| Source | “Excelsior”
Newspaper. Saturday September 2nd 1939
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| Event referred to | 1st of September : Nazi invasion of Poland |
| Technological characteristics | Front page picture of the newspaper and text
Photo: jpg: 1.71 Mo
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| Description of the source | Kind of source: Newspaper article
Origin of the source: Archive
Language: French, translated in English
Copyright issues: downloadable
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| Contextualisation of the source | Germany invades Poland without any declaration of war.
France and Great Britain by virtue of their alliance with Poland will have to declare war on Germany against their will but they have to face up their responsibilities before History.
The first stage is general mobilization.
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| Interpretation of the source | The daily newspaper in its editorial denounces the lies of the German diplomacy and the methods used by the head of the German diplomatic staff in reference to the 1870 war and to the methods used by Bismarck (Em’s dispatch).
Germany deliberately runs a hawkish policy “barbarous” and will have to take its responsibility before History. France and its ally Great Britain will face up to things.
Like in the whole press, German policy and its methods are denounced.
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| Original Contents | L’Excelsior du samedi 2 Septembre 1939
Le Reich attaque la Pologne
La France et l’Angleterre mobilisent
Ultime démarche commune de Paris et Londres à Berlin : sauf cessation des hostilités et retrait des troupes allemandes du territoire polonais le bloc franco-anglais exécutera sans hésitations ses obligations ;
Extrait 1 : Editorial de Maurice Colrat (front page)
Excelsior a donné hier à ses lecteurs une longue note de la D.N.B relatant l’histoire des derniers pourparlers diplomatiques. Cette note contient les propositions que l’Allemagne aurait faites à la Pologne, s’il fallait en croire le ministère des Affaires étrangères du Reich. Mais, sur deux points, le mémorandum de Berlin a déjà reçu, de Varsovie et de Londres, un démenti formel. Jamais le gouvernement polonais n’a reçu lesdites propositions. Jamais il n’a été invité à y répondre avant le 1er septembre. Quant à l’Angleterre, M. Chamberlain a nettement affirmé qu’elle les a également ignorées. Ce n’est qu’a la fin de la journée du 30 août que M. Von Ribbentrop en a donné lecture, en allemand, à l’ambassadeur d’Angleterre, refusant d’ailleurs de lui remettre copie, sous prétexte qu’il était trop tard.
Effectivement, quelques heures après,
Effectivement, quelques heures après, tandis que la presse répandait dans le monde la note mensongère du D.N.B, les armées allemandes franchissaient la frontière de la Pologne et les avions allemands bombardaient plusieurs villes ouvertes.
On voit que les procédés n’ont pas variés depuis cette fameuse dépêche d’Ems, envoyée à l’insu du roi par Bismarck qui, pour déchaîner la guerre, affirmait faussement que notre ambassadeur avait été insulté.
Nous ne nous permettrons pas d’égaler M. Von Ribbentrop à Bismarck, mais il n’est pas impossible que ce diplomate improvisé, qui doit sa carrière à la violence de ses opinions, ait combiné cette supercherie.
Il aura du mal à l’accréditer, même chez les amis. Pour les autres, le démenti de M. Chamberlain, cet honnête homme, a déjà réglé la question.
Extrait 2 : L’état de siège est proclamé. Convocation des Chambres pour 15 heures (front page)
2 août 1914. 2 septembre 1939. Un quart de siècle, à un mois près, s’est à peine écoulé que l’Europe, toute retentissante du fracas des armes, est prête de nouveau pour la guerre. Et déjà le sang coule…
La France, pourtant, n’a négligé aucun effort de conciliation, aucune démarche pour assurer la paix.
Hitler a décidé et pris la plus lourde des responsabilités devant l’Histoire en envahissant la Pologne, sans aucun ultimatum préalable. Et, dès hier matin, le geste barbare du Führer appelait une réplique des gouvernements britannique et français.[…]
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| Original Contents (English Translation) | The Excelsior : Saturday 2nd September 1939.
The Reich attacks Poland.
France and England mobilize.
Ultimate common step from Paris and London in Berlin. Unless the cessations of hostiliies and the withdrawal of German troops from Polish territories, the Franco-British block will execute without hesitation its duties.
Extract n° 1 : Maurice Colrat’s editorial. (front page).
The newspaper : the Excelsior gave its reader a long note from the DNB which relates the story of the last diplomatic negociations.
This note contains proposals Germany was supposed to make to Poland if we had to believe the Reich’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
But on two points, the Berlin memorandum has already received a definite denial from Warsaw and London.
Never has the Polish Government received the aforesaid proposals.
Never have they been invited to answer to them before September 1st.
As for England, Sir Chamberlain clearly claimed that they had never been informed.
It is only at the end of the day of August 30th that Sir Van Ribbentrop read it out in German, to the British ambassador, refusing anyway to hand in a copy under the pretext that it was too late.
Indeed, a few hours later, while the press was spreading all over the world the deceitful note from DNB ; the German troop crossed the Polish Border and the German airforce bombed several open cities.
We can notice that the way they proceed has not changed since this famous dispatch from Ems sent without the king’s knowledge by Bismarck, who, in order to arouse war, wrongfully claimed that our ambassador had been insulted.
We won’t allow ourselves to rank Sir Von Ribbentrop with Bismarck but it is not impossible that this so-called diplomat who owes his career to the violence of his opinions planned that trickery.
He will have trouble in giving substance to it, even before his friends.
As for the others, the denial of Sir Chamberlain, this honest man, put an end to the controversy.
Extract n° 2 : The state of siege has been proclaimed.
Chambers will convene at 3 PM. (front page)
2ND August 1914. September 1939. Hardly has quarter century, to within about a month, elapsed that Europe which is still echoeing to the sound of the battlefields’ din, is again ready for war.And blood has already been shed.
Yet, France tried its best to pave the way for reconciliation and peace.
Hitler as made up his mind, taking the heaviest responsibilities before HISTORY, by invading Poland, without any prior ultimatum.
And, as soon as yesterday morning, the Fuhrer’s barbarous action was to lead to the French and British governments’ counter-attack.
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