The 1938 stories of Czech aero lies against its German minority, were rehashed up almost verbal tim in regard to the Poles. Some foundation there must necessarily have been for a proportion of these allegations in view of the state of excitable tension which existed between the two peoples. Excess of zeal on the part of individuals and minor officials there undoubtedly was—but the tales of ill-treatment, expropriation and murder were multi plied a hundredfold, How far Herr Hitler himself believed in the truth of these tales must be a matter for conjecture. Germans are prone in any case to convince themselves very readily of anything which they wish to believe. Certainly he behaved as if he did believe, and, even if one may give him the benefit of the doubt, these reports served to inflame his resentment to the pitch which he or his extremists desired, Until August 8 the campaign against the Poles had been relegated to the more discreet pages of the German press. Up to that date, public-enemy No. 1 had been Great Britain and the alleged policy of encirclement.
Herr Hitler is a master of turning events to suit his own purpose, and the so-called ultimatum to the Danzig Senate of August 4 and the subsequent foreign press comments on a Danzig "climb down" gave him the opportunity which he was seeking. The Polish note of August 4 provided an excuse for the German mote verbal of August 9 which provoked in its turn the Polish reply of August 10. In the midst of these exchanges Dr. Burckhardt, High Uommissioner of the League of Nations for Danzig flew to Berchtesgaden in a last effort to place the position at p: Danzig on a more satisfactory footing, He saw Herr Hitler on August 11, while Count Ciano and Herr von Ribbentrop were meeting at Salzburg.
Intransigent as he appears to have been at his interview with Dr Burckhardt, there is little doubt in my mind that Herr Hitler would have been far moi o had he at the time been in possession of the text final paragraph of the Polish ly of August 10, which had only been communicated to the for Foreign Affairs at Berlin ai day. He was aware of it, however, wher Count Ciano issited him at Berchtesgaden immediately after Dr. Burckhardt's departure, and it undoubtedly rendered unavailing the Italian Foreign Minister's laudable intention of pouring oil on the troubled waters, Once again, as in 1938, the inexorable fatality of the Greek tragedy w in evidence, d the comoid ce of the Polish Note of August 10 wilh the Ciano visit w triking example of Count C turned to T day or so later the Itali; A jor at Berlin was hurriedly summoned to Ron Herr Hitler's carefully calculed patience was, in fact, exhausted, d on August 18 I telegraphed to your Lordship That I had core to e definite conclusion that, if peace was to be preserved, the present situation could not be allowed to continue and that the only alternative to war must be some immediate and mediatory action. In this connection which I had made some time previously, namely, that a personal etter should be addressed by the Prime Minister to Herr Hitler and be delivered by some emissary from London. Two days later I again telegraphed to the same effect, and stated my conviction that Herr Hitler had now finally decided upon some form of immediate action which would force the issue. I drew attention at the same- time to the increased German military strength which had been assembled in East Prussia under cover of the Tannenberg anniversary and expressed my apprehension lest that celebration might prove the starting point for the action which Herr Hitler contemplated. I have little doubt but that such was Herr Hitlers original and premeditated intention, On August 21 information reached me that the long-expected but carefully concealed German military concentrations were already in progress,.and that instructions had been given to complete them by August 24. A report which reached me at that time actually mentioned August 25 as the date fixed for the German advance into Poland.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.