German-Soviet pact. 1939live

Moscow, USSR

22/08/1939

I have now come directly from the Kremlin. When you receive this letter, you will have already learned from the newspapers that the main strike was a success. It is a diplomatic miracle. Its consequences are impossible to predict. My decoders haven’t slept for several nights in a row, I am also slightly exhausted. We will have several days of the highest pressure. But now it doesn’t matter, after the decision was made, which we worked and wished for. I hope that the circumstances won’t ruin that which is now in total order. In any event, we completed our task. We achieved in three weeks what the British and the French couldn’t achieve in several months! If only if something good would come out of all of this!

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London, United Kingdom

22/08/1939

Last night, at around 12, I got a telephone call from Hillman of the International News Service, who shouted down the phone, in great alarm and agitation, that the following news had just come in from Berlin: Germany and the USSR were signing a non-aggression pact. Ribbentrop would be flying to Moscow for that purpose tomorrow. Was this possible?

Involuntarily, I threw up my hands. See more

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Warsaw, Poland

22/08/1939

Political sensation: Hitler – Soviets non-aggression pact. Information from the cabinet: supposedly official German circles denied all reports about the pact just before the official German announcement of this non-aggression pact. Upon the news of the completion of the German-Soviet pact the Admiralty of Great Britain was said to have issued a war alert.

Press conference was convened for 3 pm to the Prime Minister “in relation to the newly arisen situation”.

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Lodz, Poland

22/08/1939

Terrible, interesting, strange news. The Germans are concluding a twenty-five-year nonaggression pact with the Soviets! What a turnabout! What a capitulation of Nazi ideology! The Soviets apparently do not want to interfere in European politics and want to protect their backsides for a fight against Japan. And what will Japan say about this pact? Germany will hardly be able to count on Japan's help anymore. In any case, it's quite a propaganda stunt on Germany's part. Who knows how the European situation will develop now? Chamberlain has summoned the English Parliament into special session.

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Moscow, USSR

21/08/1939

We are still here in the centre of world politics. At present, the British and French militaries are in talks, so far without visible success. We have a huge amount of work; we are flooded with telegrams, etc. Last night a German-Soviet economic agreement was signed in Berlin, which given the present political climate means more than it would appear. But you should still keep your fingers crossed… at least for another 10 days. For now, it is unclear if I will go to Nuremberg, but I think that I will, although maybe with a slight delay… Today is August 21st, it’s two o’clock in the morning. They just called me from the office, that an “extra urgent” and never-ending telegram has just arrived from Berlin. In one and a half hours they will send it to me in a decoded version: until then I should stay awake. Despite this, I will end the letter for today; I want to, and I must, “dose” for a little bit in the armchair, because I will not be able to sleep this night. Tomorrow I will add something to this letter, if something will come up which is worthy of attention…

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German News Agency

21/08/1939

The Reich Government and the Soviet Government have agreed to conclude a non-aggression pact. The Reich Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop will journey to Moscow on Wednesday, August 23, to finalize negotiations.

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Moscow, USSR

19/08/1939

The Government of the German Reich and The Government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, desirous of strengthening the cause of peace between Germany and the U.S.S.R., and proceeding from the fundamental provisions of the Neutrality Agreement concluded in April 1926 between Germany and the U.S.S.R., have reached the following Agreement:

Article I

Both High Contracting Parties obligate themselves to desist from any act of violence, any aggressive action, and any attack on each other, either individually or jointly with other Powers. See more

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Joachim von Ribbentrop

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Moscow, USSR

19/08/1939

The question of a non-aggression pact is clear and simple. According to the German government, it should consist of the following two points:

1) The German government and the Soviet government agree not to, under any circumstances, enter into a war or use force of any kind;

2) This agreement will take effect very soon and will be in effect without denunciation for 25 years.

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Joachim von Ribbentrop

Vyacheslav Molotov

Does the agreement really only consist of two points? Typical agreements exist which could be used to come of up with a draft for the pact. We should look what might be used from Soviet and German pacts.

Werner von der Schulenburg

Hitler is prepared to take into consideration everything which the USSR wishes.

Vyacheslav Molotov

Is it possible to explain the German government’s desire to accelerate real talks by the fact that the German government is interested in questions relating to German-Polish relations, in particular, Danzig.

Werner von der Schulenburg

It is these questions which are the starting point for the wish to take into account the USSR’s interests ahead of events taking place.

Vyacheslav Molotov

After the first step, it is possible to take a second one, but the first step hasn’t been made yet. It should first be published that the agreement took place, which isn’t possible to do yet.

Werner von der Schulenburg

They are hurrying in Berlin.

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German News Agency

19/08/1939

The negotiations between Germany and the USSR concerning an expansion of bilateral trade, underway for a considerable time already, came to a successful conclusion on August 19, 1939. The outcome of the negotiations has been a trade and credit agreement signed by the deputy Legation Counselor Schnurre on behalf of Germany, and the deputy head of the Soviet Russian trade legation in Germany, E. Barbarin. The trade agreement provides for Germany extending a credit to the amount of RM 200 million to the USSR, the money being earmarked for the purchase of German goods. The agreement further stipulates that the USSR shall see to the delivery of goods to Germany, within the subsequent two years, to the amount of RM 180 million.

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Moscow, USSR

17/08/1939

If, however, the German government is now turning away from the old politics towards a serious improvement in political relations with the USSR, then the Soviet government can only welcome such a shift and is prepared, from its side, to reconstruct its politics in the spirit of a serious improvement of relations with Germany. See more

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Joseph Stalin, Kliment Voroshilov

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with

15/08/1939

The Fuhrer takes the view that, taking into account the present situation and the possibility of serious events at any moment (Germany does not intend to continue to tolerate Polish provocations), it is advisable to quickly clarify German-Soviet relations and mutual attitudes to current issues. For this reason, the German Foreign Minister Mr. von Ribbentrop expresses his readiness, starting from August 18, to come to Moscow on an airplane at any time with the powers of the Fuhrer to negotiate a set of German-Soviet issues and, if there are appropriate conditions (gegebenenfalls), to sign relevant treaties.

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Berlin, Germany

14/08/1939

The Reich Government and the Soviet Government must, judging from past experience, take into account that the capitalistic Western democracies are the implacable enemies of both National Socialist Germany and Soviet Russia. They are today trying again, by the conclusion of a military alliance, to drive Russia into war against Germany. In 1914 the Russian regime collapsed as a result of this policy. It is the compelling interest of both countries to avoid for all future time the destruction of Germany and of Russia in the interests of Western democracies.

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Berlin, Germany

14/08/1939

As we have been informed, the Soviet Government also feel the desire for a clarification of German-Russian relations. Since, however, according to previous experience this clarification can be achieved only slowly through the usual diplomatic channels, I am prepared to make a short visit to Moscow in order, in the name of the Führer, to set forth the Führer's views to M. Stalin. In my view, only through such a direct discussion can a change be brought about, and it should not be impossible thereby to lay the foundations for a final settlement of German-Russian relations.

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Berlin, Germany

14/08/1939

There is no doubt that German-Russian policy today has come to an historic turning-point. The decisions with respect to policy to be made in the immediate future in Berlin and Moscow will be of decisive importance for the development of relations between the German and the Russian peoples for generations. On these decisions will depend whether the two peoples will some day, again and without any compelling reason, take up arms against each other, or whether they pass again into a new friendly relationship. It has gone well with both countries previously when they were friends and badly when they were enemies. See more

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Berlin, Germany

14/08/1939

There exist no real conflicts of interests between Germany and Russia. The living spaces of Germany and Russia touch each other. but in their natural requirements they do not overlap. Thus there is lacking all cause for an aggressive attitude on the part of one country against the other. Germany has no aggressive intentions against the U.S.S.R. The Reich Government are of the opinion that there is no question between the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea which cannot be settled to the complete satisfaction of both countries. Among these are such questions as: the Baltic Sea, the Baltic States, Poland, South-Eastern questions, etc. Over and above such matters political cooperation between the two countries can only have a beneficial effect.

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Adolf Hitler

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