Diplomatic Countdown to War September 1939

Discussion in 'General' started by CL1, Feb 9, 2022.

  1. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Diplomatic countdown to war - History of government

    The outbreak of the Second World War is often portrayed as inevitable. Yet over the weekend of 1 to 3 September 1939, there was a flurry of communication, suggesting that not everyone believed war was unavoidable. The armed forces of a number of countries were on alert. So was there a real chance of preserving peace or was it just a matter of going through the diplomatic motions?

    The previous March, following the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, Britain had given a guarantee that if Poland was attacked, they would come to its aid. In August, Hitler demanded that the Danzig Corridor, formerly part of Germany but now part of Poland, be yielded to Germany. The Poles refused, as they had done 3 times previously. They feared that to do so would result in the same outcome experienced by Czechoslovakia; invasion and subjugation.

    Initially, the British Government was unconcerned by Hitler’s demands. Previous difficulties had been solved diplomatically, most recently at Munich in September 1938. However, since March concerns had grown over Hitler’s true ambitions.


    Friday 1 September
    At 4:45am, Germany invaded Poland. Later that morning, Hitler addressed the German parliament falsely claiming that this was in retaliation for Polish attacks. The Polish Government turned to France and Britain to honour their commitments.

    From the British side telegrams were dispatched between London, Rome, Paris, Berlin and Warsaw. A well-connected Swedish engineer and amateur diplomat called Birger Dahlerus was also trying to mediate between Britain and Germany. His efforts might have been less welcome if the British Government knew how strong his connections were to Hermann Göring, President of the German Parliament.

    The debate in the British Parliament was not particularly anti-German, somewhat surprisingly considering the propaganda of the First World War. Just after 6pm, the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, declared:

    We have no quarrel with the German people, except that they allow themselves to be governed by a Nazi government.

    Parliament agreed with the Government’s stance, although some felt Britain should take a stronger position.

    The British and French governments agreed a text to be handed to the Germans. Their ambassadors to Berlin tried to make a joint appointment to deliver it but were unsuccessful. At 9pm, the British Ambassador, Nevile Henderson, handed a copy of the agreed text to the German Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop. It stated that Britain and France did not accept Germany’s actions towards Poland. If Germany did not suspend their actions and agree to promptly withdraw from Poland, the UK would fulfil their obligations to Poland. Henderson, despite pressing for an immediate response as instructed, received none. The French Ambassador met von Ribbentrop at 10am with the same outcome.
    Henderson and von Ribbentrop were barely civil to each other, which reflected their relationship. Henderson’s relationship with Göring was more cordial, but Henderson’s appointment to his post had been partly based on his ability to get along well with dictators.

    Saturday 2 September
    The lack of response to the previous day’s message initially gave the British Foreign Secretary, Viscount Halifax, hope. He wondered whether the delay could mean that Hitler was considering the ultimatum. As the day progressed, his hope faded. The Counsellor at the German Embassy in Paris recognised that France would stand by their treaty obligations to Poland; they would not change position. Basing his views on intercepted British diplomatic correspondence, supported by the opinion of the German Ambassador in London, von Ribbentrop doubted that Britain would act. This failure to recognise the British position accurately later caused Ribbentrop to lose favour with Hitler.

    At 5pm, the British and French Foreign Ministries discussed giving Hitler a time limit to respond to their démarche. The Poles were in favour of this idea. Mussolini had furthermore offered to host a conference to resolve the Danzig matter. The French and British discussed whether this should be conditional on German withdrawal from Poland. Halifax had wondered whether Mussolini’s offer had delayed a German response.
    At 6:30pm the British and Italian Foreign Ministers spoke, the latter acting as an intermediary with Hitler. Was the British communication an ultimatum? No, as Henderson had said, it was a warning. Could Hitler have a response about the conference by midday on 3 September? Britain did not favour a conference whilst German troops were on Polish territory. The French held the same position.

    With so much at stake, there were telephone calls and meetings late into the evening and telegrams sent throughout the night, not just in Berlin, but capital cities all over Europe.

    Sunday 3 September
    At 12:25am and again at 5am the Foreign Office sent telegrams to Henderson instructing him to seek a meeting with Ribbentrop at 9am. The message: unless the British Government received assurances by 11am that German aggression in Poland had ceased, Britain and Germany would be at war. Henderson and Ribbentrop actually met at 9:15am.

    At 10:30am, the British War Cabinet assembled. They had 3 different telegrams prepared to send to the service chiefs, depending on the response from Berlin. Would Germany agree to withdraw from Poland, would war be declared or would it merely be postponed?

    At 10:50am, Dahlerus phoned the British Foreign Office indicating that the German reply was on its way, but might not arrive by 11am. At 11:20am, Henderson met von Ribbentrop at the latter’s request. The 11 page response and the meeting reaffirmed that Germany refused to leave Poland.

    At midday, the French Ambassador called to hand over the text to von Ribbentrop. He was kept waiting whilst the ceremonial presentation of the new Russian Ambassador took place. At Berlin time (11:15am UK time), Chamberlain addressed the nation and announced Britain’s declaration of war. In Berlin, the French Ambassador waited and handed over the text at 12:20am with a deadline of 5pm. He received no response. Germany was once again at war, but not the limited war Hitler had intended at this stage against an Eastern neighbour.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2022
  2. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords...heInternationalSituationStateOfWarWithGermany

    (VISCOUNT HALIFAX)
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    My Lords, the House will recall the communication to the German Government that we made on September 1 and which I reported to your Lordships. In that communication, your Lordships will remember, we instructed His Majesty's Ambassador in Berlin to inform the German Foreign Minister that, unless the German Government were prepared immediately to give His Majesty's Government satisfactory assurances that the German Government had suspended all aggressive action against Poland, and were prepared promptly to withdraw their forces from Polish territory, His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom would, without hesitation, fulfil their obligations to Poland. That communication was made more than thirty-six hours ago and at 7.30 last night, when your Lordships met, I was still not in a position to report any reply received from the German Government. But I repeated that His Majesty's Government would be bound to take action unless the German forces were withdrawn from Polish territory, and I added that we were in communication with the French Government as to the limit of time within which it would be necessary for His Majesty's Government and the French Government to know whether the German Government were prepared to effect such withdrawal.



    In view of reports reaching His Majesty's Government of intensified action against Poland, His Majesty's Government concluded that the situation admitted of no further delay. Accordingly we sent a telegram to the Ambassador last
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    night instructing him to ask for an interview with the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Berlin at nine o'clock this morning and to make to him or, if he was not able to receive him, to a representative of the German Government, the communication which I will read to the House in one moment. We added that if the assurance referred to in that communication was received the Ambassador was to inform me by any means at his disposal before 11 a.m. to-day. If on the other hand no such assurance was received here by 11 a.m. we should inform the German representative in London that a state of war existed as from that hour and the Ambassador in Berlin would act accordingly.


    This was the communication that we instructed His Majesty's Ambassador to make:


    "Sir,


    In the communication which I had the honour to make to you on September 1, I informed you, on the instructions of His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that unless the German Government were prepared to give His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom satisfactory assurances that the German Government had suspended all aggressive action against Poland and were prepared promptly to withdraw their forces from Polish territory, His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom would, without hesitation, fulfil their obligations to Poland.


    Although this communication was made more than twenty-four hours ago, no reply has been received but German attacks upon Poland have been continued and intensified. I have accordingly the honour to inform you that unless not later than 11 a.m. British Summer Time to-day, September 3rd, satisfactory assurances to the above effect have been given by the German Government and have reached His Majesty's Government in London, a state of war will exist between the two countries as from that hour."


    We had a telegram from the Ambassador to say that he had carried out those instructions this morning at 9 a.m., the communication being received on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I am in a position to indicate
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    that the French Ambassador in Berlin is at this moment making a similar communication to the German Government accompanied also by a definite time limit in accordance with the arrangement made between His Majesty's Government and the French Government. No reply having been received from the German Government accepting the conditions of His Majesty's Government, a state of war now exists between this country and Germany and passports have been handed to the German Charge d'Affaires in London. It only remains for me to add that during these days His Majesty's Government have been in constant communication with the Polish Government, both through the Polish Ambassador in London and through His Majesty's Ambassador in Warsaw. I am confident that the whole country will be at one in their admiration for the courage and the resolution of the Polish Government and people, and will be inspired by that feeling in their determination to render to them all help in their power.


    There is one other matter of a more technical kind on which I must say a word. In the financial sphere, the most complete arrangements have been made for meeting the situation. At the Privy Council, which His Majesty is holding at Buckingham Palace, the necessary Order in Council is being made to establish Defence Regulations for the strict control of the exchanges. The details will be stated in the wireless announcement which is about to be made. A Proclamation is being issued which will declare that to-morrow, Monday, is, so far as banks are concerned, a Bank Holiday. This will also apply to Post Office Savings Banks and other savings banks but not to general business. Banks will be open as usual on Tuesday morning for transacting business
     

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