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The Germans
said that “the British Government is now governed by the opinion
that England, in whatever part of Europe Germany might be involved
in warlike conflict, must always take up an attitude hostile to
Germany, even in a case where English interests are not touched in
any way by such a conflict.” Britain had by now, of course, given
guarantees of aid for the first time to countries east of the Rhine.
On April
28, 1939, in a speech in Wilhelmshaven, Hitler abrogated Germany’s
1934 non-aggression pact with Poland, which was intended to be
effective for ten years, pronouncing it anti-German and inconsistent
with the “encirclement policy.” The “encirclement policy”
referred to isolating Poland as much as possible and the avoidance
of a two - front struggle by reaching an understanding with the
Russians. Poland turned to Great Britain and expressed its
willingness to join London, France and Moscow in a common front
against Germany.
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