British Guarantee to Poland
The British Guarantee to Poland took the form of a speech to the Westminster House of Commons by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain on 31 March 1939 in which he said[1]:
- In the event of any action which clearly threatened Polish independence, and which the Polish Government accordingly considered it vital to resist with their national force, His Majesty's Government would feel themselves bound at once to lend the Polish Government all support in their power. They have given the Polish Government an assurance to this effect. I may add that the French Government have authorized me to make it plain that they stand in the same position in this matter as do His Majesty's Government.
"Support" however did not necessarily mean force. Therefore this Statement was followed by the Agreement of Mutual Assistance between Britain and Poland, signed at London, 25 August 1939, the Secret Protocol attached stating it was aimed at Germany.[2]
Since 1920
At the time of this Guarantee the British Government were fully aware of the belligerency of the Polish Government towards Danzig and Czechoslovakia since 1920; Poland had invaded the latter in 1938 and forcibly annexed a province. The British Government were also aware that Poland had invaded and annexed the Lithuanian province of Vilnius, and the former Austrian province of Galicia and refused to evacuate either when requested to do so by the League of Nations. The British Government were aware of the German hatred and denunciation of the imposed Treaty of Versailles since 1920 which amputated pieces of Germany and awarded them to Poland, which had played no part in The Great War and therefore had no war claims, as such. The British Government were aware that at Locarno (1925) 'Germany would not guarantee its eastern frontiers with Poland and Czechoslovakia as being permanent'.[3] The British Government were aware that Germany attempted to open negotiations with Poland over proposals and revisions of the eastern borders etc., since 1920, all of which were treated with derision and contempt. The British Government were fully aware of the situation at Danzig and the countless complaints of Poland's provocative behaviour made by the Senate of this German city to the League of Nations[4][5][6]
The British Government were fully aware that Poland began partial mobilization against Germany on 25 March 1939 following confidential assurances of this forthcoming guarantee. All governments are aware that mobilization is considered to be a de facto declaration of war.
It therefore remains an absolute mystery as to why Great Britain gave such support to a belligerent Poland, which had nothing to do with Britain.
The French Government already had a Secret Military Convention between France and Poland, aimed, it stated, at Germany, dated 21 February 1921; and a new Treaty of Mutual Guarantee with Poland, as part of their cordon sanitaire around Germany, signed at Locarno on 16 October 1925.[7] The British statements 'on behalf of France' in August 1939 were therefore both superfluous and deliberately threatening.
Sources
- ↑ Grenville, Professor J.A.S., The Major International Treaties 1914-1973, Methuen & Co., Ltd., London, 1974, p.189.
- ↑ Grenville, 1974, p.190-1.
- ↑ Grenville, 1974, p.96.
- ↑ Mason, John Brown, The Danzig Dilemma, Stanford University Press, U.S.A., 1946.
- ↑ Kimmich, Professor Christoph M., The Free City: Danzig and German Foreign Policy 1919-1934, Yale University Press, New Haven, U.S.A., & London, 1968.
- ↑ Kimmich, Professor Christoph M., Germany and the League of Nations, University of Chicago Press, U.S.A., & London, 1976, ISBN: 0-226-43534-2
- ↑ Grenville, 1974, pps:116 & 119.
