HANDED TO THE FRENCH

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 147, 22 June 1940, Page 11

HANDED TO THE FRENCH

Settling Old Score

REVENGE FOR 1918

Historic Dining-Car as Meeting-Place

' (By Telegraph—Pres« Association— Copyright.) (Received June 22, 11.45 a.m.) LONDON, June 21. The German news agency states that Hitler received the French delegation at 3.30 p.m. in the Forest of Compiegne. Hitler was accompanied by Herr yon Ribbentrop (Foreign Minister), Herr Hess (Deputy Nazi Leader), General yon Brauchitsch (Commander-in-Chief of the Army), and General Keitel (Chief of the High Command) The meeting was held in the same railway carriage in which Marshal Foch dictated the Armistice m 1918, a carriage which hitherto has been on exhibition in Paris Hitler himself 'handed over the terms. > The German news agency announced :— "Today's action in the Forest of Compiegne expunged the wrongs doife to German military honour. The <^c?. tTC£ -ment of an honourably defeated enemy contrasted with the Setori/at thS place which testifies to the eterna hatred with which Gallic contempt scorned an undefeated enemy. ■ -At Hitler's order General Keitel read the Preamble to the armistice conditions v< At the order of the Leader and Supreme Commander of the German defence forces, I have to! make the following communication :— " 'Trusting to the assurance given to the (Jermaj Reich by President Wilson and confirmed by the Allied Powers, the German defence forces laid down their arms m Novemto. 1918, and thus ended a war which the German people and its Government did not want and in which, despite his vastly superior forces, the enemy failed to defeat the German army, navy, and air force. At the moment of the arrival of the German armistice commission there began the breach ot a promise which was solemnly given. In November, l»l«, there began in this very train a period of suffering for the German people. Whatever could be done to the nation m tne way of dishonour and humiliation and in human and material suffering began at this point. " 'Broken promises and perjury were used against a nation which, after over four years of heroic resistance, showed only one weakness,- namely, in believing the promises of democratic statesmen. '"On September 3,1939, twenty-five years after the outbreak of the World War, Britain and France declared war against Germany without reason.- Now that the war has been decided by arms, and France is defeated, the French Government has asked Germany to make known the German conditions for an armistice. If the historic Forest of Compiegne has been chosen for the handing over of the terms this has been done in order to wipe ou^ once and for all a memory which was not glorious for France and which was felt by the German nation as the deepest shame of all times. After heroic resistance, France has been defeated in a single bloody battle and has collapsed. Germany therefore does not intend to give the armistice negotiations with such a brave opponent a shameful character. " 'The purpose of the German demands is, firstly, to prevent the resumption of the fight, and secondly to give Germany all safeguards for continuation of the war against Britain which was forced upon Germany, and in addition to create preliminaries for the construction of a new peace, the essential contents of .which will be tlje restoration pi the wrong done with violence to the German nation.' " BEFORE THE MEETING. The Reich war flag covered a plaque commemorating 1918, and Hitler*s personal standard stood before the memorial. Two platoons of infantry and one air force platoon-formed a guard of honour. The historic dining-car stood opposite, on exactly the same spot as in 1918,. - The initial ceremony lasted ten minutes. The French stood at the salute during the playing of the German National Anthem and the "Horstwessel" song. The Germans provided telephones for the French to talk to their Government. High officers honoured the guests and high-placed Nazis welcomed Hitler in front of the dining-car. Those present included General Goering, Admiral Raeder, General yon Brauchitsch, General Keitel, Herr yon Ribbentrop, Herr Hess, Herr Himmler (Police Chief), Dr. Lammers (Secretary of State), Dr. Dietrich (the Press Chief), Major-General Jodl, Lieutenant-General Bodenschatz, and Hitler's personal and military adjutants. German and foreign Pressmen had places.of honour. The French delegation arrived at 3.30 p.m., having passed through the German lines at Tours yesterday. They were conducted by the Chief Quartermaster of the Reich Army, Lieu-tenant-General yon Tippelkirch, and spent last night at a Paris hotel. . Hitler gave the Nazi salute to each delegate as he entered the car. The parties then sat around the table, Hitler using the seat occupied by Marshal Foch in 1918. General Goering, Admiral Raeder, and Herr yon Ribbentrop sat on Hitler's right, and General Keitel, General yon Brauchitsch, and Herr Hess on his left. The French, headed by General Huntziger, with Vice-Admiral Leluc and General Bergeret, sat on the opposite side of the table. Dr. Schmidt, the official German interpreter, translated the preamble, and after General Keitel had finished reading all stood when Hitler and Ms suite left the dining-car to the strains of the German National Anthem. , Indicating that the military occupation of France is one of the German terms, the Rome radio said: "If France accepts an armistice Italy will co-operate in the military occupation of France." LONDON, June 21. The reference in the German preamble to brave opponents and the alleged intention not to give the negotiations, a shameful character are completely out of keeping with the tone of the rest of the news agency's report, which makes it clear that Herr Hitler is bent on a revenge as complete as possible. A German broadcast declared that the terms had to be accepted or rejected as they stood. All the news about the meeting came from the German news agency. The French delegates have been in touch with the French Government by telephone and radio. The latest message indicates that ho decision has yet been reached, and a few hours ago the French delegates were continuing the discussion with General Keitel, acting as Herr Hitler's representative. There is no slackening of the fighting, and according to the latest reports French and German messages indicate that the heaviest fightin^-is-iakiߣ.J»lac© in the east,