DECLARATION MADE BY THE AMBASSADOR OF GERMANY ON AUGUST 26TH, 1939
In view of the gravity of the international situation, I am expressly instructed by the Head of the German Reich to transmit to Your Majesty the following communication.
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TC-36
Though the German Government is at present doing everything in its power to arrive at a peaceful solution of the questions at issue between the Reich and Poland, it nevertheless desires to define clearly, here and now, the attitude which it proposes to adopt towards Belgium should a conflict in Europe become inevitable.
The German Government is firmly determined to abide by the terms of the Declaration contained in the German Note of October 13th, 1937. This provides, in effect, that Germany will in no circumstances impair the inviolability and integrity of Belgium and will at all times respect Belgian territory. The German Government renews this undertaking, however, in the expectation that the Belgian Government, for its part, will observe an attitude of strict neutrality and that Belgium will tolerate no violation on the part of a third Power, but that on the contrary she will oppose it with all the forces at her disposal. It goes without saying that if the Belgian Government were to adopt a different attitude, the German Government would naturally be compelled to defend its interest in conformity with the new situation thus created.
Message to the Belgian government, confirming that Germany will respect Belgium's territory as long as Belgium remains neutral in the event of a European war
Date: 26 August 1939
Literal Title: Declaration Made by the Ambassador of Germany on August 26th, 1939
Total Pages: 1
Language of Text: English
Source of Text: Nazi conspiracy and aggression (Office of United States Chief of Counsel for Prosecution of Axis Criminality. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.)
Evidence Code: TC-36
Citation: IMT (page 1112)
HLSL Item No.: 450864
Document Summary
TC-36: Declaration made by the Ambassador of Germany on 26 August 1939. The German Government expressed its desire to abide by the German Assurance of 13 October 1937 to respect the inviolability end integrity of Belgian in the event of an outbreak of war between Germany and Poland.