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Documents - The Military, Foreign Policy, and War
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1.   Hitler’s Letter to Colonel Walther von Reichenau on Germany’s Situation with Respect to Foreign Relations (December 4, 1932)
Hitler’s National Socialist worldview [Weltanschauung] determined his foreign policy goals, which focused above all on an aggressive expansion to the East and the opening up of “living space”....
2.   Hitler’s Comments at a Dinner with the Chiefs of the Army and the Navy (February 3, 1933)
On February 1, 1933, two days after being sworn in as Reich Chancellor, Hitler proclaimed that the program....
3.   Decree by Reich Minister of War and Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht Werner von Blomberg on Political Education and Instruction for the Wehrmacht (January 30, 1936)
During the Weimar Republic, the national-conservative leadership corps of the Reichswehr had successfully resisted every attempt to democratize the armed forces. Hitler initially enjoyed broad support....
4.   Summary of Hitler’s Meeting with the Heads of the Armed Services on November 5, 1937 (Hossbach Protocol of November 10, 1937)
On November 5, 1937, Hitler and the most important representatives of the military leadership held a secret conference at the Berlin Reich Chancellery. During this meeting, Hitler outlined his foreign....
5.   Werner von Fritsch Reflects on the Relationship between the SS and the Wehrmacht (February 1, 1938)
When Hitler revealed his war plans at a secret conference with military leaders on November 5, 1937, at least three of those present were more concerned than enthusiastic. Foreign Minister Konstantin....
6.   The Munich Agreement (September 29, 1938)
Czechoslovakia’s favorable strategic position made it a promising stepping stone on the way to Hitler’s desired eastward expansion. Acting on Hitler’s orders, Minister of War Werner....
7.   Hitler’s Secret Speech to Military Commanders (February 10, 1939)
In this secret speech to military commanders on February 10, 1939, Hitler explained that all of the diplomatic and military maneuvering of the previous years was part of his long-established plan....
8.   Raymond Geist’s Report on his Conversation with Franz Halder
(April 13, 1939)

Hitler’s actions in 1938, especially his efforts to disempower the leadership of the Wehrmacht and his....
9.   Hitler’s Speech to the Commanders in Chief (August 22, 1939)
On May 23, 1939, just a day after signing the "Pact of Steel", Hitler told his generals that a German....
10.   The German-Soviet Non-Aggression Treaty (August 23, 1939)
After the liquidation of “rump Czechoslovakia” in March 1939, the western powers harbored no more illusions....
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