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Documents Relating to New Zealand's Participation in the Second World War 1939–45: Volume I
AXIS SATELLITE POWERS IN EUROPE — Finland, Hungary, Roumania, and Bulgaria
AXIS SATELLITE POWERS IN EUROPE
Finland, Hungary, Roumania, and Bulgaria
17
The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs1 to the Prime Minister of New Zealand2
DECLARATION OF WAR AGAINST FINLAND, HUNGARY, AND ROUMANIA
The following is the text of instructions which are being sent forthwith to His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington:3
Please ask the United States Government to instruct the United States Ministers at Helsingfors,4 Budapest,5 and Bucharest6 to convey the following message to the Finnish, Hungarian, and Roumanian Governments:
On (Finland only, 28 November; remainder, 29 November) His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom conveyed to the Finnish (Hungarian, Roumanian) Government through the United States Minister at Helsingfors (Budapest, Bucharest) a message to the effect that unless by 5 December the Finnish (Hungarian, Roumanian) Government had ceased military operations and had in practice withdrawn from all active participation in hostilities against the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, His Majesty's Government would have no choice but to declare the existence of a state of war between the two countries.
(Finland only). Since the Finnish Government's reply makes it clear that they have not complied with the above conditions and do not intend immediately to do so a state of war will exist between the two countries as from 12.1 a.m. GMT on 7 December.
1 Viscount Cranborne had succeeded Viscount Caldecote at the Dominions Office in Oct 1940.
2 The Hon. P. Fraser had been Prime Minister of New Zealand since the death of the Rt. Hon. M. J. Savage in Mar 1940.
3 The Earl of Halifax (then Viscount Halifax) had relinquished the Foreign Secretaryship in Dec 1940 to assume the position of His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington. which he held until 1946.
4 H. F. Arthur Schoenfeld.
5 Herbert C. Pell.
6 Franklin Mott Gunther.
(Hungary and Roumania only). Since the Hungarian (Roumanian) Government have returned no reply to this communication, and since information at the disposal of His Majesty's Government affords no indication that they intend to comply with the above conditions, a state of war will exist between the two countries as from 12.1 a.m. GMT on 7 December.
It is essential that these messages should be delivered before the time specified above and I should be grateful if the time of delivery could be reported.
The Governments of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa have been informed of these instructions. You will be informed if the New Zealand Government wish you to request the United States Government to inform the Finnish, Hungarian, and Roumanian Governments that a state of war will similarly exist between New Zealand and those countries. Canada's1 and Australia's2 Ministers may receive instructions to concert action with you if time permits, but you should not on this account delay your action on behalf of His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. So far as (South Africa ?) are concerned, we understand that owing to necessary preliminaries concerted action will not be possible.
1 Hon. Leighton G. McCarthy, KC.
2 Rt. Hon. Richard Gardiner Casey, PC, CH, DSO, MC; Australian Minister to the United States, 1940–42; Minister of State Resident in the Middle East and member of the United Kingdom War Cabinet, 1942–43; Governor of Bengal, 1944–46.
18
The Prime Minister of New Zealand to the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs
The existence of a state of war with Finland, Hungary, and Roumania has been proclaimed here as from one minute after noon, New Zealand summer time, on 7 December 1941.3
3 The New Zealand declarations were again timed to synchronise with those of the United Kingdom. New Zealand's declaration of war on Finland was communicated to the Finnish Government by the American Minister to Finland on 8 Dec 1941; that on Hungary was transmitted to the Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs by the American Minister at Budapest on 7 Dec 1941; and that on Roumania by the American Minister at Bucharest on 6 Dec 1941. The New Zealand Gazette Extraordinary dated 5 Jan 1948 announced that the state of war which had existed in New Zealand with Italy, Roumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Finland, should be deemed to terminate on the date of deposit by New Zealand of the instruments of ratification of the treaties of peace with those countries. The treaties of peace between New Zealand on the one hand and Roumania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Finland on the other were ratified by New Zealand on 31 Dec 1947. The state of war with those countries was therefore deemed to terminate on that date.
19
The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs to the Prime Minister of New Zealand
BULGARIA. No official confirmation of the press report that Bulgaria has declared war on us and the United States of America has yet been received, possibly because Bulgarian interests are not represented in this country. His Majesty's Ambassador has therefore been instructed to inquire from the United States Government what is the position and what action they have taken regarding the protection of our interests in Bulgaria.
20
The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs to the Prime Minister of New Zealand
My telegram of 15 December (No. 19).
A reply has been received from His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington advising that the only report so far received from the United States Minister at Sofia1 is that the declaration of war on both Great Britain and the United States of America has been announced in the Bulgarian Parliament, and that he is expecting to receive official confirmation at any moment. Meanwhile the Minister is already handing over to Switzerland the British and United States interests in Bulgaria.
1 George Howard Earle.
21
The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs to the Prime Minister of New Zealand
My telegram of 17 December (No. 20).
The official notification of Bulgaria's declaration of war expected by the United States Minister at Sofia has so far not been received, but the United States Government have told us that they consider themselves in a state of war with Bulgaria on the strength of the announcement in the Bulgarian Parliament. Owing to the absence of official information, we have so far felt unable formally to recognise page 16 that a state of war exists with Bulgaria, and this attitude is causing us considerable embarrassment since, although the Turkish Government might prefer that we should not be formally at war with Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and particularly the Greek Government have steadily pressed us to declare war on Bulgaria.
In these circumstances we have reached the conclusion that it will be necessary to announce that we regard a state of war as having existed since the date of the announcement in the Bulgarian Parliament, and notification to this effect will be published in the London Gazette not earlier than 27 December; the text of the notification is contained in my immediately following telegram.
22
The Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs to the Prime Minister of New Zealand
The text of the notification of a state of war with Bulgaria is as follows:
His Majesty's Government have been informed by the Government of the United States, who were in charge of British interests in Bulgaria, that a declaration of war by that country on Great Britain was announced in the Bulgarian Parliament on 13 December. His Majesty's Government have so far received no official communication to this effect from the Bulgarian Government, but in view of the above information it is hereby notified that a state of war exists between the two countries as from 13 December.