1939: News - Polish Question: 16 Points
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News has been received that Germany has proposed a settlement with Britain over Poland consisting of 16 points. Included are proposals for the city of Danzig (Gdansk) to be returned to the Reich and for a plebiscite on territorial issues to take place. Due to an apparent lack of response by Britain in the two days since these proposals were announced, the Fuhrer believes that they have been rejected. The bulletin is read by Alvar Lidell.
Danzig (Gdansk) had been a cause of dispute between Poland and Germany since the 12th century. Geographically part of Poland but with a population that was ethnically German, it was declared a Free City under the protection of the League of Nations in the Treaty of Versailles after World War One. This was done to provide Poland with access to a neutral port and the Baltic Sea. However, its citizens elected a Nazi majority in the city government, allowing for the Reich to seize control more easily.
ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Archive: Originally broadcast 31 August 1939.