The provision concerns “the Polish and Hungarian minorities,” not the question of Slovakia. That is why that the German action of the 15th of March was a flagrant violation of the letter and spirit of that Agreement. (For fuller discussion see Section 4 of this Chapter relating to aggression against Czechoslovakia.)


LEGAL REFERENCES AND LIST OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO TREATY VIOLATIONS

DocumentDescriptionVol.Page
Charter of the International Military Tribunal, Article 6 (a).I5
International Military Tribunal, Indictment Number 1, Sections V; VI; Appendix C.I29, 30, 73
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Note: A single asterisk (*) before a document indicates that the document was received in evidence at the Nurnberg trial. A double asterisk (**) before a document number indicates that the document was referred to during the trial but was not formally received in evidence, for the reason given in parentheses following the description of the document. The USA series number, given in parentheses following the description of the document, is the official exhibit number assigned by the court.
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*2289-PSHitler’s speech in the Reichstag, 7 March 1936, published in Voelkischer Beobachter, Berlin Edition, No. 68, 8 March 1936. (USA 56)IV994
*2798-PSGerman Foreign Office minutes of the meeting between Hitler and President Hacha of Czechoslovakia, 15 March 1939. (USA 118; GB 5)V433
*TC-1Hague Convention for Pacific Settlement of International Disputes signed at The Hague, 29 July 1899. (GB 1)VIII273
*TC-2Hague Convention (1) for Pacific Settlement of International Disputes—1907. (GB 2)VIII276
*TC-3Hague Convention (3) Relative to opening of Hostilities. (GB 2)VIII279
*TC-4Hague Convention (5) Respecting Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in War on Land. (GB 2)VIII282
*TC-5Versailles Treaty, Article 42-44. (GB 3)VIII288
*TC-6Versailles Treaty, Section VI, Article 80, Austria. (GB 3)VIII289
*TC-7Versailles Treaty, Section VII, Article 81, Czecho-Slovak State. (GB 3)VIII289
*TC-8Versailles Treaty, Section X, Article 99, Memel. (GB 3)VIII289
*TC-9Versailles Treaty, Section XI, Article 100, Free City of Danzig. (GB 3)VIII290
*TC-10Versailles Treaty, Part V, Military, Naval and Air Clauses. (GB 3)VIII291
*TC-11Treaty between the United States and Germany restoring friendly relations, 25 August 1921. (USA 12)VIII308
*TC-12Treaty of Mutual Guarantee between Germany, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Italy, done at Locarno, 16 October 1925. (GB 13)VIII313
*TC-13Arbitration Convention between Germany and Belgium at Locarno, 16 October 1925. (GB 15)VIII320
*TC-14Arbitration Treaty between Germany and Czechoslovakia, signed at Locarno, 16 October 1925. (GB 14)VIII325
*TC-15Arbitration. Treaty between Germany and Poland at Locarno, 16 October 1925. (GB 16)VIII331
*TC-18Declaration concerning wars of aggression; resolution of 3rd Committee of League of Nations, 24 September 1927. (GB 17)VIII357
*TC-19Kellogg-Briand Pact at Paris. 1929 Reichsgesetzblatt, Part II, No. 9, pp. 97-101. (GB 18)VIII359
*TC-21German-Polish Declaration, 26 January 1934. (GB 24)VIII368
*TC-22Agreement between Austria and German Government and Government of Federal State of Austria, 11 July 1936. (GB 20)VIII369
*TC-23Agreement between Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, 29 September 1938. (GB 23)VIII370
*TC-25Non-aggression Treaty between Germany and USSR and announcement of 25 September 1939 relating to it. (GB 145)VIII375
*TC-26German assurance to Austria, 21 May 1935, from Documents of German Politics, Part III, p. 94. (GB 19)VIII376
*TC-27German assurances to Czechoslovakia, 11 and 12 March 1938, as reported by M. Masaryk, the Czechoslovak Minister to London to Viscount Halifax. (GB 21)VIII377
*TC-28German assurance to Czechoslovakia, 26 September 1938, from Documents of German Politics, Part VI, pp. 345-346. (GB 22)VIII378
*TC-44Notice by German government of existence of German Air Force, 9 March 1935. (GB 11)VIII386
 TC-45Proclamation to German People of 16 March 1935.VIII388
 TC-46German memorandum to Signatories of Locarno Pact reasserting full German sovereignty over Rhineland, 7 March 1936.VIII394
 TC-47Hitler’s Proclamation of Invasion of Austria, 12 March 1938.VIII398
*TC-49Agreement with Czechoslovakia, 15 March 1939, signed by Hitler, von Ribbentrop, Hacha and Chvalkovsky, from Documents of German Politics, Part VII, pp. 498-499. (GB 6)VIII402
*TC-50Proclamation of the Fuehrer to the German people and Order of the Fuehrer to the Wehrmacht, 15 March 1939, from Documents of German Politics, Part VII, pp. 499-501. (GB 7)VIII402
*TC-51Decree establishing the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, 16 March 1939. (GB 8)VIII404
*TC-52Formal British protest against the annexation of Czechoslovakia in violation of the Munich Agreement, 17 March 1939. (GB 9)VIII407
*TC-53Formal French protest against the annexation of Bohemia and Moravia in violation of the Munich Agreement, 17 March 1939. (GB 10)VIII407
*TC-53-AMarginal note to decree of final incorporation of Memel with German Reich, 23 March 1939, from Documents of German Politics, Part VII, p. 552. (GB 4)VIII408
*TC-54Proclamation of the Fuehrer to German Armed Forces, 1 September 1939. (GB 73)VIII408
*TC-54-A“Danzig’s return to the Reich”, from Documents of German Politics, Part VII, p. 575. (GB 73)VIII409
 TC-62German declaration of war on U.S.A., 11 December 1941, from Documents of German Politics, Part IV, p. 497.VIII432
**Chart No. 13Violations of Treaties, Agreements and Assurances. (Enlargement displayed to Tribunal.)VIII782

8. AGGRESSION AGAINST POLAND, DANZIG, ENGLAND
AND FRANCE

A. Treaties Breached.

In addition to the general treaties involved—The Hague Convention in respect of the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes (TC-2); other Hague Conventions of 1907 (TC-3; TC-4); the Versailles Treaty (TC-9) in respect of the Free City of Danzig; and the Kellogg-Briand Pact (TC-19)—two specific agreements were violated by the German attack on Poland. These were the Arbitration Treaty between Germany and Poland, signed at Locarno on 16 October 1925, and the Declaration of Non-Aggression which was entered into between Germany and Poland on 26 January 1934.

The German-Polish Arbitration Treaty (TC-15) declares in the preamble and Articles 1 and 2:

“The President of the German Empire and the President of the Polish Republic:

“Equally resolved to maintain peace between Germany and Poland by assuring the peaceful settlement of differences which might arise between the two countries;