
Deutsches Reich
German Reich
Deutschlandlied
On the Baltic
The Reich is very pleased that the democratic principle of self-determination in finally applied to the East. The people of territories that were forced to leave Germany will have the opportunity to show whether Danzig and Memelland should become German again, and it is our firm hope that the citizens of these territories will soon make the decision to return where they belong, as German citizens.
I wish to thank the Allied Powers for their moderation and their understanding in this affair, although I regret that such a dire crisis was necessary for the core democratic principle of the new Europe to be applied. Nevertheless, this shows goodwill and the German nation will surely remember it. I will thus all means to ensure that the ongoing occupation of parts of Posen and West Prussia ends and the Reichswehr will closely monitor the elements who took part in this affair. The Reich would desire to see plebiscites applied to Posen and West Prussia as well, but the guarantees our German brethren are receiving satisfy us.
The German administration regrets that these groups have been able to agitate in Poland because of our own powerlessness but the arbitrary limitation on the size of the German armed forces make us unable to fully control such groups. Should the West desire to empower us, we will certainly bring this situation under control. As it stands, we will protect our own state but cannot fully guarantee that paramilitary groups will cease being a threat to neighbouring nations.
The League of Nation is showing its dedication to world peace and arbitration, and we can only applaud the recent move towards self-determination. Germany has taken a renewed interest in the League and we wish to see these good relations continue in the future, and to possibly deepen them as well.
[X] Germany
Friedrich Ebert, Reichspräsident
Dem Deutschen Volke