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May
11,1939
Mr. Chamberlain reaffirms the British pledge.
Speaking in London the Premier says: '' 'In
many minds the danger spot in Europe to-day js
Danzig. While our assurances to Poland'are clear
and precise, and although we shall be gfad to see
the differences between Poland and Germany
' amicahly settled by discussion; and although we
think
that they could and should be so settled,
if
an attempt were made to change the situation by
force in such a way as to threaten Polish independ–
ence, that would inevitably start a general confla–
gration in which this coUIitry would be involved."
May
12,1939
Anglo-Turkish Mutual .Aid Pact announced.
May
27,1939
New Anglo-French proposals are presented to'
Moscow. ,
.
Mr.
Ghamberlain says in the House of Commons
that he hopes these proposals will lead very soon
to
full
agreement.
On May 31, Molotov, Russian Premier and
_Foreign Minister, defines Soviet Foreign 120licy
in
.an important
~I'.eech.
He_
~ays
:
,
"We stand for peace and for preventing a further
development of aggression, but we must remember
Comrade Stalin's precept to be cautious and not to
allow our country to be drawn into coflflicts by
warmongers who are
ac~stomed
to have others
pull the cnestnuts out of the 'fire for them-.
June
2,1939
Soviet repl£es to British counter-proposals.
Pravda
says the Soviet Note makes four
minimum demands.
~1)
British-Franco-Soviet pact
for effective mutual assistance against aggression.–
(2) Agreement by Soviet to assist States guaran–
teed by Britair}. and France. (3) Guarantee by
Britain,
France~
and Soviet to assist Finland,
Estonia and Latvia should their neutrality be
violated. (4) Concrete agreement about the
methods aI).d form and extent of help to be
rendered.
Reluctance of Baltic States to accept guarantee
and difficulty in .defining violation of neutrality are
. main obstacles to agreement. On June 7,
Mr.
Chamberlain announces that
Mr.
WilliaIil Strang
. of the Foreign Office, is to go to Moscow to assist
- the negottations, hitherto carried on only by the
Ambassador.
Mr.
Lloyd George .writes that to
·send on a Foreign Office official instead ·of a
leadiIlg statesman is' an "insult to
Russia.'~
Mr.
Strang arrives
in
Moscow-on June
14,
hands in new British proposals. . Official Russian
statement says results of first talks ru-e "not
l'iatlre
POIt,
September
9, 1939
. Ribbentrop and Hitler
In
fhe
Chancellery
-in
Ber4in, Hitler shakes hands with his Foreign
Minister, Ribbenttop,
on
the
successful completion of the Nazi-Soviet
Pact, while General Goering looks on.
entirely favourable."
Izvestia
says the new pro–
posals "do not represent_any progress."
. On June 29, Zhdanov, of the Soviet Foreign
Affairs Commission, complains that of the 75
days' negotiations
16
days had been taken by the
Soviet to consider replies, and 59 by
Bri~ain.
June
8, 1939
,
Lord Halifax defines British foreign policy.
"Provided the independence of nations is
recognised," he says, "we are not only willing, but
anxious to explore the whole question of economic
lebensraum
net only for Germany but. for every–
body
ip.
all.European nations."
Four days later, to correct misapprehensions
that his speech was a revival of appeasement, Lord
Halifax says that while Britain favours settlement
by negotiation, she will meet force with force. .
His speech is attacked in Germany as insincere.
The
ViJlkisch;er Beobachter
says: "We have had
enough words. Let us have deeds."
June
14,
1939
Latvia rejects the Soviet .proposals for a
guarantee of independence of the Baltic States.
June
23,1939
.
Franco- Turkish mutual assistance pact signed.
On June
25
Mr.
Winston Churchill in a speech
in London
say~
the next three months will be a
period of great international ' tension. War or
peace will depend on the will of one man–
Hitler. The British nation has reached the limit of
its patience, and will resist further aggression.
June
24-29, 1939
policy of deterring aggressors by making it easier
for the U. S.,to help the democracies in case of war.
July
1
and
2, 1939
Nazi activity in Danzig speeded up.
Poles stand firm. Germany continues to pour
arms into Danzig.
Mr.
Chamberlain broadcasts:
"Let no one make the mistake of supposing that
we are not ready to throw our whole strength into
the scale
if
need be to resist aggression."
Hess, Hitler's deputy, says: "Old English songs
played on new instruments will not impress us ."
Poland lays down following conditions :
(1)
Danzig must not be incorporated within the
Reich;
(2)
Danzig must remain in the Polish
customs system; (3) Polish rights and interests in
Danzig must remain free of control exercised by
any foreign power.
On July io,
Mr.
Chamberlain in the House of
Commons makes it clear that the British pledge
to Poland includes action taken by Poland to
preserve her rights in Danzig.
July
11, 1939
New Neutrality Bill is shelved by U.S. Senate
Foreign Relations Committee despite Mr. Roosevelt's
wish to replace existing Neutrality Act.
Final effort by the President a week later to
get the arms embargo lifted fails.
July
21, 1939
Germany says Danzig must return to the Reich
"unconditionally," continues to militarise Danzig.
July
31, 1939
Announced that Franco-British military mission
Increased Polish-German tension over Danzig.
is to go to Moscow to begin staff talks.
Germans send men and munitions into ··the
Free City, organise military and police units.
New British proposals have been handed to
Mr.
Chamberlain says at Cardiff on June
25:
Moscow on July
1.
Question of "indirect aggres- '
"The future of Europe is being poisoned by the
sion" to the guaranteed States have then become
propaganda of false and unfounded suspicions."
the outstanding question.
He denies any wish to encircle Germany.
The missions arrive in Moscow on August
11.
On the Slme day, while reports that Gerinany is
Negotiations begin straight away. The Soviet
contemplating a coup in Danzig are rife, Lord
makes it clear. that it considers the attendance of
Halifax reiterates Britain's determination to resist
Polish delegates essential. It later becomes known
aggression. He says: "In the past we have
that the talks are he.ld up because of Pol:md's
always stood out against the attempt by any single
w
YlfWal. t\Y
ai»>v;
1l-~1¥1
et"<4>P§
9DchW lff1'ltOry.
Power to dominate Europe at the expense of other
The. lack of plen
owers held b the Franco-
nations and British policy is, therefore, only r6l!i0ns
aw-
e
!hey
following the inevimble line of its own history
if
U:>
s for
such an attempt were to be made again."
e
e
June
30,
1939
~
p.
U.S. House of Representatives votes for con-
August 19, 1939.
tinuance of Arms embargo.
A Russo-German trade pact is announced.
Newspapers both
in
U.S.A. and the Continent
All this while the Germans have been working
. describe this as a set-:back to
Mr.
Roosevelt's
feverishly against time, behind the scenes.
21-
/