Berlin
September 26, 1938
Caution: Adolf Hitler was completely wrong about absolutely everything...usually. When Hitler said something that was actually correct, it was merely to set up the next lie. As with all good propagandists—and he certainly was that—he would begin with a few obvious, documented facts, and then proceed to distort them horribly. At any rate, the infamous German Führer’s worm-tongue rhetoric is NOT to be taken seriously, except as a classic example of the sort of masterful demagoguery from which appropriate lessons may hopefully be learned.As always, read with an abundant degree of cautious skepticism.
And now we are faced with the final problem that must be solved and will be solved! It is the final territorial demand which I shall make of Europe, but it is the demand which I shall not give up and which with God's help I shall ensure is fulfilled.
The history of this problem is this: in 1918, in the spirit of "the right of nations to self-determination" Central Europe was torn apart and reshaped by some insane so-called statesmen. Without regard to the origins of the Peoples, their national aspirations, the economic necessities, Central Europe was fragmented and new states were formed arbitrarily. It is to this process that Czechoslovakia owes its existence.
This Czech state began with one single lie. The inventor of that lie was a man called Benes. This Mr Benes appeared at that time in Versailles and first of all assured his audience that there was a Czechoslovakian nation. He had to invent this lie in order to provide the limited number of his own countrymen with a somewhat larger and therefore justified importance. ...
So finally through Mr Benes the Czechs annexed Slovakia. Since this state did not seem viable, they simply took three and a half million Germans in violation of their right to self-determination and their will to decide their own fate. Since even that was not enough, they had to add more than a million Magyars, then Carpatho-Russians and finally several hundred thousand Poles. That is the state which was later called Czechoslovakia, in flagrant violation of the right of nations to self-determination, against the unmistakable will of the nations whose rights had been violated. As I speak to you here, I naturally feel sympathy for the fate of all of these suppressed people. I feel sympathy with the Slovaks, the Poles, Hungarians and Ukrainians. However, I naturally speak only for my fellow Germans and of their fate.
When Mr. Benes created this state by a pack of lies at that time, he solemnly swore to divide it into cantons on the Swiss model, for there were some among the democratic statesmen who did experience pangs of conscience. We all know how Mr. Benes solved the problem of this system of cantons. He began a regime of terror! At the time the Germans already tried to protest against this arbitrary violation of their rights. They were gunned down and since then there has been a war of extermination. During these years of "peaceful" development in Czechoslovakia almost 600,000 Germans had to leave Czechoslovakia. There was a very simple reason for this. Otherwise they would have starved! The whole course of events since 1918 shows one thing clearly: Mr. Benes was determined to slowly exterminate the German element. And to a degree he has succeeded. He has plunged countless individuals into profound misery. He has managed to make millions of people fearful and anxious. Through the constant reign of terror he has succeeded in silencing millions, and at the same time the "international" goals of this state became clear. They no longer attempted to conceal the fact that this state was, if necessary, to be used against Germany. A French Minister of Aviation, Pierre Cot, expressed this desire quite bluntly: "We need this state", he said, "because using this state as a base the German economy, German industry can most easily be destroyed by bombs." And now Bolshevism is using this state as its front gate. We did not seek contact with Bolshevism; Bolshevism is using this state to gain access to Central Europe.
And now the outrageous part begins. This state governed by a mere minority compels the other nationalities to cooperate with a policy, which will one day obligate them to fire upon their own brothers. Mr. Benes demands of the Germans: "If I wage war on Germany, it is your duty to fire on the Germans. And if you do not want to do that, you are a traitor and I will have you shot." And he demands the same of Hungarians and the Poles. He demands that the Slovaks defend a cause which is of absolutely no interest to the Slovak People. For the Slovak People want peace not adventures. Mr Benes, however, manages to make these people traitors. Either they betray their own People, are prepared to fire on their own People, or Mr. Benes says: "You are guilty of treason and so I shall have you shot." Is there anything more appalling than forcing strangers to possibly fire upon members of their own People, merely because a corrupt, evil and criminal regime demands this? I can assure you now that when we had occupied Austria, my first order was that no Czech is required to, indeed will be allowed to serve in the German army. I did not confront them with a crisis of conscience.
Anyone who opposes Mr. Benes, however, is also finished financially and economically. The world's apostles of democracy cannot simply conceal this by lying. In Mr Benes' state the consequences for the other nationalities were dreadful. I speak only for the Germans. They have the highest mortality rate of all the German tribes; their birthrate is the lowest; their unemployment rate the most shocking. How long is this to go on? For twenty years the Germans in Czechoslovakia and the German People in the Reich have had to watch this, not because they accepted it in the past but because they were simply powerless and in the world of democracy were unable to defend themselves against these torturers. ...
I explained clearly to Mr Chamberlain what we now regard as the only possible solution. It is the most natural one in the world. I know that all of the various nationalities have no desire to remain with this Mr. Benes. However, I am primarily the spokesman for the Germans and I have spoken for these Germans and made it clear that I am no longer willing to stand idly by and watch while this madman in Prague thinks that he can simply mistreat three and a half million people. And I left no doubt that German patience is now finally exhausted. I left no doubt that while it is a characteristic of our German mentality to be tolerant and patient in the face of repeated provocation, there comes a moment when enough is enough! And now finally England and France have made the only possible demand of Czechoslovakia: release the German territory and cede it to the Reich.
Today we know all about the discussions which Mr. Benes held at that time. Faced with the statement by England and France that they would no longer intervene on behalf of Czechoslovakia if the fate of these nations was not finally changed and the territories released, Mr. Benes found a way out. He admitted that these territories had to be given up. This is what he said! But what did he do? He did not give up the land and instead he is now expelling the Germans! And here is where the game stops!
Mr. Benes had hardly finished speaking when he resumed his campaign of military suppression, only with even greater severity. We see the horrible statistics: on one day 10,000 refugees, on the next day 20,000, a day later it was already 37,000, two days after that 41,000, then 62,000, then 78,000, now it is 90,000, 107,000, 137,000 and today 214,000. Entire stretches of land are being depopulated. ...
I have now given the British Government a memorandum with a final German proposal. This memorandum proposes nothing that Mr. Benes has not already promised. The contents of this proposal are very simple: The area whose population (Volk) is German and which wants to join Germany, comes to Germany; and I do not mean only after Mr Benes has succeeded in expelling possibly one or two million Germans, but right now, immediately! I have selected the border which, based on the information on the demographic and linguistic distribution in Czechoslovakia which has been available for decades, is just. I am in any case more just than Mr Benes and I have no desire to exploit the power which we possess. I have therefore stipulated that from the outset this territory will be placed under German sovereignty, because the majority of the population is German. I will, however, leave the final determination of the borders to the vote of our fellow Germans who live there! I have therefore stipulated that a plebiscite shall take place in this territory. And so that no one can say that it could not be conducted fairly, I have selected the statute governing the plebiscite in the Saar as a basis for this plebiscite. ...
I am grateful to Mr. Chamberlain for all his efforts. I have assured him that the German People desire nothing but peace. However, I have also told him that I cannot retreat once the limit of our patience has been reached. I have also assured him, and I repeat this assurance here, that, once this problem is solved, there exist no further territorial problems for Germany in Europe! And I have further assured him that as soon as the Czechoslovakian problem is solved, that is to say when the Czechs have dealt with their other minorities, and I mean by peaceful methods not suppression, I shall have no further interest in the Czech state. And he has my guarantee of that! We do not want any Czechs. However, I want to also say to the German People that with respect to the Sudeten German problem my patience is now exhausted! I have made Mr Benes an offer, which contains nothing but the realization of what he himself assured us would be done. The decision is in his hands! Peace or war! Either he accepts this offer and finally gives the Germans their freedom, or we will come and take this freedom ourselves! The world should take note that in four and a half years of war and in the long years of my political life there is one thing of which no one has ever been able to accuse me: I have never been a coward!
Fuehrer Adolf Hitler <—Yeesh! What an insufferable bore.
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A Joke: Hitler and Goering were arguing about the Jews, with Goering stating that they were quite clever people and Hitler vehemently denying they were any such thing. Finally Goering told Hitler that they should go shopping in Berlin and Goering would show Hitler it was true. Hitler agreed, so they disguised themselves and went out on the street.
Goering took Hitler into a shop, went up to the counter, and asked the clerk: "Do you have any left-handed teacups?" The clerk stared at Goering for a moment and then said no, mein herr, I do not.
The two left with Hitler complaining that he did not understand what the point of this was and Goering telling him to be patient. They went to another shop and Goering gave the same act: "Do you have any left-handed teacups?" The clerk stared and shrugged his shoulders.
They left with Hitler becoming incensed over this nonsense and Goering begging for patience. Finally they went into a Jewish shop; Goering again asked the clerk: "Do you have any left-handed teacups?"
The clerk smiled graciously, went into the back room and made a show of rummaging around, brought out a saucer and teacup, set down the saucer, and carefully placed the cup with the handle pointed so Goering could pick it with his left hand. "There you are, mein herr!" the clerk said.
Goering bought the teacup, thanked the clerk, and the two men left. Goering turned to Hitler and said: "See, I told you the Jews were very clever people."
"I don't see what was so clever about that," Hitler snapped. "He just happened to have one in stock!"