Left: Danzig and the Polish Corridor coloured green with MS-Paint. El Pueblo Gallego, August 27, 1939, page 1.
Right: Danziger demonstration. El Pueblo Gallego, July 12, 1939, page 1.
Left: Danzig and the Polish Corridor coloured green with MS-Paint. El Pueblo Gallego, August 27, 1939, page 1.
Right: Danziger demonstration. El Pueblo Gallego, July 12, 1939, page 1.
| The reader is reminded that Galician newspapers were at this time subject to strict Fascist censorship and that the profound sympathy felt toward Nazi Germany by the Nationalist camp of the Spanish Civil War tinged their content. On the positive side this allows a fair reading of the German response to events leading up to the outbreak of the Second World War. |
Warsaw. The report that pointed to the existence of certain German pressures to resolve the problem of Danzig has been officially refuted, averring instead that both peoples keep in close contact, the evidence of profound friendship.
It is stated in Polish circles that Poland wishes to continue the policy of the 1934 agreement which both sides have adhered to faithfully.
The Political and Diplomatic Correspondence note is sporadic in nature, so its importance should not be overplayed bearing in mind that the relations between the countries are perfect.
[...]
The governmental press of Warsaw declares that many democratic countries promised Poland aid and protection at the end of the War but forsook her when she had to defend her borders against Bolshevism. Germans and Italians were the only ones who helped out. Poland can not forget that and shrugs off external pressures and propaganda on her commitment to maintain a policy of friendship with the Reich.
Warsaw. Colonel Beck the Minister of Foreign Affairs will speak next week in the Chamber on the problem of Danzig. Today he conferred with several names, the President of the Republic among others.
Warsaw, 5. Colonel Beck the Minister of Foreign Affairs gave this morning in the Chamber his awaited reply to the Führer. The heralded response had raised great expectation around the world.
Source: Polish webpage. Colorization: Lunapic.
The minister declared that the effects of the international situation had reached Poland during the past few months. "Important events have taken place in the interval."
He alluded to the Anglo-Polish alliance, asserting that neither country harbours hostile sentiments toward Germany. "This Anglo-Polish alliance has been exploited by the Führer to denounce the Polish-German non-aggression pact without consulting either England or Poland. All the enquiries made by our Ambassador in Berlin have been foiled to this day. Our country rejects the interpretation that Hitler has given to this matter."
In reference to Danzig he stated that the port is vital to Poland's overseas trade. "In regard to the Corridor we have offered to expedite the through traffic provided this does not entail a threat to our sovereignty."
[...]
Beck wants peace to have real meaning. "If the Reich accepts this principle we have no objection to the start of negotiations. In that case they must be based on the premise that we do not admit the concept of 'peace at any price' because anything that has no price has no value."
Referring to his latest visit to London, he stated that he discovered that British statesmen not only display a profound knowledge of broad European politics but also a temper that let him discuss all questions with absolute frankness and confidence.
[...]
"Poland does not pretend to exert any political, economic or cultural influence in Danzig. The freedom of the German population there is not under threat."
He closed by rejecting the pretense of barring Poland from direct access to the Baltic Sea.
Paris. The evening Press publishes the speech of Colonel Beck in the Warsaw Chamber and expresses solidarity with the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs. The portion of his speech devoted to Danzig is interpreted here as a rejection of the German proposals. It is assumed that Germany will take advantage of the conciliatory tone to reach an amicable solution. Separately it is known that Italy is using her influence near Poland to encourage such an outcome. The firm tone of Beck's speech rests on the support of the French and British democracies. The purpose is to make Germany understand that the democracies are not bluffing and that any act of aggression committed against Poland would mean the start of a war in Europe.
Berlin. It is reported that Poles organized a demonstration yesterday against German libraries in Warsaw. After the rally that was organized by the National Union Party and by nationalist democrats the demonstrators paraded an effigy resembling the Führer through the streets and subsequently set fire to it in front of the monument to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The demonstrators shouting "Out with Hitler!" tried to reach the German Consulate but were thwarted by the Police.
Paris. The declaration made by Daladier in the Chamber of Deputies has shocked France. Daladier stated that France was not willing to let European states lose their independence once more. "If the question of Danzig induces Germany to put the integrity and independence of Poland at risk," declared the head of government, "this could ignite a war in which France would take the side of her ally Poland." His statement aroused great excitement particularly in Paris with repetitive assertions that French mothers are not disposed to let their sons die over an issue like Danzig which historically belongs to Germany.
Berlin. The speeches of Daladier and Chamberlain relative to their readiness to intervene in a war started by Germany versus Poland have had very little impact here despite the pretense of the heads of democratic governments to rouse fear and cower Germany.
"The Reich is ready to solve the problem of Danzig in Berlin," say the newspapers, "for that city is essentially German and there is no doubt about its overwhelming majority being not only Germans but Nazi supporters, up to 80% of a population that also shelters Jews and Poles. Germany is alert and watching for the right moment since reason assists her on this question of Danzig, an essentially German city that was torn away from the Fatherland by the wicked Treaty of Versailles."
The last forty-eight hours log a certain disappointment for the democratic powers. The Danzig question is not going the way they wished. To start with, not only have the Germans not occupied the Free City, there are no motives to suppose that they intend to do so.
We have the great regard for Poland we deem we ought to have. It is a friendly country whose Catholic tradition moves us to empathy. Let it be known therefore that we do not contend her points of view. In fact we do not delve into the gist of the matter on these daily quarto sheets written on the fly every night to acquaint the reader with the day's international doings. We leave the in-depth analysis to our Camilo Barcia Trelles whose authoritative take on international politics appears daily in our columns.
On the other hand what sets the problem of Danzig apart is that it no longer is the problem of Danzig. Is it the pretext sought to spark a war? The hypothesis does not seem absurd to us. And we find a new reason to endorse it in the disappointment manifested in London and Paris over the past forty-eight hours [...] In other words, when the spectre of war fades a little, the powers that say they are for peace let show a certain displeasure.
Poland stated on Sunday that it saw no impediment to the planned visit of Chancellor Hitler to Danzig this next August nor to the port visit of a German warship coincident with his. That Germany should have asked Poland's view of the matter was already a sign that Hitler does not intend to use force against the Free City. Moreover rumours began circulating about the feasibility and probability of an exchange of views between Berlin and Warsaw in order to reach a satisfactory and peaceful resolution of the issue.
This does not appear to satisfy the democratic powers. A certain spleen is detectable in their newspapers and radio programs. The gambit was well prepared. It was necessary to accuse Germany of committing an act of aggression to light the fuse of a global conflict in the name of the right of nations to self-government. The letdown is huge because it turns out that Danzig, precisely brandishing that very right, seems inclined to solicit admission to the Reich. And the grief of the democratic powers would deepen if there arose even a remote possibility of Poland agreeing to discuss the matter directly with Germany.
Evidently the problem of Danzig has ceased being the problem of Danzig. Said another way: those who fuss about it, forecasting seemingly inevitable catastrophic consequences, do not give a hoot about Danzig.
It is all about an anti-German campaign, plain and simple. That is why yesterday Monday's British press requested the return of Churchill and Eden to the government. "The British people would regard it with great pleasure," say the London newspapers, "because Mr. Eden left the Cabinet over differences of criterion with the Prime Minister on international issues; and it is evident that Mr. Eden was right." Clearly the one who "was right" propounded a policy of violence unlike Mr. Chamberlain who preferred conciliatory ways to preserve the peace.
And just as Danzig is not what really matters to Paris and London in the question of Danzig, so peace means a farthing to those who declare themselves the sole paladins of peace. What truly matters is to wrack Germany and Italy even if that means allying with the Soviet.
Paris. According to news sent from Danzig to the Havas News Agency, over a hundred Polish shipyard workers were laid off.
Berlin. In regard to the loan of twenty million [Hungarian] forints which Poland wishes to extend to Danzig, it is affirmed that the Free City will not accept a single penny, demanding instead that Poland reimburse Danzig for the forty million forints it owes in concept of Customs duties.
Danzig. Many people who belonged to Leftist parties were rounded up and detained.
Berlin, 19. The size of the police force in the free city of Danzig has been increased to four thousand officers to safeguard the city against troublemakers spurred by Polish circles.
London, 19. Mandel (sic) questioned the Government in the House of Commons as to whether it deemed the dispatch of Anglo-French troops to Danzig advisable to show the firm stance of both countries in the defence of Poland's rights. Butler the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs answered with a resounding "No" and added that rumours about a concentration of German artillery in Danzig menacing the port of Gdynia were to his knowledge unconfirmed.
London. The declaration that the problem of Danzig will not be solved via military force was received in London with great satisfaction. Berlin's declaration coincides with those of Chamberlain and Lord Halifax stating that the Danzig suit can be decided peaceably. The Reuters Agency correspondent says that there is no reason to depict the Nazi Congress of Nuremberg as a conference of war instead of peace.
Warsaw. Gazeta Polska the semi-official organ publishes an article written by its correspendent in Danzig entitled, "Complementary truth about Danzig," which describes a military buildup in the Free City. Outstanding excerpts follow.
"Before the crisis of the month of March the Police force of Danzig numbered 1,000 men. Presently it has three regiments of 1,500 men each, the total equivalent of an Infantry division. The security police today doubles the size of the regular police. Almost all new officers are Germans who arrived during the months of May and June as tourists from East Prussia.
"The most important military centers of Danzig are currently in Markao (?) but troops are temporarily housed in Danzig's power station, in the slaughterhouse and in many buildings of the Elysium complex. Some troops are also billeted in schools. The troops will billet in these places until the construction of a military garrison is finished within a few weeks.
"Last week the following military equipment was debarked at Danzig under the cover of night: three Artillery units, several anti-aircraft batteries, thirty-six anti-tank guns and thirty-six light artillery pieces. Additionally several 155 mm guns were installed on the coastline."
The article ends by saying that these measures can not be considered defensive because Poland does not harbour any hostility toward the Free City.
Warsaw. The Polish government agency reports that Danzig police have deported three hundred political detainees to Berlin who had been imprisoned for several days.1 One detainee was sentenced to death. The agency stresses that deporting political prisoners to Berlin breaches the Statute of the Free City.
Seville. Back from Germany via Lisbon, where they debarked, are Pilar Aranda the provincial secretary of the Women's Branch of Falange Española together with local delegate Pilar Real, aide Pilar Medina and other affiliates who represented Andalusia at the "Joy of Work" Congress held in Hamburg.
They are positively impressed with their experience and grateful for the countless courtesies that Germany indulged them with.
Their participation in the grandiose parade through the streets of Hamburg was celebrated by the bystanders with hoorays for Spain and for Franco.
They performed several folk dances which were a great hit with the Germans, especially the ones native to Aragon and Andalusia.
They also took a cruise through Norwegian waters.
They paid a visit to all the monuments of Berlin.
They were pampered continually.
The Falangists of Seville presented a Spanish Romantic period painting to the Führer and a copy of the classical Andalusian work, La Tierra de María Santísima, (The Land of Mary Most Holy") to Dr. Goebbels.
Both gifts were highly appreciated and accepted with pleasure.
The farewell send-off at dockside in Hamburg was unforgettable.1
[...]
London. In an interview given to the correspondent of the Daily Express, Forster the Nazi headman of Danzig accuses Great Britain of inciting Poland to war.
He adds that if Poland keeps blocking Danzig's right to sell its commodities in the Polish market the Free City's economic survival would be in peril and Danzig would be forced to join the Reich right away.
He also affirmed that if war should break out Poland would not be able to prosecute its threat of occupying the Free City as easily as it is supposed. Instead the Polish territory would be occupied by the German Army in the span of a few days.
Danzig, 7. This morning the German steamship "City of Danzig" (Hansestadt Danzig) rescued the crew of a Polish military airplane. The Polish aircraft was clearly seen to be doing loops over and photographing the vessel below when too absorbed in the stunt, it seems, the pilot made a wrong turn and the aircraft nose-dove into the sea.1
Nimble and with exemplary resolve German sailors mounted a rescue operation and pulled both Polish pilots out of the water. The rescue operation lasted ten minutes and proceeded almost without doing an inertia stop. The two airmen debarked this afternoon.
Warsaw. [Forster] the Nazi "Gauleiter" has flown to Berlin to hold talks with Chancellor Hitler and receive appropriate instructions for the next stage of the problem of Danzig.
Berlin. The Polish press lambasts Danzig and Germany severely, even to the extent of suggesting the shelling of the Free City. A German newspaper rebuffs this Polish campaign and states that Germany is not willing to tolerate any longer the tantrums and insults of Poles who lose their composure. The Reich's press asserts that Poland, coddled and egged on by England, feels a growing penchant for conquest. And it adds that no one should think that after a blow against Danzig Germany would remain with arms folded.
Berlin, 10. A great demonstration was held tonight in the Free City to protest Poland's threats to flatten the city of Danzig with a cannonade.
Albert Forster the regional National-Socialist leader spoke at the event. He said that his words had for goal the rejection of Poland's threats.
"This speech is not intended to merely send a few sensationalist words to the world," he said, "for the moment is too grave for that.
"Danzig is tired of hearing the bellicose tirades and threats of Poland. It is time to speak up.
"It is demonstrable that Danzig wants peace, but after the threats of the last few days, fomented by the official circles of Poland, it is necessary to state clearly what Danzig thinks once and for all.
"Poland must take good notice of the following points:
"First. Threats of war do not intimidate or frighten us.
"Second. We the National-Socialists have steadied the Danzigers' nerves now.
"Third. We are prepared to repulse any Polish act of aggression versus Danzig.
"Fourth. Let Poland understand that the Reich and Hitler will know how to defend Danzig against any act of aggression."
Forster then cited the statements of various foreign personages corroborating the premise that it is no longer possible to maintain the absurd verdict of the Treaty of Versailles on Danzig.
"Ever since its foundation eight hundred years ago Danzig has always belonged to Germany," Forster said. "In 1919 she was pried from the Fatherland and for twenty years became the object of all the abuses committed by Poland in every facet of daily life."
He finished by expressing his hope that another demonstration would soon be held, not one of protest but of joy over her return to the Reich, this being the fervent wish of every Danziger.1
Fürth, 12. More than thirty thousand people heard Forster the Gauleiter of Danzig deliver an address. The following assertions stand out:
"It may be said that Danzig has become the geopolitical center of the world. I would have preferred that the British and their newsmen had mulled over the question of Danzig and other provinces wrested from the Reich as much back in 1919 as they are doing presently.
"All these questions will be resolved rationally. Today too the Free City is denied the right to decide her destiny. The Reich has eighty million Germans, the most powerful and best equipped army in the world, a leader who wants and knows how to safeguard the honour and the rights of all Germans, This certitude gives me renewed strength and faith to declare that the transfer of Danzig to the Reich will become a reality come what may."
Berlin. "The Poland of 1939 is the same Poland of 1782,1 i.e., a curse on civilization, a menace to European peace and a punishment for her own citizens." These are the essential words of today's editorial in the newspaper organ of Marshall Goering.2
The editorial also censures Poland for believing that neighbouring countries are inferior, forgetting that they are in fact vastly superior to the Polish nation in all aspects materially and spiritually.
Warsaw. News from Danzig state that Free City police arrested two Polish Customs officials aboard a motorboat in the port of Danzig. No official confirmation of the news was obtained initially, but later Danzig police confirmed the detention of the officials on suspicion of smuggling. The driver of the motorboat, a Polish national, was also detained.
Warsaw. The government sent a note to the Government of Danzig demanding the immediate release of the three Customs inspectors detained on Sunday.
Danzig, 15. The bridge over the River Vistula will be open to railway traffic next Saturday. This bridge will link the territory of Danzig with Oriental Prussia.
Berlin, 16. The incident occurred at 3:20 AM in Kohling, a hamlet in Danziger territory located two hundred and fifty meters from the border. Customs officers perceived a Polish soldier some eight meters away. They gave the order to halt, but the Polish soldier raised the rifle to his face and opened fire. The three Customs officers returned fire and he died instantly. A posthumous search revealed that the Polish soldier carried ninety-six cartridges and five more in the magazine including the one he fired.
Polish authorities proceeded to lock down the frontier with Upper Silesia, barring [...] ten thousand workers in the region from going to their jobs in the mines.
Berlin. German newspapers today say in reference to Danzig that the problem is the exclusive concern of Germany and Poland. Hence the proposition of holding international negotiations will be rejected.
Berlin, 17. The Polish terror campaign against German minorities has taken a more serious turn, for not only are Germans being persecuted and mistreated, so are the Ukrainians too. Over two hundred individuals were detained in recent days including the board of directors of the local Credit Bank of Ukraine.
"The Evening Standard" newspaper reports from Warsaw that the Polish Government will tomorrow publish a decree confiscating the German homesteads lying on the borderland. The properties will be handed over to Polish farmers. The number of German fugitives fleeing to Germany rises daily. The number to date is calculated to be 76,235.
Berlin. According to news received from Paris the Anglo-French-Soviet talks being held in Moscow will be discontinued.
Berlin. The German Government has notified Warsaw that it leaves an open door to negotiate the problem of Danzig but cautions that Danzig is not the only question to be resolved, the question of the Polish Corridor must be tackled as well.
Berlin. The newspapers publish today the news that the Government of Poland has ordered the closure of its frontier with the Protectorates of Bohemia and Moravia and with Slovakia.
Warsaw. It is avowed that some German troop detachments are stationed a hundred meters from the Polish border.
Danzig, 17. For the first time tomorrow there will be a parade of Heimwerh members in the Free City. One thousand five hundred men will take part in this demonstration which will be presided over by Forster.
Danzig, 18. The Polish Commissar-General in Danzig had new talks with the President of the Senate today. Tonight the new Army, whose existence had been denied of late, staged its first parade. Soldiers were equipped with modern rifles, heavy machine guns and field guns.
Bucharest. The evening press adamantly warns Poland again that she should not oppose the incorporation of Danzig to the Reich. The press recalls that the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs himself has acknowledged the German identity of Danzig and adds that if the Poles have vested economic interests in the city they had better deal with Germany directly.
The question pops out of people's mouths constantly. There is a latent disquiet in the air, a despondence, something like the foreboding of the inevitable.
And yet the reality is that nothing is happening. The reality is that the democracies, among the many tricks and skills they handle, rely on this one trick of conjuring ghosts before the eyes of public opinion so that the masses, stunned by their horrible semblance, should conveniently forget or ignore other issues.
Danzig is the ghost being conjured now. Gunrunning, military plots, infiltration of German troops... As people ponder these reports, they are frightened, they make comments one to another, they guess the future. They hardly have time to learn about the failures of British diplomacy in the Far East, to cite just one motive of Foreign Office displeasure, or about the constant recesses in the Anglo-French-Russian talks where the men of London and Paris are stacking day after day, for the sake of securing the establishment of that "eastern front" so coveted by the democracies, the prettiest pile of humiliations and snubs registered by History.
Danzig, handled with intrigue more than skill, plays perfectly its role of screen concealing the missteps that some countries make the world over.
Danzig is the "bogeyman" that Fate has saddled us with this season until a more interesting distraction for naive folk pops up in the turbulent tide. When that day comes we will have verified that nothing did really happen in Danzig, that the problem, real, not frightening, was resolved logically at the opportune moment.1
Danzig, 21. Forster the "gauletier" of the Free City gave a brief discourse before the Nazi assembly of Danzig. He lambasted Poland for the brutal procedures she uses against German residents and finished by averring that Hitler will soon set foot in Danzig.
Berlin. The Governments of Germany and Russia have concerted a non-aggression treaty.
Next Wednesday von Ribbentrop the Reich's Minister of Foreign Relations will arrive in Moscow.
Moscow's press highlights the new crucial stage of Germano-Russian relations in the commercial and political spheres (Radio Berlin).
Berlin, 21. Tonight's Berlin press leaves no doubt about the firm determination of Germany to find a quick solution to the problems pending with Poland. The Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung (DAZ) writes that every German today knows that the question of Danzig must be resolved and that, as Forster said last Sunday, the current frontiers can not stay put. In addition the British were told repeatedly that the persecution of our compatriots amounts to a test of German honour. The excesses committed by Poland in recent days precipitate a solution. In keeping with the words of an official Italian newspaper, the trail on the edge of the abyss is straitening ever more for Poland. The DAZ adds that the essence is not whether the issue should be solved but how to solve it. This is not a question but a duty. DAZ mentions that "The Times" of London has defended supposed Polish "vital rights" in an article plagued with threats, and retorts that such "rights" were never a point of discussion, they could have been guaranteed any other way but never at the expense of a German city.
Warsaw, 21. The press continues dousing oil on the flames as if war were its sole desire. All the newspapers including the semi-official "Gazeta Polska" write that there is no longer any hope of preserving the peace.
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