rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-william-shirer-pdf

498 THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICHAs for the practical attitude of Italy in case of military action [Mussoliniwrote, and the emphasis is his], my point of view is as follows:If Germany attacks Poland and the conflict remains localized, Italywill afford Germany every form of political and economic assistancewhich is requested of her.If Germany attacks Poland ∗ and the latter’s allies open a counterattackagainst Germany, I inform you in advance that it will beopportune for me not to take the initiative in military operations inview of the present state of Italian war preparations, of which wehave repeatedly and in good time informed you, Fuehrer, and Herrvon Ribbentrop.Our intervention can, nevertheless, take place at once if Germany deliversto us immediately the military supplies and the raw materialsto resist the attack which the French and English would predominantlydirect against us.At our meetings the war was envisaged for 1942, and by that time Iwould have been ready on land, on sea and in the air, according tothe plans which had been concerted.I am furthermore of the opinion that the purely military measureswhich have already been taken, and other measures to be takenlater, will immobilize, in Europe and Africa, considerable Frenchand British forces.I consider it my bounden duty as a loyal friend to tell you the wholetruth and inform you beforehand about the real situation. Not todo so might have unpleasant consequences for us all. This is myview, and since within a short time I must summon the highestgovernmental bodies, I beg you to let me know yours.MUSSOLINI †618∗ In the German translation of Mussolini’s letter found in the Foreign Office archives afterthe war, and which I have used here, the word ”Germany” has been crossed out here and theword ”Poland” typed above it, making it read: ”If Poland attacks . . . ” In the Italian original,published after the war by the Italian government, the passage reads ”Se ta Germania attticcala Polonia.” It is strange that the Nazis falsified even the secret documents deposited in theirofficial government archives. 617† As if Mussolini’s letter were not bad enough medicine for Hitler, a number of Germanwriters, mostly observers at first hand of the dramatic events of the last days of peace, havepublished an imaginary text of this letter of the Duce to the Fuehrer. Erich Kordt, one ofthe anti-Nazi conspirators, who was head of the secretariat at the Foreign Office, was thefirst to commit this faked version to print in his book, Wahn und Wirkt’uhkeit, published inStuttgart in 1947. Kordt dropped it in his second edition but other writers continued to copyit from the first edition. It shows up in Peter Kleist’s Zwisi hen Hitler und Stalin, publishedin 1950, and even in the English translation of Paul Schmidt’s memoirs published in New Yorkand London in 1951. Yet the authentic text was published in Italy in 1946 and an Englishtranslation in the State Department’s Nazi-Soviet Relations in 1948. Dr. Schmidt, who waswith Hitler when he received the letter from Attolico, quotes the letter as saying, ”In one ofthe most painful moments of my life, I have to inform you that Italy is not ready for war.According to what the responsible heads of the services tell me, the gamine supplies of theItalian Air Force are so low that they would last only for three weeks of fighting. The positionis the same with regard to supplies for the Army, and supplies of raw materials . . . Pleaseunderstand my situation.” For an amusing note on the faking of this letter, see Namier, Inthe Nazi Era, p.5.