Appendix 17Text of the Protest Communicated by the Belgian Government
to the Foreign Governments Following upon the German Aggression ofMay 10th, 1940

ALTHOUGH Germany had not declared war, the German Army
has just crossed the frontier of the Kingdom of Belgium and has
attacked the Belgian Army with considerable forces. All the
facts and all the documents in the possession of the Belgian
Government prove that the aggression was premeditated. No
complaint was brought to its notice before the act of aggression.
Moreover, there was nothing in the relations between the two
countries, for the most part good, to suggest that a conflict was

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likely to arise. The Belgian Government protests against this
outrage. It points out that for the second time in twenty-five
years Belgium has been the victim of an aggression by Germany.
In its declaration of October 13th, 1937,
the German Government
solemnly confirmed its determination in no circumstances
to impair the inviolability and integrity of Belgium and stated
that "it will at all times respect Belgian territory, except, of
course, in the event of Belgium's taking part in a military action
directed against Germany in an armed conflict in which Germany
is involved," declaring that it was prepared to assist Belgium
should she be subjected to an attack or to invasion. On August
26th, in a spontaneous declaration,
solemnly renewed its undertaking of October 13th, 1937. Since
making the Declaration in 1937, Germany has on many occasions
paid tribute to the correctness of the attitude maintained by
Belgium. Public opinion is unanimous in recognizing that the
Belgian Government has done everything in its power to avert
the scourge of war which threatened Europe. On the eve of the
European War, the King of the Belgians, in conjunction with the
Heads of other States, and more particularly with Her Majesty
the Queen of the Netherlands, took steps to aver the danger.
It is sufficient to recall the appeal made from Brussels on
August 23rd, 1939,
on behalf of the Heads of the States of the Oslo
Group and the offer of good offices on the 29th of the same
month. A further offer of good offices
was made on November
7th by the Queen of the Netherlands and the King of the Belgians,
with a view to facilitating enquiry into points on which agreement
could be reached. During the conflict, Belgium has always
observed strict and scrupulous neutrality. She was attacked
suddenly at dawn. The aggression was consummated when the
Government appealed to the guarantor Powers. Just as in
August 1914, Germany violated Belgian neutrality which she had
guaranteed in virtue of the treaties of April 19thy, 1839, so t-day
she has attacked Belgium in contravention of an undertaking
contracted in 1937 and renewed in 1939, the validity of which is
not open to question. As in 1914, an act of aggression against a
neutral State, while not justified in itself, is made worse by the
violation of undertakings that had been entered into. This new
outrage will deeply shock the conscience of the world. The
German Reich will be held responsible by history for the sufferings
which this act of aggression will inflict on the Belgian people.
Belgium has never accepted servitude. She will suffer her ordeal
courageously. The Belgian Army will defend Belgian national
territory with all its force, with the help of Belgium's guarantors,
who will not fail to fulfil their promises.