Neville Chamberlain Announces Britain Is at War with Germany (1939)

This is London.

You will now hear a statement by the Prime Minister.

I am speaking to you

from the Cabinet Room

at 10 Downing Street.

This morning, the British ambassador in Berlin

handed the German government a final note

stating that unless we heard from them by

11 o'clock

that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from

Poland,

a state of war would exist between us.

I have to tell you now

that no such undertaking has been received,

and that consequently this country is at

war with Germany.

You can imagine

what a bitter blow it is to me

that all my long struggle to win peace has failed.

Yet I cannot believe that there is anything more

or anything different that I could have done

and that would have been more successful.

Up to the very last,

it would have been quite possible to have arranged 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 in the German broadcast on Thursday

night,

Hitler did not wait to hear comments on them, but ordered

his troops to cross the Polish frontier the next morning.

His action shows 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 fulfillment

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 conscience.

We have done all that any country could do to establish

peace.

But a situation in which no word given by Germany's

ruler could be trusted,

and no people or country could feel itself safe, had

become intolerable.

And now that we have resolved to finish it,

I know that you will all play your part with calmness and

courage.

At such a moment as this,

the assurances of support which we have received from the Empire

are a source of profound encouragement to us.

When I have finished speaking,

certain detailed announcements will be made on behalf of the government.

Give these your close attention.

The government have made plans

under which it will be possible to carry on the work of the nation

in the days of stress and strain that may be ahead.

But these plans need your help.

You may be taking your part in the fighting services,

or as a volunteer in one of the branches of civil defense.

If so, you will report for duty in accordance

with the

instructions you receive.

You may be engaged in work essential to the prosecution of war,

or the maintenance of the life of the people,

in factories, in transport, in public utility

concerns,

or in the supply of other necessaries of life.

If so, it is of vital importance that you should carry on with your

jobs.

Now, may God bless you all,

and may He defend the right.

For it is evil things that we shall be fighting against,

brute force,

bad faith,

injustice, oppression,

and persecution.

And against them I am certain that the right will

prevail.