Messages from Andor Hencke to Kamil Krofta

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30 Sep 1938

ww2dbaseFrom: Andor Hencke, German Charge d'Affaires in Czechoslovakia
Sent: Friday, 30 Sep 1938
To: Kamil Krofta, Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia

PRAGUE, September 30, 1938. YOUR EXCELLENCY: On the instructions of my Government I have the honor to transmit in the enclosure the text of an agreement, together with the additional protocol, which was signed at Munich on September 29 between the German Chancellor, the British Prime Minister, the Head of the Italian Government, and the French Premier(2).

At the same time I take the opportunity to inform Your Excellency that the Government of the German Reich invites the Czechoslovak Government to send an authorized representative and a military expert to a meeting of the International Commission provided for in article 3 of the enclosed agreement, to be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, September 30, 1938, in the Foreign Ministry, Berlin, with Baron von Weizsacker, State Secretary of the Foreign Ministry, in the chair.

I take this opportunity to assure Your Excellency of my highest regard.

HENCKE


From: Andor Hencke, German Charge d'Affaires in Czechoslovakia
Sent: Friday, 30 Sep 1938
To: Foreign Ministry of Germany

Telegram
No. 523 of September 30

PRAGUE, September 30, 1938 9:00 p.m.
Received October 1-12: 20 a.m.


The Italian Minister here gave me the following information regarding today's demarches by the Ministers of Italy, Britain, and France. He personally had received orders from his Government early this morning to see either the President of the Republic in person or some other high Czechoslovak official and to advise him urgently to accept the Munich agreements and to avoid incidents of any kind during the evacuation of the Sudeten-German area. As the President was at the Council of Ministers, he was received by Samakt, Chief of the Presidential Chancellery, who promised to convey his recommendation to Benes at once. On this occasion the Italian Minister also conveyed the wish of the Ambassadors in Berlin of Italy, Britain, and France that Minister Mastny (4) should be appointed Czechoslovak delegate. In view of his mental state a discussion with Samakt had been impossible. Samakt expressed himself roughly as follows: "Today we are down, but other days will come." At their own request the Ministers of Italy, Britain, and France were received in a body about noon today by the Foreign Minister, who, without allowing them to speak, said: "The President and the Government submit to the conditions of the Munich Agreement which has come into being without Czechoslovakia and against her. The Czechoslovak Government reserves the expression of its attitude in writing." At the same time Krofta asked the Ministers to use their influence with the Reich Government for the cessation of anti-Czech propaganda which was making difficult the execution of the Munich Agreement.


From: Andor Hencke, German Charge d'Affaires in Czechoslovakia
Sent: Friday, 30 Sep 1938
To: Foreign Ministry of Germany

Telegram
No. 525 of September 30

Prague, September 30, 1938-11: 50 p.m.
Received October 1-3: 15 a.m.


On the occasion of the demarche on the questions of imprisonment and ill-treatment the Foreign Minister's deputy requested in the conversation which followed that I too should exert my influence with the Foreign Ministry for the cessation of the German press and radio propaganda campaign against Czechoslovakia. Propaganda would render more difficult the execution of the Munich agreements, which in any case represented a very difficult problem for the Czechoslovak Government. The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasized at the same time that the Czechoslovak Government desired nothing more than the beginning of a new era in German-Czechoslovak relations. Now that all points of friction, including, for all practical purposes, the Russian pact, had been removed by the Munich agreements, the Government here hoped that the former enmity would give place to the coexistence of the great [German] and the small Czech people, inspired by mutual respect. I replied that we too desired a smooth neighborly existence and urgently recommended the Deputy Foreign Minister to give proof of his desire for such an era by the immediate announcement of the release of Reich nationals from imprisonment.

HENCKE
ww2dbase

Source(s):
Yale Law School Avalon Project

Added By:
C. Peter Chen





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