The membership of this Council included the Minister for Foreign Affairs, who was then von Neurath. This is shown by a document giving the composition of the Reich Defense Council, and including among permanent members the Minister for Foreign Affairs (EC-177). That document is dated “Berlin, 22 May 1933,” which was during von Neurath’s tenure of that office.
The functioning of the Reich Defense Council, with a representative of von Neurath’s ministry, von Buelow, present, is shown by the minutes of the 12th meeting on 14 May 1936 (EC-407). Under the secret law of 4 September 1938 von Neurath was a member of the Reich Defense Council by virtue of his presidency of the Secret Cabinet Council. This fact is shown by the enclosure of a copy of that law in a letter addressed to von Neurath as Reich Protector for Bohemia and Moravia on 6 September 1939 (2194-PS). It is curious that the Reich Protector for Bohemia and Moravia denies his membership in the Council when the letter enclosing the law is one addressed to him. This law describes the tasks of the Council as follows:
“The task of the Reich Defense Council consists, in peace-time, of the decision on all measures for the preparation of Reich defense, and the gathering together of all forces and means of the nation according to the directions of the Leaders and Reich Chancellor. The tasks of the Council in wartime will be especially determined by the Leader and Reich Chancellor.” (2194-PS)
The law also lists the permanent members of the Council, and the seventh one is the President of the Secret Cabinet Council, who was von Neurath.
B. VON NEURATH’S PART, AS FOREIGN MINISTER, IN THE CONSPIRACY FOR THE BREACH OF TREATY OBLIGATIONS.
In assuming the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in Hitler’s Cabinet, von Neurath assumed charge of a foreign policy committed to breach of treaties.
The Nazi Party had repeatedly and for many years made known its intention to overthrow Germany’s international commitments, even at the risk of war. Sections 1 and 2 of the Party Program (1708-PS), which was published year after year, declared:
“1. We demand the unification of all Germans in the Greater Germany on the basis of the right of self-determination of peoples.
“2. We demand equality of rights for the German people in respect to the other nations; abrogation of the peace treaties of Versailles and St. Germain.” (1708-PS)
An even clearer statement of these goals is contained in Hitler’s speech at Munich on 15 March 1939, in which he said: