It Is Evil Things That We Will

We Should Seek By All Means In Our Power To Avoid War, By Analysing Possible Causes, By Trying To Remove Them, By Discussion In A Spirit Of Collaboration And Good Will.

Whatever The Lengths To Which Others May Go, His Majesty's Government Will Never Resort To The Deliberate Attack On Women And Children And Other Civilians For Purposes Of Mere Terrorism.

I Am Speaking To You From The Cabinet Room At 10 Downing Street. This Morning The British Ambassador In Berlin Handed The German Government An Official Note Stating That Unless We Heard From Them By Eleven 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 Consequently This Country Is At War With Germany.

In The Event Of Any Action Which Clearly Threatened Polish Independence And Which The Polish Government Accordingly Considered It Vital To Resist With Their National Forces, His Majesty's Government Would Feel Themselves Bound At Once To Lend The Polish Government All Support In Their Power. They Have Given The Polish Government An Assurance To This Effect. I May Add That The French Government Have Authorized Me To Make It Plain That They Stand In The Same Position In This Matter.

However Much We May Sympathize With A Small Nation Confronted By A Big And Powerful Neighbor, We Cannot In All Circumstances Undertake To Involve The Whole British Empire In A War Simply On Her Account. If We Have To Fight It Must Be On Larger Issues Than That.