Hitler's Word Worth Nothing Chamberlain States
(Received 1 p.m.)
RUGBY, September 4.
The Prime Minister (Mr Chamberlain), in an address specially broadcast to the German people last night, said;
“Your 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 bound to defend.
“Because your troops have not withdrawn in response to the Note which the British Government addressed to the German Government, war has followed.”
After reviewing Hitler’s pretence that Poland had rejected the peace offer, and the attitude adopted to the Polish Ambassador, Mr Chamberlain said:
Net Negotiation.
“This fs not negotiation. This is a dictate.
“To such methods no selfrespecting and powerful State could assent.
“Negotiations on a free and equal basis might well have settled the matter in dispute. “You may ask why Britain is concerned. “We arc concerned because we gave our word of honour to defend Poland against aggression.
“Why did we feel it necessary to pledge ourselves to defend this eastern Power when our interests lie to the west?
“The answer is this —and I regret to have to say it: Nobody in this country any longer places any trust in your leader’s word.
Broke His Word,
“Pie gave his word that he would respect the Locarno Treaty. He broke
“He gave his word that he neither wished nor intended to annex Austria. He broke it.
“He declared after Munich that he would not incorporate Czechoslovakia in the Reich. He did so.
“He 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 his word for us ~T3 not worth the paper it is written on?
“In this war we are not fighting against you, the German people, for whom we have no bitter feeling, but against the tyrranist and forsworn regime which has betrayed not only its own people, but the whole of western civilisation and all that you and we hold dear. May God defend the right.”,
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Bibliographic details
Northern Advocate, 6 September 1939, Page 8
Word Count
375Hitler's Word Worth Nothing Chamberlain States Northern Advocate, 6 September 1939, Page 8
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