Parliamentary Debates.
Mr. Speaker, I have just had the duty of making an official statement
to the nation and the British Empire and Commonwealth, and I thought
it might perhaps be convenient to the House if I repeated it.
Yesterday morning, at 2.41, at General Eisenhower's headquarters, General
Jodl, the representative of the German High Command and of Grand Admiral
Doenitz, the designated head of the German State, signed the act of
unconditional surrender of all German land, sea and air forces in Europe
to the Allied Expeditionary Force, and, simultaneously, to the Soviet
High Command. General Bedell Smith, who is the Chief of the Staff to
the Allied Expeditionary Force-and not, as I stated in a slip just now,
Chief of the Staff to the United States Army-and General François
Sevez, signed the document on behalf of the Supreme Commander of the
Allied Expeditionary Force, and General Susloparoff signed on behalf
of the Russian High Command.
To-day this agreement will be ratified and confirmed at Berlin, where
Air Chief Marshal Tedder, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary
Force, and General de Lattre de Tassigny, representing the French Republic,
will sign on behalf of General Eisenhower, and General Zhukov will sign
on behalf of the Soviet High Command. The German representatives will
be Field Marshal Keitel, Chief of the-High Command, and the Commanders-in-Chief
of the German Army, Navy, and Air forces.
Hostilities will end officially at one minute after midnight to-night,
Tuesday, 8th May, but in the interests of saving lives the "Cease
Fire" began yesterday to be sounded all along the fronts, and I
should not forget to mention that our dear Channel Islands, the only
part of His Majesty's Dominions that has been in the hands of the German
foe, are also to be freed to-day. The Germans are still in places resisting
Russian troops, but should they continue to do so after midnight, they
will, of course, deprive themselves of the protection of the laws of
war and will be attacked from all quarters by the Allied troops. It
is not surprising that on such long fronts and in the existing disorder
of the enemy that the orders of the German High Command should not in
every case have been obeyed. This does not, in our opinion, constitute
any reason for withholding from the nation the facts communicated to
us by General Eisenhower of the unconditional surrender already signed
at Rheims, nor should it prevent us from celebrating to-day, and to-morrow-Wednesday-as
Victory-in-Europe Days, and I think that to-morrow it may be specially
desirable for us to emphasise the debt we owe to our Soviet Ally, whose
main celebrations will be taking place to-morrow.
The German war, Mr. Speaker, is therefore at an end. After years of
intense preparation Germany hurled herself on Poland at the beginning
of September, 1939, and in pursuance of our guarantee to Poland, and
in common action with the French Republic, Great Britain and the British
Empire and Commonwealth of Nations declared war against this foul aggression.
After gallant France had been struck down we from this Island and from
our united Empire maintained the struggle single-handed for a whole
year until we were joined by the military might of Soviet Russia and
later by the overwhelming power and resources of the United States of
America. Finally almost the whole world was combined against the evildoers,
who are now prostrate before us. Sir, our gratitude to our splendid
Allies goes forth from all our hearts. We may allow ourselves a brief
period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toils and
efforts that lie ahead. Japan, with all her treachery and greed, remains
unsubdued. The injuries she has inflicted upon Great Britain, the United
States and other countries and her detestable cruelties call forth justice
and retribution. We must now devote all our strength and resources to
the completion of our tasks both at home and abroad. Advance Britannia!
Long Live the Cause of Freedom! God Save the King!
Sir, that is the message which I have been instructed to deliver to
the British Nation and Commonwealth. I have only two or three sentences
to add. They will convey to the House my deep gratitude to this House
of Commons which has proved itself the strongest foundation for waging
war that has ever been seen in the whole of our long history. We have
all of us made our mistakes, but the strength of the Parliamentary institution
has been shown to enable it at the same moment to preserve all the title
deeds of democracy while waging war in the most stern and protracted
form. I wish to give my hearty thanks to men of all Parties, to everyone
in every part of the House where they sit, for the way in which the
liveliness of Parliamentary institutions has been maintained under the
fire of the enemy and for the way in which we have been able to persevere-and
we could have persevered much longer if the need had been-till all the
objectives which we set before us of the procuring of the unlimited
and unconditional surrender of the enemy had been achieved. I recollect
well at the end of the last war, more than a quarter of a century ago,
that the House, when it heard the long list of the surrender terms,
the armistice terms, which had been imposed upon the Germans did not
feel inclined for debate or business but desired to offer thanks to
Almighty God, to the Great Power which seems to shape and design the
fortunes of nations and the destiny of man, and I therefore beg, Sir,
with your permission to move:
"That this House do now attend at the Church of St. Margaret,
Westminster, to give humble and reverent thanks to Almighty God for
our deliverance from the threat of German domination."
This is the identical Motion which was moved in former
times.