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The French Yellow Book


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No. 211 :
M. GARREAU, French Consul-General in Hamburg, to M. Georges Bonnet, Minister for Foreign Affairs. Hamburg, August 22, 1939. 4.10 p.m.

(Received 6 p.m.)

I LEARN on good authority that the German Government hopes, by a lightning attack, to dispose of Poland before the end of the month. The Reich seems to be convinced that Great Britain and France, equally disconcerted by the Russian attitude, will not move. The Reich believes that Moscow is preparing a great political upheaval which would tend to bring the ideologies of the two totalitarian regimes into harmony.

The rumour that the offensive against Poland would be launched on August 22 has been circulating in Hamburg for several days. A great number of railway employees have been ordered to report in various Polish towns, notably in Warsaw, Ibrun and Poznan, on a date which would be notified towards the end of the month. From this it would seem that the occupation of these centres by the German Army was expected very soon.

Many motor-cars have been requisitioned in Hamburg. They are at once given military numbers and repainted grey.

The departure of the 20th Mechanized Division for the Polish frontier has taken place within the last 48 hours; these troops left Hamburg partly by train and partly in three motor convoys which set out respectively for Rostock, Ludwiglust and Lübeck.

GARREAU.

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