THE NOBEL PRIZE NOMINEE (“Hidden Traces of the Grey Wolf”)

On 17 May 1933, the new German Chancellor delivered a speech on foreign policy in the Reichstag. He appealed to the nations for peace and understanding. He made the following proposal to the leaders of Europe:

• Germany will readily disband all her armed forces and destroy even the remnants of her armaments if the neighboring states do the same to the same extent.
• Germany is prepared to completely abandon all offensive armaments if other countries, for their part, destroy their offensive armaments within a certain period and if international agreements prohibit their use.
• Germany is prepared to give up offensive arms at any time if the rest of the world does the same.
• Germany is ready to join any non-aggression pact because she does not want to attack anyone, but thinks only of her security…

The Chancellor had been a soldier in the First World War and realized that the war was not over and would continue because France continued to arm itself and the French Communists wanted to cooperate with the Communists in Russia against Germany.
Even the opposition applauded his speech. But there was no reaction from the European leaders.

The countries of Europe continued to replenish their arsenals of weapons and explosives and to increase their numbers of troops. In October 1933, the League of Nations, set up by the victorious powers after the First World War, responded to the German Chancellor’s peace proposals by declaring that Germany, as a partner in the organization, would first have to undergo a “trial period” before the disarmament of other countries could be discussed with it. Under such ultimatums, it was impossible to reach an agreement with the organization. Germany announced its withdrawal from the League of Nations and invited its members to review its charter under the section on “partnership”.

Two months later, on the 18th of December 1933, the German Chancellor made another proposal to improve international relations. This proposal contained the following six points

• Germany would have full equality with other states.
  -The heavily armed states will no longer increase their armaments.
• Germany subscribes to this agreement and guarantees that it will use this equality in such a way as not to endanger the security of any European state.
• All States recognize the obligation to conduct war based on humane principles or to completely exclude the possibility of using weapons against civilians.
• All States will ensure full control over the fulfillment of these obligations.
• The European nations guarantee each other the unconditional maintenance of peace by non-aggression pacts renewed every ten years.
  Chancellor also proposed increasing the size of the German army to 300,000 men, a necessary amount given the length of Germany’s borders and the size of its neighbors’ armies.

The exchange of diplomatic notes that followed this proposal lasted several years and ended with France’s refusal. All these years were accompanied by a considerable increase in the armed forces of France, Great Britain, and Russia.

January 1934. The German government concluded a ten-year non-aggression pact with Poland. After Piłsudski died in 1935, the Polish rulers ignored this treaty, and their units carried out provocative sorties and armed attacks on the German civilians of Danzig and East Prussia.

21 May 1935. The German Chancellor addresses the Reichstag in the presence of journalists from the world’s press. He again called on all nations to live in peace, equality, and mutual respect:
“The German Government is prepared to take an active part in all measures which can lead to a practical limitation of armaments. This means a return to the principles of the Geneva Convention and the Red Cross and means, first of all, the gradual abolition and prohibition of weapons and methods of warfare which are in themselves contrary to the Geneva Convention and the Red Cross. Here the German government is referring to weapons that bring death and destruction, not to troops, but to women and children. The German government sees the idea of banning airplanes as ineffective, leaving open the question of bombing. It sees the possibility of banning certain types of weapons that violate international law, and the world community should call to order those nations that still use them.
The government also believes that incremental progress is the best way to succeed. For example, the use of gas bombs, incendiary bombs, and high-explosive bombs outside of war zones should be banned. This restriction could then be extended to a ban on all bombing. But since bombing is still permitted, any restriction on the number of bombers would lead to the rapid adaptation of other aircraft for this purpose…
If, under the Geneva Convention, the killing of defenseless wounded or prisoners of war was put to an end, it would be possible, through a similar convention, to prohibit and put a definitive end to the bombing of defenseless civilians. In such a fundamental way of solving the problem, Germany sees greater security for peoples and countries than in pacts and military agreements.

The German government is prepared to agree to any restrictions that would lead to the elimination of the heaviest weapons, especially those that can be used for aggression. Such weapons include heavy artillery and heavy tanks. Because of the powerful fortifications on the French border, this abolition of heavy weapons automatically gives France almost one hundred percent security.
Germany declares that it is prepared to accept any restrictions on artillery, battleships, cruisers, and torpedo boats. Similarly, the German government is prepared to accept any international restrictions on the size of warships. Finally, it is prepared to accept tonnage limits for submarines or their complete abolition by international agreement…”

Even the conservative British ‘Times’ called the German Chancellor’s speech “reasonable, honest and thorough”. However, the proposals met with no response from politicians. On the contrary, France allied with Russia to increase its influence on the continent and increase the pressure on Germany from the east.

In June 1935, a maritime agreement was signed with Great Britain. It was of great importance for relations between the two powers because it canceled many of the unjust clauses of the Treaty of Versailles. German leaders especially wanted peace and understanding with the British. Knowing well the history of the first Germanic Huns who settled in the British Isles, they saw the British as a kindred people.
In making his political and military proposals, the German Сhancellor was careful not to hurt British interests or offend the feelings of the British. He had a complete understanding with Prime Minister Lord Chamberlain, and it was during these years that he signed peace agreements in all areas between the two countries. Winston Churchill, who succeeded Chamberlain, was on the side of the Rothschild bankers who had lost their financial profits in Germany, for which they hated the German leader.

The German Chancellor was also loyal to France, but its occupation of the German industrial areas of the Ruhr created a wall of conflict between the two countries. Today that wall between Ukraine and Russia is the coal Donbass. All the Chancellor’s peace proposals were not accepted by the British and French governments. They were blocked by the exclusive desire of these powers for political dominance on the continent. The bankers of the Rothschild clan who had built their financial empire did not want to have another empire in Europe. The politicians of Britain and France bought by them fulfilled the will of their sponsors, in fact, the bosses.

On 3 March 1936, because of France’s blatant disregard for his peace proposals, which only confirmed possible aggression against Germany, the German Chancellor was forced to take new measures to ensure the security of the German Reich. The Germans occupied the Rhineland and returned it to their country. Thus the door through which Germany could be invaded by its western neighbor was closed. The German Chancellor took a forced defensive step to settle all differences and explained his action with the following sentence.
On 31 March 1936, the German government presented a comprehensive plan to consolidate peace in Europe, including proposals for the demilitarization of the Rhineland, a categorical ban on heavy tanks and artillery, incendiary bombs, and poison gas.

The following was proposed:

• To make future peace agreements in Europe sustainable, the nations involved in the negotiations must adhere to them on a fully equal footing and as fully equal participants. The only reason for signing these agreements can only be the generally recognized and obvious use of these agreements for the peace in Europe necessary for the social and economic prosperity of these nations.
• To shorten the period of uncertainty in the economic relations of the nations of Europe, the German Government proposes four months as the initial period for the signing of anti-military pacts guaranteeing peace in Europe.
• The German Government guarantees that it will not increase its troop strength in the Rhineland during this period, provided that the Belgian and French Governments act similarly.
• The German Government guarantees that during this period it will not move any of its troops currently stationed in the Rhineland closer to the borders of Belgium and France.
• The German Government proposes to set up a commission consisting of the two guarantors, Great Britain and Italy, and a disinterested third neutral party, to guarantee the acceptance of this agreement by all parties.
• Germany, Belgium, and France will be entitled to send one representative each to this Commission. If, during the four months, Germany, France, or Belgium consider that, for any reason, they can point to a change in the military situation, they shall be entitled to inform the Guarantee Commission of their observations.
• In such a case, Germany, Belgium, and France may request the Commission to make the necessary inquiries through the British and Italian Military Attachés and to communicate the results to the parties concerned.
• Germany, Belgium, and France undertake to take full account of any differences which may arise in this connection.
• The German Government further agreed to accept any limitation of armaments on Germany’s western frontier based on full reciprocity with Germany’s two western neighbors.
• Germany, Belgium, and France, as well as the two Guarantee Parties, agree to open negotiations, either at this time or later, after the French elections, under the auspices of the British Government, for the conclusion of a pact of non-aggression or mutual security between France and Belgium, on the one hand, and Germany, on the other, for twenty-five years.
• Germany agrees that Great Britain and Italy shall sign this security pact as guarantors.
• In the event of special commitments to military assistance arising out of these Security Pacts, Germany declares its willingness to participate in such commitments.
• The German Government also reiterates its proposals for a supplementary Anti-Aircraft Pact.
• The German Government reiterates that the Netherlands is free to join the Western European Security Pact if it so desires.
• To recognize this voluntary peace pact between Germany and France as a conciliatory settlement of a centuries-old dispute, Germany and France call upon each other to make every effort in the education of youth and in the press and other publications of both nations to prevent relations between the two nations from being damaged either by contemptuous or disparaging treatment or by misinterpretation of internal events on the part of either country. They agree to establish at the headquarters of the League of Nations in Geneva a joint commission whose duty it shall be to transmit all complaints received to the two Governments for their information and subsequent investigation.
• To make this agreement a sacred symbol, Germany and France undertake to ratify it by referendum in their respective countries.
• Germany, for its part, declares its willingness to make contact with the countries on its southern and north-eastern borders to invite its neighbors directly to sign the proposed non-aggression pacts.
• Germany expressed her willingness to return to the League of Nations, either now or after the conclusion of these agreements. At the same time, the German Government declares its willingness to wait until a reasonable time has elapsed before amicable negotiations are held to settle the questions of equality of colonial rights and the revision of the provisions of the Charter of the League of Nations based on the Versailles Treaties.
• Germany proposes the establishment of an International Court of Arbitration to enforce the various agreements, the decisions of which would be binding on all parties.

© Copyright: Walter Maria, 2019
Certificate of Publication No. 219100901269