Nazi Conspiracy & Aggression EXPERIMENTS IN AGGRESSION
Before resorting to open aggressive warfare, the Nazis
undertook some rather cautious experiments to test the
spirit and resistance of those who lay across their path.
They advanced, but only as others yielded, and kept in a
position to draw back if they found a temper that made
persistence dangerous.
On March 7, 1936, the Nazis reoccupied the Rhineland and
then proceeded to fortify it in violation of the Treaty of
Versailles and the Pact of Locarno. They encountered no
substantial resistance and were emboldened to take the next
step, which was the acquisition of Austria. Despite repeated
assurances that Germany had no designs on Austria, invasion
was perfected. Threat of attack forced Schuschnigg to resign
as Chancellor of Austria and
[Page 149]
put the Nazi defendant Seyss-Inquart in his place. The
latter immediately opened the frontier and invited Hitler to
invade Austria "to preserve order." On March 12th the
invasion began. The next day, Hitler proclaimed himself
Chief of the Austrian State, took command of its armed
forces, and a law was enacted annexing Austria to Germany.
Threats of aggression had succeeded without arousing
resistance. Fears nevertheless had been stirred. They were
lulled by an assurance to the Czechoslovak Government that
there would be no attack on that country. We will show that
the Nazi Government already had detailed plans for
the attack. We will lay before you the documents in which
these conspirators planned to create an incident to justify
their attack. They even gave consideration to assassinating
their own Ambassador at Prague in order to create a
sufficiently dramatic incident. They did precipitate a
diplomatic crisis which endured through the summer. Hitler
set September 30th as the day when troops should be ready
for action. Under the threat of immediate war, the United
Kingdom and
France concluded a pact with Germany and Italy at Munich on
September 29, 1938 which required Czechoslovakia to
acquiesce in the cession of the Sudetenland to Germany. It
was consummated by German occupation on October 1, 1938.
The Munich Pact pledged no further aggression against
Czechoslovakia, but the Nazi pledge was lightly given and
quickly broken. On March 15, 1939, in defiance of the treaty
of Munich itself, the Nazis seized and occupied Bohemia and
Moravia, which constituted the major part of
Czechoslovakia not already ceded to Germany. Once again the
West stood aghast, but it dreaded war, it saw no remedy
except war, and it hoped against hope that the Nazi fever
for expansion had run its course. But the Nazi world was
intoxicated by these unresisted successes in open alliance
with Mussolini and covert alliance with Franco. Then, having
made a deceitful, delaying peace with Russia, the
conspirators entered upon the final phase of the plan to
renew war.
WAR OF AGGRESSION
I will not prolong this address by detailing the steps
leading to the war of aggression which began with the
invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. The further story
will be unfolded to you documents including those of the
German High Command itself. The plans had been laid long in
advance. As early as 1935 Her appointed the defendant
Schacht to the position of "Gen-
[Page 150]
eral Deputy for the War Economy." (2261-PS). We have the
diary of General Jodl (1780-PS); the "Plan Otto," Hitler's
own order for attack on Austria in case trickery failed (C- 102); the "Plan
Green" which was the blueprint for attack on Czechoslovakia
(88-PS); plans for the War in the West (376-PS, 375-PS);
Funk's letter to Hitler dated 8/2/1939, detailing the long
course of economic preparation (699-PS); Keitel's top secret
mobilization order for 1939-40 prescribing secret steps to
be taken during a "period of tension" during which no "
'state of war' will be publicly declared even if open war
measures against the foreign enemy will be taken." This
latter order (1639-A-PS) is in our possession despite a secret
order issued on March 16, 1945, when Allied troops were
advancing into the heart of Germany, to burn these plans. We
have also Hitler's directive, dated December 18, 1940, for
the "Barbarossa Contingency" outlining the strategy of the
attack upon Russia (446-PS). That plan in the original bears
the initials of the defendants Keitel and Jodl. They were
planning the attack and planning it long in advance of the
declaration of war. We have detailed information concerning
"Case White," the plan for attack on Poland (C120). That
attack began the war. The plan was issued by Keitel on April
3, 1939. The attack did not come until September. Steps in
preparation for the attack were taken by subordinate
commanders, one of whom issued an order on June 14,
providing that:
"The Commander-in-Chief of the Army has ordered the
working out of a plan of deployment against Poland
which takes in account the demands of the political
leadership for the opening of war by surprise and for
quick success *********
"I declare it the duty of the Commanding Generals, the
divisional commanders and the commandants to limit as
much as possible the number of persons who will be
informed, and to limit the extent of the information,
and ask that all suitable measures be taken to prevent
persons not concerned from getting information."
"The operation, in order to forestall an orderly Polish
mobilization and concentration, is to be opened by
surprise with forces which are for the most part
armored and motorized, placed on alert in the
neighborhood of the border. The initial superiority
over the Polish
frontier-guards and surprise that can be expected with
certainty are to be main-
[Page 151]
tained by quickly bringing up other parts of the army
as well to counteract the marching up of the Polish
Army.
"If the development of the Political situation should
show that a surprise at the beginning of the war is out
of question, because of well advanced defense
preparations on the part of the Polish Army, the
Commander-in-Chief 'of the Army will order the opening of the
hostilities only after the assembling of sufficient
additional forces. The basis of all preparations will
be to surprise the enemy." (2327-PS).
We have also the order for the invasion of England, signed
by Hitler and initialed by Keitel and Jodl. It is
interesting that it commences with a recognition that
although the British military position is "hopeless," they
show not the slightest sign of giving in (442-PS).
Not the least incriminating are the minutes of Hitler's
meeting with his high advisers. As early as November 5,
1937, Hitler told defendants Goering, Raeder, and Neurath,
among others, that German rearmament was practically
accomplished and that he had decided to secure by force,
starting with a lightning attack on Czechoslovakia and
Austria, greater living space for German in Europe no later
than 1943-45 and perhaps as early as 193 (386-PS). On May
23, 1939, the Fuehrer advised his staff that
"It is a question of expanding our living space in the
East and of securing our food supplies *********over and
above the natural fertility, thorough-going German
exploitation will enormously increase the surplus."
"There is therefore no question of sparing Poland, and
we are left with the decision: To attack Poland at the
first suitable opportunity. We cannot expect a
repetition of the Czech affair. There will be war." (L-79).
On August 22, 1939 Hitler again addressed members of the
High Command, telling them when the start of military
operations would be ordered. He disclosed that for
propaganda purposes he would provocate a good reason. "It
will make no difference he announced, "whether this reason
will sound conVincing or not. After all, the victor will not
be asked whether he talked the truth or not. We have to
proceed brutally. The stronger is always right." (1014-PS).
On November 23, 1939 after the Germans had invaded Poland,
Hitler made this explanation:
[Page 152]
"For the first time in history we have to fight on only
one front, the other front is at present free. But no
one can know how long that will remain so. I have doubted for a long time whether I should strike in the east and then in the west. Basically I did not organize the armed forces in order not to strike. The decision to strike was always in me. Earlier or later I wanted to solve the problem. Under pressure it was decided that the east was to be attacked first *********" (789-PS).
We know the bloody sequel. Frontier incidents were staged.
Demands were made for cession of territory. When Poland
refused, the German forces invaded on September 1st, 1939.
Warsaw was destroyed; Poland fell. The Nazis, in accordance
with plan, moved swiftly to extend their
aggression throughout Europe and to gain the advantage of
surprise over their unprepared neighbors. Despite repeated
and solemn assurances of peaceful intentions, they invaded
Denmark and Norway on April 9, 1940; Belgium, The
Netherlands and Luxembourg on May 10, 1940; Yugoslavia and
Greece on April 6, 1941.
As part of the Nazi preparation for aggression against
Poland and her allies, Germany, on August 23, 1939 had
entered into a non-aggression pact with Soviet Russia. It
was only a delaying treaty intended to be kept no longer
than necessary to prepare for its violation. On June 22,
1941, pursuant to long matured plans, the Nazis hurled
troops into Soviet territory without any declaration of war.
The entire European world was aflame.
The
original plaintext version
of this file is available via
ftp.
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Volume
I Chapter V
Justice Jackson's Opening Address for the United States of America
(Part 11 of 17)