Evening star., 1939-09-03

read to the Chamber of Deputie
today by Premier Edouard Duladts
and to the Senate by Vice Prenie
Camille Chautemps, tollo1os::
Gentlemen, the Government yes
terday decreed general mobilization
The entire nation is replying to IT.
call with a grave resolute calm
Young men have rejoined their regi.
ments. They now cover our from.
tiers. The example Of courage ane
dignity they have just given tn,
world should dominate this debate
In the great spirit of national fra.
ternity they have forgotten al
which even yesterday might have
divided them. They no longer recog.
nize any service except service O.
France. In addressing the grateful
salute Of the nation to them, le
us take an oath to show ourselve!
worthy of them.
Frank Facts a Duty.
The government had to put
France in position to act in &C.
cordance with its vital interest ane
honor. 1t has a duty now to pre-.
sent you the facts fully, with frank.
ness and clarity.
Several days ago peace was al.
ready in danger. German claim!
on Poland risked precipitating 6
conflict. will show you in an in.
slant how all the pacific forces ir
the world combined during all thest
days to save peace. But just wher
hope was held that all these re.
newed efforts were going to bs
crowned with success, Germany alb.
ruptly reduced them to nothing.
During the day of August 81 the
crisis reached its eliminating point
When Germany had finally made
known to England she would accep
direct negotiations with Poland
Poland, despite the terrible menace
Of sudden military invasion from
Slovakia by German armies, at.
tempted Immediately to resort te
this pacific method.
Withheld Terms From Ambassador
At l o'clock that afternoon M
Lipski, Polish Ambassador to Ger
many, asked an interview with NJ
Won Ribbentrop. Peace seemed
saved. But the foreign min.
lister Of the Reich only agreed tc
receive M. Lipsk1 at 7:45 pm
While the latter brought the agree.
ment of his government to direct
conversations, the German Minister
refused to communicate the Ger
man claims to the Polisf. Ambassa-
dor under the pretext that the latter
did not have full power to accept OF
refuse them Immediately.
At 9 pm. the German radio an
nounced the nature and extent of
these demands. The radio added
that Poland had rejected them
That was a lie. That was lie
because Poland never even knew
what the terms were
And on September l at dawn, the
Fuehrer gave his troops the order
to attack
Never was aggression more evil
dent, more unjust. Never in order
to justify it have such lies and cyni-
cisms been put to work
So war was launched even as the
most powerful forces and the most
respected authorities were placed In
the service of peace; even as the
entire world did its best to bring the
two parties into direct negotiations
in order to settle pacifically the diff
ferences between them.
Roosevelt Proposed Conference.
The chief of Christianity raised
his voice of reason and fraternity
President Roosevelt addressed NOV
ing messages and proposed a gen.
eral conference. Neutral nations
took action to offer their impartial
good Offices.
Is it necessary for me to say that
each Of these appeals met the imme-
diate and heartfelt welcome Of the
French government? I myself, gen.
tlemen, I considered it my duty as
Frenchman to intervene directly
with Chancellor Hitler. The CHIEF
of the German government Informed
me on August Is through our Am
bassador at Berlin, M. Coulondre
that he deplored that in the event
of armed conflict between Germany
and Poland, German blood anc
French blood might be spilled.
Immediately transmitted to the
Fuehrer positive proposal inspired
by a lone desire to save peace, ther
in danger, without delay.
You have been able to read texts
You know the reply which was made
to me. say no more.
But We have not been rebuffed by
the failure of our advance and we
made a second attempt which M
Chamberlain undertook with mag.
niflicent persistency. The docu-
ments exchanged between London
and Berlin have been published. On
one hand appears impartial loyalty
and perseverance,; on the other OBJ
struction, evasion and escape.
Noble Efforts by Italians.
I also am happy to pay tribute to
the noble efforts of the Italian gov
ernment. Even yesterday we did ou,
best to realize union of all of good
will in order to at least stop hos
tilities and try to substitute methods
OF conciliation and arbitration to use
of violence.
These efforts for peace, even ii
they have been unavailing up to the
present, have at least shown Ger
manys responsibilities. They assure
Poland, the victim, of the effective
support and moral solidarity of the
nations of free men.
That which we did before the be-
ginning of hostilities we are ready
to do again. If an advance for con-
ciliation is renewed we are ready to
associate ourselves with it again
IT fighting stops, if the aggressor re-
turns to his frontiers, if free nego-
tiation can again begin, believe me,
gentlemen. that the French govern
ment would spare no effort in order
to permit, even today, its success in
the irtorncfc Nf xv,nr1J ,,nc-~