Quoted By:
i am speaking to you from the cabinet room of 10 downing street. this morning the british ambassador handed the german government a final note, stating that unless we heard from them by 11 a clock, that they were ready to withdraw their troops a state of war would exist between us. i have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and consequently, this country is at war with germany. you can imagine what a bitter blow it is to me that all my long struggles to win peace has failed. yet i cannot believe that there is anything more or anything different that i couldve done, that wouldve been more successful. up to the very last it wouldve been quite possible to reach a peaceful and honorable settlement between germany and poland. but hitler would not have it. he had evidently made up his mind to attack poland, whatever happened. and although he now says he put forward reasonable proposals which were rejected by the poles, that is not a true statement. the proposals were never shown to the poles, nor to us. and though they were announced on the german broadcast on thursday night, hitler did not wait to hear comments on them and ordered his troops to cross the polish frontier the next morning. his actions show convincingly that there is no chance of expecting that this man will ever give up his practice of using force to gain his will. he can only be stopped by force. and we and france are today in fullfilment of our obligations, going to the aid of poland who is so bravely resisting this wicked and unprovoked attack upon her people. we have a clear consience. we have done all that any country could do to establish peace. the situtation in which no word by germanys ruler could be trusted and no people or country could feel itself safe has become intolerable. and now that we have resolved to finish, i know that you will all play your part with calmness and courage.
