With the establishment of the Nazi dictatorship in Germany, France and Great Britain decided that the threat of the German-Soviet alliance had faded into oblivion. “An Asian revolt multiplied by German industry,” as the British Ambassador to Germany, Lord d'Abernon, put it in the early 1920s, retreated. So in the first half of the 1930s, Paris and London turned a blind eye to the remilitarization of Germany. Berlin in a favorable political environment received the opportunity to form a bloc of allied states. On November 25, 1936, the Anti-Comintern Pact was concluded between Germany and Japan. In November 1937, Italy joined it.
The Austrian epic of 1934, which outwardly had all the signs of a failure of Nazi policy, gave additional political trump cards to the German dictator. Hitler quickly used the failure of the attempt to capture Austria as an advantage over France and Great Britain. The only country that decisively came out in defense of Austria was Italy. Rome finally felt like one of the key guarantors of the inviolability of the Versailles system in the region. This mission was tacitly delegated to him by the victorious states, which deprived Italy at Versailles and were not ready to teach the aggressor a lesson. Therefore, Mussolini launched the creation of a bloc: in 1934, the Rome Protocols were concluded between Italy, Austria and Hungary.
On the other hand, France, after Hitler’s first revanchist steps, needed a decisive ally, so it moved closer to Italy, giving actual consent to the conquest of Ethiopia. The basis for the agreements was to ensure a guarantee of peace and stability exclusively in Europe, as Mussolini clarified following the results of negotiations on January 4, 1935. So, he spared his new ally the need to explain his passive position in the Italo-Ethiopian conflict. Italy triumphed: Mussolini seemed to have put Hitler in the place of the Austrian question and created a bloc in Central Europe. Until recently, the leading states of the Versailles system were looking for support for a country that was secondary in big European politics. Mussolini intensified the creation of the “Mediterranean Empire”, consolidating the success and not suspecting that he was doing the dirty work for Hitler to destroy the Versailles system.
Italy's aggression against League of Nations member Ethiopia virtually destroyed this organization as a guarantor of peace and demonstrated that the only guarantee against aggression is readiness for war. Therefore, Hitler had a free hand, and no one showed any willingness to put forward counterarguments to his rhetoric about arming Germany.
France's feverish actions did not add any lasting confidence in international politics and alienated it from its traditional ally Great Britain, which was actively developing relations with Germany and saw in it the only guarantor of stability in Europe. The pro-German policy of Great Britain was well illustrated by the naval agreement of 1935. In fact, British policy was aimed at supporting Berlin in the process of remilitarization of the Reich. The British note regarding the introduction of universal conscription in Germany and the almost tripling of the army contained an unexpected call. Britain expressed hope for Germany's participation with its military aviation in ensuring air security in Europe?! And this was said when the provisions of Versailles were still in force, prohibiting Germany from maintaining military aircraft.
In 1934, a neutrality pact was concluded between Poland and Germany, which, at first glance, seemed to be a solution to the global continental confrontation. But it became a maneuver, as a result of which Hitler received a buffer state with a potential enemy - the USSR. Now he could calmly demonstrate the anti-Soviet orientation of his own policies. Sometimes Hitler's rhetoric was reinforced by inspired rumors about an alliance between Germany and Poland against the USSR.
So, Poland left the orbit of the Locarno guarantees of 1925, protecting itself, as it believed, with bilateral guarantees with Germany. Let us recall that in October 1925, in the Swiss city of Locarno, Germany regulated its relations with France and also emerged from political isolation by concluding a guarantee agreement. The German-Polish Treaty of 1934 contained a brilliant article, a creation of German diplomacy: all problems arising between Berlin and Warsaw should be the subject of only bilateral relations. This article excluded Poland from receiving any guarantees from the outside and made the specified agreement incompatible with the guarantee agreement between Poland and France of 1925, and also actually abolished the military convention with Romania of 1926 (with the participation of France as a military consultant), we especially note in part of it actions against Germany. Hitler gained an obedient ally against Czechoslovakia, given Poland's long-standing interest in Cieszyn Silesia.
The Polish side, in turn, was flattered by the agreement with Germany, because from a country that was hypothetically guaranteed something by the states - the creators of the Versailles system, it turned into a player with whom a powerful state reckons. The illusion so darkened the eyes of Poland that it went further and itself began to break the foundations of the Versailles system, abandoning the obligation to guarantee the rights of national minorities. Poland turned from a threat to Germany from the east into an obedient instrument of its policy.
German policy is pushing Czechoslovakia to search for a new allied configuration to guarantee security. Prague Castle is forced to move closer to the Kremlin. In parallel, Benes begins consultations with France in order to obtain additional security guarantees instead of the Locarno ones. The latter cracked with the withdrawal of Poland from Locarno (Warsaw and Prague, after the war for Cieszyn in 1919, were actually in a state of war). Continental countries in the game on the European chessboard found themselves in a situation where each subsequent move only worsened their situation. Berlin plays the role of the queen of the winning side in this game.
Poland deliberately fails to conclude the Eastern Guarantee Pact, which could protect it from aggression. She expects to decide the destinies of the countries of Central Europe. France, having noticed the collapse of its geopolitical structures, which were supposed to restrain Germany, is creating a system of guarantee agreements with Czechoslovakia and the USSR. In this way, it is trying to save the remnants of its recently strong positions in Central Europe.
It must be recalled that Western democracies found themselves in a very difficult situation after the economic crisis of the early 1930s. Their governments were faced with a complete lack of tools to influence society. The successes of Nazi propaganda, which aggressively spread far beyond Germany, made Hitler more popular in most European countries than their own politicians. Hitler could only wait and not take openly aggressive steps, maintaining the appearance of fairness and legality of his demands.
He succeeded brilliantly. After all, since 1932 regular international conferences on disarmament did not produce any results. At the same time, huge amounts of money were spent on maintaining the military armadas of European states against the backdrop of economic collapse and poverty in France, mass unemployment and stagnation in Great Britain. Hitler condemned the refusal to disarmament and grant Germany equality in arms with the victorious countries in the First World War, which was perceived by the public opinion of European states as a fair reproach to their governments. Hitler’s pacifist rhetoric at the 1934 NSDAP congress was clearly documented in L. Riefenstahl’s film “Triumph of the Will.” The dictator spoke about cultivating a love of peace and, at the same time, perseverance. These speeches, which delighted the inhabitants of all European states, were a continuation of his policy of discrediting ineffective and militarized democracies. And this is at a time when Nazi Germany built up the latest weapons. The USSR also militarized its economy, spreading rhetoric about the direction of its war machine against fascists and Nazis. However, these actions worked entirely to justify German militarization and played a role when Germany introduced universal conscription on March 16, 1935.
The reaction of the countries of the Locarno system was almost immediate. On April 14 of the same year, a conference of representatives of the governments of Italy, France and Great Britain takes place in Stresa (Italy). The resolution adopted at this conference declared the participants' interest in preserving the independence of Austria. For this purpose, it was planned to convene a conference of all states that were parties to the Rome Protocols of 1934 (Italy, Austria, Hungary) and develop an agreement on Central Europe. In addition, the inadmissibility of unilateral termination of treaty obligations and the readiness to review the military provisions of all post-war peace treaties were stated. At Stresa, the desire to maintain the validity of the Locarno Treaties was declared. On April 17, 1935, at the Extraordinary Session of the Council of the League of Nations, the practice of unilateral revision of the provisions of international treaties, introduced by Germany, was condemned. Berlin protested, accusing the League of Nations of discrimination.
In 1935, agreements were concluded between the USSR and France (May 2) and the USSR and Czechoslovakia (May 16) on mutual assistance in the event of aggression. The motive for such steps on the part of Paris and Prague was the disruption of work on the Eastern Pact. But the Soviet-Czechoslovak treaty contained an article according to which the USSR agreed to provide military assistance to Czechoslovakia only if such assistance was provided by France.
Berlin reacted sharply to Paris's move, citing the inadmissibility of concluding a guarantee agreement with Moscow on the grounds that it contradicts Locarno. After all, as the German government justified its position, France has guarantees of its security within the framework of the Locarno Treaties, therefore all issues related to guaranteeing the security of France should be resolved exclusively within the framework of relations between the countries that signed the treaty, i.e. without the involvement of other states. The German position regarding France concluding an agreement with the USSR was also supported by Great Britain.
On March 7, 1936, German troops entered the demilitarized Rhineland; in fact, the Locarno Accords were terminated. The basis for such a step on Hitler’s part is the ratification by the French Parliament of the guarantee agreement with the USSR. The entire security system in Europe was under threat. One of the countries of the Locarno guarantee system, Belgium, on October 14, 1936, decided to renounce its neutral status. But Brussels plays along with Berlin’s policy aimed at curtailing the system of collective guarantees and replacing it with bilateral interstate guarantees. Belgium makes it clear that it does not consider the guarantees received 11 years ago in Locarno to be reliable and wants to guarantee its security on our own. The new format of relations imposed by Germany allowed it to fight its potential enemies one by one.
France and Belgium proposed a draft resolution on Germany's Rhine Action to the Council of the League of Nations, which was adopted by a majority vote. And already at the London Conference on March 19, 1936, representatives of Belgium, France, Great Britain and Italy supported proposals for further joint actions. The draft resolution condemned unilateral acts in international relations. A desire was expressed to resolve the situation, which was beyond the control of the Versailles institutions, and a decision was made to convene an international conference.
One of the points for discussion at it was the proposals of the German government from
On March 7, 1936, regarding the conclusion of non-aggression pacts with neighboring states on the eastern border of Germany (Austria and Czechoslovakia) similar to the one it concluded with Poland on January 26, 1934. Berlin also expressed a desire to return to the League of Nations, since with the restoration of equality in Germany through the establishment of full sovereignty throughout its entire territory, the main obstacle to the state's presence in this international organization was removed. Hitler intended to continue revising the provisions of the Versailles system through non-military means, while at the same time protecting himself from military opposition with a mutual non-aggression pact. Germany would have the opportunity to neutralize the possibility of using force against Berlin within the framework of the Charter of the League of Nations.
As a reaction to Germany's Rhine action, the so-called Strese Front was formed, which included France, Great Britain, Belgium and Italy. This format of diplomatic opposition to Nazi policies was a continuation of consultations begun in Stresa regarding the introduction of universal conscription by Germany. At the same time, Polish Foreign Minister J. Beck confirmed to France his intention to remain faithful to treaty obligations: in the event of war with Germany, Poland will support its ally.
This position of Poland had serious consequences in completing the process of destruction of the Locarno system, since Poland's declared loyalty to the allied relationship with France was not realized due to the lack of reaction on the part of Paris to the clear violation of the principles declared at Locarno. Therefore, this precedent freed both Poland and France from mutual obligations under the Locarno Treaties. Italy, in turn, practically “washes its hands”, motivating its position by the fact that it is busy with obligations in the Mediterranean region.
So, France and Great Britain are left alone against Germany. Berlin is striving to form its own aggressive bloc, which, in contrast to the virtually denounced guarantees of the Versailles and Locarno systems, would guarantee the realization of the aspirations of its participants. Italy sought to become the ruler of the Mediterranean, Japan - the Far East, and Germany - the hegemon in continental Europe. Therefore, in 1936, favorable conditions to form such a block.
The Spanish problem, closely connected with the activities of the Comintern, became timely for the emergence of the subject of the formation of a new aggressive bloc. The transition of the process of solving Spanish internal social problems into a hot phase in 1936 became symbolic. For the Pyrenees, a desperate struggle ensued between two models of unifying society within one state: fascist/Nazi and communist. Result civil war in Spain was a fundamental issue for everyone: for the USSR with the Comintern, and for Italy, and for Germany. Mussolini tried to take a dominant position in the Mediterranean, and Hitler tried to use the opportunity to test newest types weapons.
The fight against the Comintern became a good reason for the union of Italian fascism, German Nazism and Japanese traditionalism. Hitler strongly supported the Italian policy of active intervention in Spanish affairs. Mussolini, in his characteristic victorious pathos, became bogged down in the struggle for illusory goals, and his Mediterranean adventurous policy created the preconditions for Germany’s final denunciation of the provisions of Locarno.
On the basis of the Spanish political bridgehead, the Anti-Comintern Pact completed its formation. This pact was controversial, given France's ratification of the guarantee treaty with the USSR on March 7, 1936. The provisions of the pact provided for the coordination of actions of Germany and Japan directed against the Comintern. This international organization, according to the signatories, was a system of political agents of the USSR abroad. An additional secret agreement to the pact stipulated that its participants, in the event of a war between one of the states and the USSR, should refrain from actions that could ease the situation of the Soviet Union. Accordingly, indirectly, this secret agreement provided that the signatories of the pact were also to refrain from all relations with states with which the USSR maintained allied treaty relations. Therefore, regarding them, the countries of the Anti-Comintern Pact had to adjust their policies in accordance with the provisions of the secret agreement and in consultation with their partners.
France was in allied relations with the USSR on the basis of the system of treaties of 1935, respectively, and the additional treaty to the Anti-Comintern Pact was directed against allied relations between the USSR and France. And to the French colonial possessions in Pacific Ocean Japan also showed interest in Indochina. Thus, based on the fact that Japan, as a result of its exclusion from the League of Nations, found itself isolated from active politics within the institutions of the Versailles system, it gained influence on European politics through the mediation of Germany. At the same time, Germany sought to monopolize the initiative to revise the provisions of Versailles, so its most successful allies were Japan and Italy. Germany had the opportunity to initiate a revision of the provisions of the Versailles system, being at the center of the functioning of its provisions and institutions. In turn, Italy and Japan distanced themselves from active participation in political processes within the framework of the Versailles provisions. Consequently, they were not Germany's competitors in the initiative of revisionist measures.
Germany reinforced the nullification of the Rhine articles of the Treaty of Versailles with the Anti-Comintern Pact (November 26, 1936), which was officially directed against the USSR: with this pact Germany responded to Japan’s loyalty in the Rhine issue. In November 1937, Italy joined the pact and the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo axis was created. In fact, as J. von Ribbentrop told J. Stalin in 1939, the Anti-Comintern Pact was directed against England.
The Comintern (Communist International) is an international organization that united communist parties various countries until 1943. The Anti-Comintern Pact was concluded against her. The Comintern was organized in March 1919 on the initiative of V.I. Lenin for the dissemination and development of the ideas of socialism. A pact is an international agreement between two or more parties. it could be anything. IN in this case The Anti-Comintern Pact was concluded between Japan and Germany on November 25, 1936 in Berlin. The official goal of this was the joint struggle of these two countries against the countries of the Comintern (Third Communist International) in order to prevent the spread of the ideology of communism in the world.
Fascist Italy, represented by fascist Italy, joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in November 1937. Later, several more states joined it, where people who had a sharply negative attitude towards the communist idea and the USSR, as well as the governments of those states that shared the ideology of Hitler’s Nazism, came to power.
In February 1939, Manchukuo and Hungary joined the pact. Under intense German pressure during the ongoing March 1939, Franco also signed it.
The Anti-Comintern Pact was actually turned into almost a military alliance. It included new states - Romania. Finland, Bulgaria, and besides them, the governments of the countries of Denmark, Croatia and Slovakia, which were occupied by the Germans, joined, as well as the puppet rulers of Nanjing, where the Japanese ruled.
In essence, the Anti-Comintern Pact was a bloc of aggressors led by Hitler's Germany. This pact was strengthened by other alliances - the Pact of Steel of 1939, as well as the Berlin Pact of 1940. This aggressive bloc was formed under the guise of the fight against communism, but in fact it was only a cover for the real goals of the countries included in all pacts led by and masked their true intentions.
In fact, intensive preparations were made for war against USSR, as well as England, the United States of America, France and other countries.
J.V. Stalin said on this occasion that in our time it is not easy to rush into war, regardless of public opinion. Therefore, the fascist leaders, before starting to fight, decided to manipulate public opinion, misleading the people. They began to say that they were waging war not against England, the USA, France, but against the Comintern. The events that followed the signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact only confirmed the real plans of these states. Germany, together with Italy, was in solidarity with the aggressive policy in Far East Japan, and the latter recognized the fascist government of General Franco in Spain and the annexation of Ethiopia. Italy and Germany officially recognized the puppet government in Manchuria that the Japanese had created when they invaded and conquered the territory.
Later, the chain of aggressive acts increased even more. Japan, having captured Manchuria in 1937, invaded Central and Northern China. Germany invaded and captured Austria in March 1938, and Czechoslovakia was captured by the Germans in March 1939.
On May 22, 1939, a treaty of alliance and friendship was signed between Germany and Italy. According to it, the parties assumed obligations not to enter into agreements that would be directed against one of them, and must provide assistance to each other in the event of hostilities with a third party. On December 11, 1940, Japan also joined this agreement, nicknamed the Pact of Steel.
[The formation of the “axis” of aggressive states, Germany, Italy and Japan, was formalized by the signing of the “Anti-Comintern Pact” on November 25, 1936 between Germany and Japan. A year later, Italy joined him. The members of the bloc proclaimed their goal to be the fight against the Comintern. In fact, the German-Japanese-Italian bloc was directed not only against the USSR, but also against Britain, France and the USA.]
(Extract)
Great Government Japanese Empire and the German government, aware that the goal of the communist “international” (the so-called “comintern”) is subversion and violence by all means at its disposal in relation to existing states, being convinced that the intervention of the communist “international” in the internal affairs of nations not only threaten their tranquility, public welfare and social order, but also constitute a threat to world peace,
and expressing their intention to cooperate in the defense against communist subversion, have entered into the following agreement.
Article 1. The High Contracting Parties undertake to mutually inform each other regarding the activities of the communist "international", to consult on the adoption of necessary defensive measures and to maintain close cooperation in the implementation of these measures.
Article 2. The High Contracting Parties undertake to jointly recommend to any third state whose internal security is threatened by the subversive work of the communist “international” to take defensive measures in the spirit of this agreement or to accede to it.
Article 3 This agreement is written in Japanese and German languages, and both texts are authentic. This agreement is concluded for five years and comes into force from the date of its signing. Both Contracting Parties must promptly, before the expiration of this agreement, reach mutual understanding regarding the nature of their further cooperation.
Additional protocol
When signing the Agreement against the Communist "International", the plenipotentiaries regarding this agreement agreed on the following:
a) the respective authorities of both High Contracting Parties will maintain close cooperation in the exchange of information on the activities of the Communist “International”, as well as on the adoption of explanatory and defensive measures in connection with the activities of the Communist “International”;
b) the appropriate authorities of both High Contracting Parties will take, within the framework of the legislation currently in force, strict measures against persons directly or indirectly, domestically or abroad, in the service of the communist “international” or contributing to its subversive activities;
c) in order to facilitate the cooperation referred to in paragraph "a" between the appropriate authorities of the two High Contracting Parties, a permanent commission will be established in which further defensive measures necessary to prevent the subversive activities of the communist "international" will be studied and discussed.
(Extract)
The Government of the Greater Empire of Japan and the Government of Germany, recognizing,
that the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics strives to realize the goals of the communist “international” and intends to use its armed forces for this purpose,
and being convinced that this constitutes a grave threat not only to the existence of States, but also to the existence of world peace,
in order to protect their common interests, agree on the following:
Article 1. In the event that one of the Contracting Parties is subjected to or threatened with an unprovoked attack by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the other Contracting Party undertakes not to take any measures that could help alleviate the situation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Should the above situation arise, the Contracting Parties shall immediately discuss the measures necessary to protect their common interests.
Article 2. During the period of validity of this agreement, the Contracting Parties undertake, without mutual consent, not to conclude any political agreements with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that would be contrary to the spirit of this agreement.
Article 3 This agreement is written in Japanese and German, both copies being equally authentic. This agreement comes into force simultaneously with the agreement against the communist “international” and has the same validity period as it.
Section VI. DESTRUCTION OF THE WASHINGTON ORDER
- 87. "Stimson Doctrine". Letter from the US Secretary of State to the US Ambassador to Japan, January 7, 1932.
- 88. Extracts from the report of the Lytton Commission. Beijing, September 4, 1932
- 89. Resolution of the Assembly of the League of Nations on the report of the Lytton Commission of December 9, 1932.
- 90. From a conversation between J.V. Stalin and the chairman of the American newspaper association Scripps-Howard Newspapers, Roy Howard, March 1, 1936.
- 91. Protocol on mutual assistance between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the Mongolian People's Republic, signed on March 12, 1936.
- 92. Non-aggression Treaty between the USSR and the Republic of China, concluded on August 21, 1937.
- 93. Neutrality Pact between the Soviet Union and Japan, signed on April 13, 1941.
- 94. Protocol between France and the Empire of Japan on the joint defense of French Indochina, signed at Vichy on July 29, 1941.
- 95. Draft basic proposals for concluding an agreement between the United States and Japan, transmitted by the US Secretary of State to the Japanese Ambassador ("Roosevelt's Ultimatum")
- 96. Declaration on Greater East Asia of November 6, 1943
- 97. Japan's removal of the French administration in Indochina. March 10, 1945
87. "Stimson Doctrine". Letter from the US Secretary of State to the US Ambassador to Japan, January 7, 1932 1
Please transmit the following note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on behalf of your Government as soon as possible:
As a result of the latest military operations in the Changchun region, the last remaining administrative authority of the Chinese Government in Southern Manchuria, which existed before September 18, 1931, was liquidated. The US Government continues to be confident that the activities of the neutral commission established by decision of the Council of the League of Nations will contribute to and lead to the resolution of the current difficulties between China and Japan. But realizing the existing state of things, its rights and obligations, the American Government considers it its duty to bring to the notice of the Governments of the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China that it cannot admit the validity of any de facto provision and it also does not intend to recognize any treaty or agreement. between governments or their agents that would prejudice the rights of the United States or the rights of its citizens in China, including those relating to questions of sovereignty, independence or territorial and administrative integrity of the Republic of China; concerning international politics in relation to China, known as the “open door policy”.
The US Government also does not intend to recognize any provision, treaty or agreement that will be made by methods contrary to the articles of the Paris Pact (Kellogg Pact) of August 27, 1928, to which China, Japan, and the United States are parties.
Please note that an identical note is being sent to the Chinese Government.
日独防共協定 “Japanese-German Agreement on Defense against Communism”, date of conclusion - November 25, 1936. Place of conclusion - Berlin) - an international treaty (pact) concluded between Nazi Germany and Japan, which created a bilateral bloc of these states directed against countries of the 3rd Communist International (Comintern, where, in fact, the name of the pact comes from) in order to prevent the further spread of communist ideology in the world.
Story
On 24 February 1939, Hungary and Manchukuo joined the pact.
On March 26, 1939, in the context of the ongoing civil war and under pressure from Germany, the Anti-Comintern Pact was signed by the government of General Franco.
On November 25, 1941, the Anti-Comintern Pact was extended for 5 years, at the same time Finland, Romania, Bulgaria joined it, as well as the puppet governments of Croatia, Slovakia, Denmark that existed in the territories occupied by the Germans (with reservations) and those formed by the Japanese in the part they occupied Chinese government of Wang Ching-wei. In addition, Türkiye had observer status in it.
Articles of the pact
Article 1. The High Contracting Parties undertake to mutually inform each other regarding the activities of the communist "international", to consult on the adoption of necessary defensive measures and to maintain close cooperation in the implementation of these measures. Article 2. The High Contracting Parties undertake to jointly recommend to any third state whose internal security is threatened by the subversive work of the communist “international” to take defensive measures in the spirit of this agreement or to accede to it. Article 3 This agreement is written in Japanese and German, both texts being authentic. This agreement is concluded for five years and comes into force from the date of its signing. Both Contracting Parties must promptly, before the expiration of this agreement, reach mutual understanding regarding the nature of their further cooperation.
There were also additional articles to the pact, formalized as a protocol:
a) the relevant authorities of both High Contracting Parties will maintain close cooperation in the exchange of information on the activities of the communist “international”, as well as regarding the adoption of explanatory and defensive measures in connection with the activities of the communist “international”; b) the appropriate authorities of both High Contracting Parties will take, within the framework of the legislation currently in force, strict measures against persons directly or indirectly, domestically or abroad, in the service of the communist “international” or contributing to its subversive activities; c) in order to facilitate the cooperation referred to in paragraph "a" between the appropriate authorities of the two High Contracting Parties, a permanent commission will be established in which further defensive measures necessary to prevent the subversive activities of the communist "international" will be studied and discussed.
(extraction)
The formation of the “axis” of aggressive states, Germany, Italy and Japan, was finally formalized by the signing of the “Anti-Comintern Pact” on November 25, 1936 between Germany and Japan. A year later, Italy joined him. The members of the bloc proclaimed their goal to be the fight against the Comintern. However, in fact, the German-Japanese-Italian bloc was directed not only against the USSR, but also against England, France and the USA. Under the guise of calls to fight communism, the Nazis were preparing for a world war to redistribute the world in favor of the German monopolies.
The Government of the Greater Empire of Japan and the Government of Germany, aware that the goal of the communist "international" (the so-called "Comintern") is subversion and violence by all means at its disposal, in relation to existing states, being convinced that a tolerant attitude towards interference of the communist "international" into the internal affairs of nations not only threatens their peace, public welfare and social order, but also constitutes a threat to world peace, and expressing their intention to cooperate in defense against communist subversion, have entered into the following agreement.
Article 1. The High Contracting Parties undertake to mutually inform each other regarding the activities of the communist "international", to consult on the adoption of necessary defensive measures and to maintain close cooperation in the implementation of these measures.
Article 2. The High Contracting Parties undertake to jointly recommend to any third state whose internal security is threatened by the subversive work of the communist “international” to take defensive measures in the spirit of this agreement or to accede to it.
Article 3 This agreement is written in Japanese and German, both texts being authentic. This agreement is concluded for five years and comes into force from the date of its signing. Both Contracting Parties must promptly, before the expiration of this agreement, reach mutual understanding regarding the nature of their further cooperation.
Additional protocol
When signing the Agreement against the Communist "International", the plenipotentiaries regarding this agreement agreed on the following:
a) the respective authorities of both High Contracting Parties will maintain close cooperation in the exchange of information on the activities of the Communist “International”, as well as on the adoption of explanatory and defensive measures in connection with the activities of the Communist “International”;
b) the appropriate authorities of both High Contracting Parties will take, within the framework of the legislation currently in force, strict measures against persons directly or indirectly, domestically or abroad, in the service of the communist “international” or contributing to its subversive activities;
c) in order to facilitate the cooperation referred to in paragraph "a" between the appropriate authorities of the two High Contracting Parties, a permanent commission will be established in which further defensive measures necessary to prevent the subversive activities of the communist "international" will be studied and discussed.
"Dokumente der deutschen Politik"
Bd. (V, Berlin, 1942.
"History of the War in the Pacific"
vol. II, M., 1957, pp. 343 - 345.
(extraction)
Preparing to kindle the flames of the Second World War, the Japanese and German imperialists hypocritically attributed aggressive plans Soviet Union. Hiding behind the legend of imaginary “Soviet aggression,” Japanese and German militarists were preparing aggression, and the Anti-Comintern Pact was one of important elements this preparation.
The government of the Great Empire of Japan and the government of Germany, recognizing that the government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics strives to realize the goals of the communist “international” and intends to use its armed forces for this, and being convinced that this is a serious threat to the existence of not only states, but and the existence of world peace, in order to protect their common interests, agree on the following:
Article 1. In the event that one of the Contracting Parties is subjected to or threatened with an unprovoked attack by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the other Contracting Party undertakes not to take any measures that could help alleviate the situation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Should the above situation arise, the Contracting Parties shall immediately discuss the measures necessary to protect their common interests.
Article 2. During the period of validity of this agreement, the Contracting Parties undertake, without mutual consent, not to conclude any political agreements with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics that would be contrary to the spirit of this agreement.
Article 3 This agreement is written in Japanese and German, both copies being equally authentic. This agreement comes into force simultaneously with the agreement against the communist “international” and has the same validity period as it.
"History of the War in the Pacific Ocean", vol. II, M., 1957, pp. 345 - 346.
