty of Ve·r sailles rent Ger·many
-·-proportions.
The
treatment to wh ich the Free
in two, all subsequ ent German Government
CUy of Danzig was sub,iectec1 was in con trawe1·e denied any 1)eaccful settlement. Since ·
ven tion to all legal p1·ovisions; it was fii·s t
1933, the National Socialist Government have
tlll'eatenec1 with economic min and submitted
also tried again and again by way of peaceful
to customs restrictions, a n d final_Iy ench·cled by
negotiations to do away with the worst
military forces and tlll'ottl ed by transport
01)prcssion and violations of law perpetrated by
restrictions. Eve1·y one of these infringements
that treaty. Primm•ily it has been the British
of the Danzig Statute was fu lly k n own to, and
Government wh o by theh• intransigent attitude
app1·ovecl
by, th e British Govern ment, and
have frus trated an y practical revision. Had it
backed
by
the blank ch equ e given to Poland.
not been for the interference on the part of
T h e German Govemment, althou gh greatly
the British Government, a reasonable solution,
dish·essed by the sn ffcl'ings of the German
doing justice to ,._ithcr party, would undoubtQdly
minority subjected to atrocities an d inhuman
have been m•rived at between Germany and
treatment by the Poles, neve1·th eless lookecl
Poland, a fact which the Ueich Government and
on in · patience for five mo'nths without once
the German people are convinced of. For
undertaking even the slightest aggressive action
Germany had no intention of dcsh·oying Poland,
of
a similar nature against Poland.
nor did she ever· demand Poland's destruction.
All that the Reich demanded was the revision
Germany merely wamccl Poland that these
of those articles in the Treaty of Versailles
actions would not he tolerated in the long run
which sensible statesmen of all nations, already
and that she was detel'1l1ined, in the event of
when the fl'eaty was d1·awn up, termed unbearno other help · fm·thcoming for the population
able for any length of time-unb e~wa ble both
concc1·uccl, to take t~1e matter in hand herself.
for a great nation and for the entire political
The British Government was fully aware of all
and economic interest of Eastern Europe, and
that .w as going on. It - oulcl have been an easy
therefore im1>0ssible; EveR B1·itish statesmen
matte1• for them to use their great influence in
declared specifically that the terms which
Warsaw to exhort those in authority to conform
1
to the laws of justice and humanity, and-to fulfil
their existing obligations. The British Government did not see fit to do anything of the kind.
On the eontral'y, by constantly st!'essing the fact
of their duty to assist Poland undel' all
cil'cumstances, they clea .. ly encouraged P oland
to continue in h e1· Cl'iminal attitude which was
endangel'ing the peace of Em·opc. On these lines
the Bl'itish Govemment rejected the p1·oposal
made by Mussolini which still might have saved
the peace of Em·ope, although the Reich
Govemment had expressed th eir readiness to
accept such p1•oposal. The British Government
ar·e thus responsible for all the misery and
s uffering that has ovel'taken now, 01• is about
to ove1·take, so many peoples.
(4) Now that all attempts to fincl and settle
on a peacdul solution have been frush'ated
owing to the intransigent attitude of the Polish
Government as shielded by Gl'eat Britain; now
that for many months ah'eacly conditions similar
to civil wai• on the eastern frontie1·s of the
Reich have gradually, -without any ob.ieetion
on the pal't of the Bl'itish Government - ,
assumed the character of open attacks on Reich
tel'ritory, the Reich Government have decided
to put an end to the cpntinued menace, at first
from outside, but late1• also at home, against
the peace of the German nation, a situation no
--~--------"'G'-=-1·.::::e=at Power can be expected to bear with...:_!n..;.._
01•de1• to defend the peace, the security and the
honour of the Gel'man Reich, the Reich
Govel'nment have decided to resort to the only
means now left to them, since the Governments
of the Democracies have wantonly frush·ated
all other possibilities of a revision. They have
replied to the last Polish attacks threatening
Reich territory with similai• measures. The
Reich Gove1·nment is not willing, on account of
any British intentions m· obligations, to tolel'ate
in the East of the Reich conditions similal' to
those prevailing in Ute Bl'itish Protectorate of
Palestine. The German people, bowev~r, is
certainly not willing to submit to ill-treatment
by Poland.
(5) The Reich Govel'llment tbe1•efore re.iect
any attemp t to fo1•ce Gel'lliany, by an ultimative
demand, to withd1·aw h e1· h•oops, called up for
the pm·pose of protecting the Reich, and thus
to put up once mol'e with Uie formel' um·est
and injustice. The tlll'eat that wal' would othe1·wise be wagecl a gainst Germany coincides with
the intentions, fo1· many years proclaimed, of
numerous Bl'itish politicians. Innum erable times
the Reich Government and the German people
have · assm·ed tbe British people of their desfre
for an undc1·standing and even close friendshi11
witb them. If the British Government have
hitherto reJected these offers and now 1·eply to
them with an open tlll'eat of war, the
responsibility for this lies not with tbe Ge1·man
nation and its Government, but exclusively with
the British Cabinet, especially with those men
who for years have preached the destruction
and extermination of the Gel'man people. The
Gei·man people and the Ge1·man Gove1·nmeot clo
nqt intend, as does G1·eat Bl'itaio, to l'llle the
wol'lcl, but they al'e determined to defend their
own freedom, theil' inclependenee and ve1·y life. We take note of the intentions, made known to
us by M1·. King Hall on behalf of the Bl'itish
Govcl'nment, to deal the Gel'man nation a still
more Cl'ushing blow than did the Treaty of
Versailles and shall the1·efore reply to any act
of aggression on the pa1•t of G1·eat B1·itain with
the same weapons and in the same way.
Berlin, Septembe1• 31•d, 1939.
Printed by M. Millier & Sohn K.G., Berlin S\llT
"'~