Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

CONQUEST BY PEACE 615Pilsudski answered with a series of military demonstrations on theGerman border; with reinforcement of the little garrison Poland wasallowed to maintain in Danzig; by commissioning his ambassador,Wysocki, to ask Hitler bluntly whether he desired peace or war; finally,by posing to France what might be called the 'question of Locarno.'When the S.A. and S.S. in the Rhineland appeared as 'auxiliary police'with revolvers, this could be interpreted as 'concentration of armedforces in the demilitarized zone'; Pilsudski informed the Frenchgovernment that if France marched Poland would join her. To start warin order to save peace? This was in strict opposition to French publicopinion; indeed, it was against the whole psychology of the Frenchalliance system, which was made to prevent war, not to hasten it.France, under the leadership of Edouard Daladier, refused to march.After the attack on Germany had failed, Pilsudski decided abruptlyfor peace. Feelers had been sent out long before, and the armedintellectual on one side could easily guess what the armed intellectualon the other side would be willing to do.The ring around Germany began to break, because at the decisivemoment France would not close it. Hitler received Polish AmbassadorWysocki, while German Ambassador von Moltke called on Beck; theresult was a communique of May 4, published with a certain solemnityby both sides. Germany and Poland expressed the desire 'to examineand treat the common interest of the two countries dispassionately; inthis, the existing treaties should serve as a firm basis.' Definitely peace!A week later, on May 12, the National Socialists stormed theheadquarters o£ the Social Democratic trade unions in Danzig. ThePolish press, which under former circumstances would have raised aloud outcry, remained conspicuously indifferent.True, this rapprochement was extremely unpopular in both countries.Nationalists in both Germany and Poland had for years regarded a finalreckoning with the other as the great aim in foreign policy. Poland wasthe only one among the victors of Versailles that had taken Germanterritories and people — for it was admitted that Alsace-Lorraine, takenby France, did not want to be German. All those nationalists inGermany, who set their hopes for the future