MR CHAMBERLAIN

Hokitika Guardian, 6 September 1939, Page 4

MR CHAMBERLAIN

MESSAGE TO GERMAN PEOPLE.. )

(Per British Official Wireless.;

. RUGBY, September 4. The Prime Minister, in an address specially broadcast to the German people last night, said: “lour country, and mine are now at war. Your Government) has bombed and invaded the free and independent State of Poland, which this country is in honour bamd to defend. Beqause your troops were not,withdrawn, in response to the Note which .the British Government addressed to thp German Government, war has fcllow-'l ed.P - ,J) '

After reviewing Herr Hitler’s pretence that Poland had rejected the peace offer ; and the attitude adopted to the Polish Ambassador, Mr berlain said: “This is not negotiation. 1 This is a dictate. Negotiation on a free and equal basis might well have settled the matter in dispute, i You may ask why Britain is concerned. We are concerned because we gave cur word of lionour to defend Poland against aggression. . , . 4 “Why, did we- feel it necessary .to pledge ourselves to?defend this. East-... ern Power, when opr interests .lip . tp , the west? The answer is.,.tljat.,ahdiL s regret to have to say it, nobody in? tlya, country any longer places , any, v irpst in your leader’s word, ,H.e Jiis .. j word that he would respect the Lp-. c parno Treaty. He broke, it Hp .gave,;. ’*• his wbrd that he neither wished nor„ intended to annex-Austria; He broke-./'*'* it. He declared, after the Munich conference, that he would net incorporate Chechoslovakia in the Reich. He did gave his word, after Munich, that he had no further territorial demands in’Europe. He broke it. He gave his word that he wanted no Polish provinces. He broke it. He has sworn to you for years that he was the mortal enemy of Bolshevism. He is now its) ally. Can you wonder that his word for us is not worth the paper it is written on? “In this war, we are hot fighting against you, the German peopfej for A whom we have no bitter feelings, but J against a tyrannous and - forsworn re- —' gime, which has betrayed not only its own people, but the whole 1 of western ” civilisation and all that you and we • hold deaf. May Gcd defend the right;”' ■ •

MESSAGE TO FRENCH PEOPLE.” ' NEW YORK,. September 5: 1 The American Associated Press correspondent of London states that Mr■ Chamberlain telegraphed M. DaladiPr as follows:—“This is a time when Britain and France are enjoying their .comradeship in arms to resist aggression, and to defend the cause of lion-\ ourable feeling among nations. I send i you, and through you, the French people, 1 the cordial greetings of the • people of-this country. Our hbpes of peace which we sought so strenuously ~ to preserve have been- shattered by the wanton attack• on Poland. Now, side by side, we both take up arms with a; sure knowledge that no nations ever entered war in. a, more - cause. I am confident the. which we are prepared to make will / not be in vain and thgt right will pres-, vail.” ' ’> : ■ .