§ 12.19 p.m.
§ LORD SNELLMy Lords, I beg to ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any statement to make about foreign affairs.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (VISCOUNT HALIFAX)My Lords, the House will recall the communication to the German Government that we made on September 1 and which I reported to your Lordships. In that communication, your Lordships will remember, we instructed His Majesty's Ambassador in Berlin to inform the German Foreign Minister that, unless the German Government were prepared immediately to give His Majesty's Government satisfactory assurances that the German Government had suspended all aggressive action against Poland, and were prepared promptly to withdraw their forces from Polish territory, His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom would, without hesitation, fulfil their obligations to Poland. That communication was made more than thirty-six hours ago and at 7.30 last night, when your Lordships met, I was still not in a position to report any reply received from the German Government. But I repeated that His Majesty's Government would be bound to take action unless the German forces were withdrawn from Polish territory, and I added that we were in communication with the French Government as to the limit of time within which it would be necessary for His Majesty's Government and the French Government to know whether the German Government were prepared to effect such withdrawal.
In view of reports reaching His Majesty's Government of intensified action against Poland, His Majesty's Government concluded that the situation admitted of no further delay. Accordingly we sent a telegram to the Ambassador last 956 night instructing him to ask for an interview with the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Berlin at nine o'clock this morning and to make to him or, if he was not able to receive him, to a representative of the German Government, the communication which I will read to the House in one moment. We added that if the assurance referred to in that communication was received the Ambassador was to inform me by any means at his disposal before 11 a.m. to-day. If on the other hand no such assurance was received here by 11 a.m. we should inform the German representative in London that a state of war existed as from that hour and the Ambassador in Berlin would act accordingly.
This was the communication that we instructed His Majesty's Ambassador to make:
"Sir,
In the communication which I had the honour to make to you on September 1, I informed you, on the instructions of His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, that unless the German Government were prepared to give His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom satisfactory assurances that the German Government had suspended all aggressive action against Poland and were prepared promptly to withdraw their forces from Polish territory, His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom would, without hesitation, fulfil their obligations to Poland.
Although this communication was made more than twenty-four hours ago, no reply has been received but German attacks upon Poland have been continued and intensified. I have accordingly the honour to inform you that unless not later than 11 a.m. British Summer Time to-day, September 3rd, satisfactory assurances to the above effect have been given by the German Government and have reached His Majesty's Government in London, a state of war will exist between the two countries as from that hour."
We had a telegram from the Ambassador to say that he had carried out those instructions this morning at 9 a.m., the communication being received on behalf of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I am in a position to indicate 957 that the French Ambassador in Berlin is at this moment making a similar communication to the German Government accompanied also by a definite time limit in accordance with the arrangement made between His Majesty's Government and the French Government. No reply having been received from the German Government accepting the conditions of His Majesty's Government, a state of war now exists between this country and Germany and passports have been handed to the German Charge d'Affaires in London. It only remains for me to add that during these days His Majesty's Government have been in constant communication with the Polish Government, both through the Polish Ambassador in London and through His Majesty's Ambassador in Warsaw. I am confident that the whole country will be at one in their admiration for the courage and the resolution of the Polish Government and people, and will be inspired by that feeling in their determination to render to them all help in their power.
There is one other matter of a more technical kind on which I must say a word. In the financial sphere, the most complete arrangements have been made for meeting the situation. At the Privy Council, which His Majesty is holding at Buckingham Palace, the necessary Order in Council is being made to establish Defence Regulations for the strict control of the exchanges. The details will be stated in the wireless announcement which is about to be made. A Proclamation is being issued which will declare that to-morrow, Monday, is, so far as banks are concerned, a Bank Holiday. This will also apply to Post Office Savings Banks and other savings banks but not to general business. Banks will be open as usual on Tuesday morning for transacting business.
§ 12.27 p.m.
§ LORD SNELLMy Lords, the House will perhaps expect one or two words following the statement which the noble Viscount has made. What I shall say will be very short indeed. The spirit of peace and reason which we hoped would prevail has failed and the way of force has been chosen. We cannot avoid the consequences. We have no alternative for the time being except to meet force with force. It is impossible to say what 958 the outcome will be and yet, as we face the peril, we do so sustained and fortified in our souls that the right for which men have lived and died will somehow not be put to the worst.
§ 12.28 p.m.
THE MARQUESS OF CREWEMy Lords, in adding a few words to what has fallen from Lord Snell, I merely desire to say, what I am sure we must all feel, that the noble Viscount opposite has done everything that a man could do, in concert with the Prime Minister and his colleagues, to find the way of peace if it could be found consistently with the honour of the country. I fear it is only too evident that, from the very first, these efforts were doomed to failure, that the war mind of the German Government was such that its character could in no way be changed. The only other observation I would make is to express satisfaction that the French Government have, all through, acted in close concert with His Majesty's Government. We feel that that country will play its part in circumstances, in some respects, of—I will not say even greater danger but closer danger than was the part it played from 1914 to 1918. And I must join the noble Viscount opposite in expressing our deep and unqualified sympathy with the Polish nation, which is standing out so bravely for the ordinary rights of mankind.