The Planning Of Aggression
[Page 14]
Evidence from captured documents has revealed that Hitler
held four secret meetings to which the Tribunal proposes to
make special reference because of the light they shed upon
the question of the common plan and aggressive war.
These meetings took place on the 5th of November, 1937, 23rd
May, 1939, the 22nd of August, 1939, and the 23rd of
November, 1939.
At these meetings important declarations were made by Hitler
as to his purposes, which are quite unmistakable in their
terms.
The documents which record what took place at these meetings
have been subject to some criticism at the hands of
defending Counsel.
Their essential authenticity is not denied, but it is said,
for example, that they do not purpose to be verbatim
transcripts of the speeches they record, that the document
dealing with the meeting on 5th November, 1937, was dated
five days after the meeting had taken place, and that the
two documents dealing with the meeting of 22nd August, 1939
differ from one another, and are unsigned.
Making the fullest allowance for criticism of this kind, the
Tribunal is of opinion that the documents are documents of
the highest value, and that their authenticity and
substantial truth are established.
They are obviously careful records of the events they
describe, and they have been preserved as such in the
archives of the German Government, from whose custody they
were captured. Such documents could never be dismissed as
inventions, nor even as inaccurate or distorted; they
plainly record events which actually took place.
[Page 15]
CONFERENCES OF THE 23RD NOVEMBER, 1939
It will perhaps be useful to deal first of all with the
meeting of 23rd November, 1939, when Hitler called his
Supreme Commanders together. A record was made of what was
said, by one of those present. At the date of the meeting,
Austria and Czechoslovakia had been incorporated into the
German Reich, Poland had been conquered by the German
Armies, and the war with Great Britain and France was still
in its static phase. The moment was opportune for a review
of past events. Hitler informed the Commanders that the
purpose of the Conference was to give them an idea of the
world of his thoughts, and to tell them his decision. He
thereupon reviewed his political task since 1919, and
referred to the secession of Germany from the League of
Nations, the denunciation of the Disarmament Conference, the
order for re-armament, the introduction of compulsory armed
service, the occupation of the Rhineland, the seizure of
Austria, and the action against Czechoslovakia. He stated:
This address, reviewing past events and re-affirming the
aggressive intentions present from the beginning, puts
beyond any question of doubt the character of the actions
against Austria and Czechoslovakia, and the war against
Poland.
For they had all been accomplished according to plan; and
the nature of that plan must now be examined in a little
more detail.
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(Part 1 of
2)
[LORD JUSTICE LAWRENCE, Member for the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, continues]
AND 5TH NOVEMBER, 1937
"One year later, Austria came; this step also was
considered doubtful. It brought about a
considerable reinforcement of the Reich. The next
step was Bohemia, Moravia, and Poland. This step
also was not possible to accomplish in one
campaign. First of all, the western fortification
had to be finished. It was not possible to reach
the goal in one effort. It was clear to me from
the first moment that I could not be satisfied
with the Sudeten German territory. That was only a
partial solution. The decision to march into
Bohemia was made. Then followed the erection of
the Protectorate and with that the basis for the
action against Poland was laid, but I wasn't quite
clear at that time whether I should start first
against the East and then in the West or vice
versa .. 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."
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