DOCUMENT 052-L
UNSIGNED MEMORANDUM FROM HITLER TO BRAUCHITSCH, RAEDER, GÖRING, KEITEL, 9 OCTOBER 1939: DIRECTIVES FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR IN THE WEST; VARIOUS MILITARY CONSIDERATIONS; ATTITUDE OF OTHER COUNTRIES, FOR EXAMPLE RUSSIA, ITALY, AMERICA; AND OTHER MATTERS
(EXHIBIT USA-540)

Denkschrift und Richtlinien uber die Fuhrung des Krieges im Westen.
Berlin, den 9. 10. 1939.
Die im Frieden von Munster 1648 besiegelte Auflosung des Ersten Deutschen Reiches fuhrte in der Folgezeit zu jener euro-paischen Staatenondnung, die als sogenanntes Gleichgewicht der Krafte die Bildung sowohl des Franzosischen -als alber beson- ders des Britischen Weltreiches ermoglichte. Dasl entscheidende Merkmal dieses auch England erwiinschten Zustandes war die Aufsplitterung der deutschen Volksmasse bezw. die vertragliche Vwhinderung einer spateren Wiederzusammenfassung in einem einheitlichen Staat. Jeder Versuch einer solchen neuen staat-lichen Auswedung d~es Deutschen Volkes in Europa wurde daher auch als Storung des europaischen Gleichgewichtes empfunden und bekampft. Auch die Britistche Freundschaft gegeniiber PreuBen (...)

Finland skulle leie ut havnebyen Hangö og omkringliggende områder til Sovjetunionen for en 30-års periode. Der skulle det opprettes en marinebase forsvart av kystbatterier tilsvarende batteriet ved Paldiski på den andre siden av Finskebukta, så man kunne sperre innseilingen. På denne basen ville Sovjetregjeringen utstasjonere ett infanteriregiment, to luftvernsseksjoner, to flyregimenter og en panserbataljon tilsvarende 5000 mann.
Den sovjetiske marinen skulle få anvende Lappvik nær Hangö som ankerplass.
Finland skulle avstå noen finske øyer i Finskebukta (deriblant den befestede øyen Mustasaari) og øyen Björkö.
Den finsk-sovjetiske grensen på Karelske nes skulle flyttes 25 km vest fra Leningrad, hvoretter grensen skulle gå fra Lipola til sørkanten av Björkö by.
Finland skulle avstå den vestre delen av Fiskerhalvøya ved Nordishavet.
Befestninger på det Karelske nes skulle destrueres på begge sider av grensen.
Den finsk-sovjetiske ikke-angrepspakten skulle forsynes med en tilleggsklausul om at ingen av partene måtte tilslutte seg noen statsgruppe eller allianse, som direkte eller indirekte var rettet mot motparten.
Sovjetunionen ville ikke motsette seg en befestning av Åland, forutsatt at ingen fremmed makt, heller ikke Sverige, deltok i befestningen.

Som kompensasjon var Sovjetunionen villige til å tildele deler av Repola- og Porajärvi-distriktet (5529 km²) i Øst-Karelen til Finland (som var dobbelt så stort som deres krav til Finland).

Handley Page Halifax var et britisk fire-motors tungt bombefly som ble benyttet av blant annet Royal Air Force under den andre verdenskrig. Flyet fløy første gang 25. oktober 1939, og var i tjeneste under hele krigen. Det siste flyvåpenet som brukte Halifax var det pakistanske, som pensjonerte sine fly i 1961.

Flyet ble også benyttet av Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force og av flyvåpenet i en rekke andre land.

Sir R. Glyn asked the Home Secretary what is the estimated number of aliens in the United Kingdom, and of what nationality; and how many of them have entered the country since September, 1938?
§
Sir J. Anderson The number of aliens registered with the police is 238,074. A return dividing this figure according to nationalities is appended. The periodical returns of passenger traffic show the number of aliens who have come into and gone out of the United Kingdom during a given period; but to ascertain which of the aliens who are in the country on a given date had come in during a given period would require a very laborious examination of all the records. A large proportion of the aliens in the country on any given date are, of course, visitors who will be leaving within a few days, weeks or months. Separate figures are kept of persons known to be refugees, and these show that about 45,000 German, Austrian and Czech refugees have entered the country since September, 1938.
Nationality. 1939.
American 13,665
Austrian 11,989
Belgian 4,207
Bulgarian 79
Chinese 2,652
Czecho-Slovak 7,930
Danish 3,162
Dutch 5,668
Finnish 447
French 11,613
German 62,244
Greek 1,607
Hungarian 3,965
Italian 19,127
Japanese 966
Norwegian 2,220
Polish 8,776
Portuguese 470
Rumanian 2,692
Russian 47,664
Serbian 509
Spanish 3,039
Swedish 2,691
Swiss 10,088
Turkish 866
Others 9,738
238,074


§
Mr. McGovern asked the Home Secretary whether the aliens tribunals are permitted to receive evidence of an anonymous character against alien refugees; if this evidence and the source of the evidence is put before applicants who are summoned before such
tribunals; whether individuals can be interned on such evidence without an
opportunity to rebut it; and if legal defence will be permitted?
§
Sir J. Anderson It is open to the tribunals to consider any evidence which may be placed before them. Having regard to the composition of the tribunals, I am satisfied that untested evidence of an anonymous nature would not be allowed to influence their decisions. It is not open to an alien to employ a barrister or solicitor as his advocate.
§
Mr. Hicks asked the Home Secretary whether he will state the number of foreign nationals engaged in domestic employment in this country at the present time; and whether the regulations that no employer may engage any alien except with the authority of the Minister of Labour, who would only grant a permit if there is a shortage of British labour in that particular industry, applies to domestic employment?
§
Sir J. Anderson The statement which I made on 4th September about the employment of aliens related to aliens who had been admitted to this country on condition that they should not take employment. When such persons are permitted to take employment it is necessary that they should be restricted to occupations in which the Ministry of Labour find that there is a shortage of labour. Until recently the demand for domestic servants has been in excess of the supply and there has been no difficulty in allowing suitable foreign women to enter into domestic service. The question whether in present conditions certain restrictions are desirable to ensure that the position of British domestics who are unemployed shall be in no way prejudiced is now under consideration by my Department and the Ministry of Labour. I regret that no statistics are available showing the total number of foreigners engaged in domestic employment in this country at the present time. Many of those so engaged have been here for many years.

Berlin, October 28, 1939

The Reichsführer SS and
Chief of the German Police
in the Reich Ministry of the Interior

SS-Decree for the Entire SS and Police

[ . . . ]

The old proverb that only he can die in peace who has sons and children must again hold good in this war, particularly for the SS. He can die in peace who knows that his clan and everything that his ancestors and he himself have wanted and striven for will be continued in his children. The greatest gift for the widow of a man killed in battle is always the child of the man she has loved.

Beyond the limits of bourgeois laws and conventions, which are perhaps necessary in other circumstances, it can be a noble task for German women and girls of good blood to become even outside marriage, not light-heartedly but out of a deep moral seriousness, mothers of the children of soldiers going to war of whom fate alone knows whether they will return or die for Germany.

[ . . . ]

During the last war, many a soldier decided from a sense of responsibility to have no more children during the war so that his wife would not be left in need and distress after his death. You SS men need not have these anxieties; they are removed by the following regulations:

1. Special delegates, chosen by me personally, will take over in the name of the Reichsführer SS, the guardianship of all legitimate and illegitimate children of good blood whose fathers were killed in the war. We will support these mothers and take over the education and material care of these children until they come of age, so that no mother and widow need suffer want.

2. During the war, the SS will take care of all legitimate and illegitimate children born during the war and of expectant mothers in cases of need. After the war, when the fathers return, the SS will in addition grant generous material help to well-founded applications by individuals.

SS-Men and you mothers of these children which Germany has hoped for show that you are ready, through your faith in the Führer and for the sake of the life of our blood and people, to regenerate life for Germany just as bravely as you know how to fight and die for Germany.


The Reichsführer SS
H. Himmler



Source of English translation: Jeremy Noakes, ed., Nazism, 1919-1939, Vol. 4: The German Home Front in World War II. Exeter: University of Exeter Press, 1998, pp. 368-69.

Source of original German text: "Geheimerlass des Reichsführer-SS für die gesamte SS und Polizei" (28. Oktober 1939); reprinted in Norbert Westenrieder, Deutsche Frauen und Mädchen! Düsseldorf, 1984, p. 42.

I have the honour to inform you that the Government of the Irish Republic, having as its first duty towards its people the establishment and maintenance of peace and order here, demand the withdrawal of all British armed forces stationed in Ireland. The occupation of our territory by troops of another nation and the persistent subvention here of activities directly against the expressed national will and in the interests of a foreign power, prevent the expansion and development of our institution in consonance with our social needs and purposes, and must cease.

The Government of the Irish Republic believe that a period of four days is sufficient notice for your Government to signify its intentions in the matter of the military evacuation and for the issue of your Declaration of Abdication in respect of our country. Our Government reserves the right of appropriate action without further notice if upon the expiration of this period of grace, these conditions remain unfulfilled.

Oglaigh na h-Éireann (Irish Republican Army).
General Headquarters, Dublin, January 12th,1939, to His Excellency the Rt. Hon. Viscount Halifax, C.G.B.

INTERNATIONAL: Words for War

Never since World War II started has there been less gun-firing and more tongue-clattering than last week. One after another, high-calibre speechmakers like Hermann Göring, Adolf Hitler, George VI, Albert Lebrun, Georgi Dimitroff, Clement Attlee, the Pope, Viscount Halifax, the King of the Belgians, the Queen of The Netherlands, Neville Chamberlain plus generals, dopesters and yes-men sounded off, until old David Lloyd George complained that you did not ask who was winning the war nowadays, but who had said what.

Out-talkingest of them all was Britain's First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill, who, having given a full explanation of how Royal Oak came its cropper (see p. 20), held a pep session on BBC. It contained easily the week's liveliest name-calling.

Führer Hitler was a "cornered maniac," "this monstrous apparition," "that evil man." The Führer and his Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, were "those marvelous twin contortionists" and Dr. Paul Joseph Göebbels and his Ministry for Propaganda and Enlightenment were labeled a "leather-lunged propaganda machine" which indulges in "bloodcurdling threats."

"We have been agreeably surprised that ten weeks have been allotted to us to get into fighting trim," boasted Mr. Churchill. "We are far better prepared to endure the worst malice of Hitler and his Huns than we were at the beginning of September!" If Germany does not choose now to attack, continued the First Lord, "we shall profit to the full by the time put at our disposal. . . .

"But General Göring—beg pardon, Field Marshal Göring, who is one of the few Germans who has been having a pretty good time for the last few years—says that we have been spared so far because Nazi Germany is so humane. . . . When we remember the bestial atrocities they have committed in Poland, we do not feel we wish to ask for any favors."

Mr. Churchill admitted that he had not always agreed with Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, although the two had "always been personal friends. But he is a man of very tough fiber," the First Lord added, "and I can tell you that he's going to fight as obstinately for victory as he did for peace."

"They [the Nazis] have not chosen to molest the British Fleet, which has awaited their attack in the Firth of Forth during last week. They recoil from the steel front of the French Army along the Maginot Line. But their docile conscripts are being crowded in vast numbers upon the frontiers of Holland and Belgium. To both these States the Nazis have given most recent and solemn guarantees. No wonder anxiety is great. No one believes one word Hitler and the Nazi Party say and therefore we must regard that situation as grave. . . . If we are conquered, all will be enslaved and the United States will be left single-handed to guard the rights of man. If we are not destroyed, all these countries will be rescued and restored to life and freedom."

GERMAN-MADE CHRISTMAS CARDS.
HC Deb 21 November 1939 vol 353 c993 993

§ 3. Commander Locker-Lampson
asked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that large numbers of German-made Christmas cards are likely to be sold shortly in competition with English makes; and what steps he will take to stop this?

§ The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Oliver Stanley)
I have been informed that Christmas cards made in Germany were imported before the outbreak of the war and may shortly be on sale. I have no power to prohibit their sale, and any such prohibition would in no way prejudice the enemy but would inflict loss and injustice on the importers in this country.

§ Commander Locker-Lampson
May I ask whether in future, and indeed even now, the country of origin could not be marked on them?

§ Mr. Stanley
I have no power to require that.