26 August in the morning, Ambassador Henderson submitted to the British government an offer made to him the previous day by Hitler. In response to it, Goering received a letter from the British Foreign Minister, Edward Halifax, who found England's readiness to reach peaceful agreement. The German reaction was the transfer 27 August to the English formulated by Hitler five points, regarding the conditions of room maintenance. Their content was slightly different from “wide, generous offer”, but with this, that it contained several additions. According to Hitler, England should participate in the efforts made to connect Gdańsk to the Reich (At the same time, Poland would ensure a free port in Gdańsk and the corridor to Gdynia). Moreover, If you accept five points, Hitler undertook to give a guarantee to new Polish borders.
On the same day in England, the British opinion about Hitler's proposal was handed over to Germany, The official response of the British government was to take place the next day, In case of acceptance of English resolutions by Hitler. They relied on this, that Germany began negotiations with Poland as soon as possible about new borders, which to get the acceptance of all great powers, including the Soviet Union. Then, England will accept German five points only then, When the Reich reaches an agreement with Poland and demobilization will be announced in Germany. Interestingly, Great Britain refused to accept the proposal to guarantee its territory by the Third Reich, For it was “incompatible with the image and interests of the British community”. In the morning 28 August, the British government received information, that Hitler accepts his position and intends to negotiate with Poland.
At the time, Polish government, unable to wait for the development of events anymore, decides to preliminary announcement of universal mobilization.
Late in the evening of the same day, Henderson landed in Berlin, To convey to Germany the official response of the British to Hitler's offer. He immediately appeared in his office and handed a letter from London, not much different from the initial opinion of the angel government. It also contained the assurance of Poland about joining the talks. Hitler, cheerful he probably recognized, that the diplomatic victory came too easily for his ambition. Soon he increased his territorial claims about Poland: He demanded the entire corridor and regulation of the border in Silesia. He also asked to establish a British position within 24 hours.
The next morning, 29 August 1939 year, Józef Beck, At the instigation of England and France, he went back before the official announcement of mobilization and declared to the British and French the readiness of the Polish government to negotiate with Germany. Hitler, informed about it, stated in the evening, In an interview with Henderson, the possibility of direct negotiations of Germany with Poland (and he let it be understood, that little these conversations can do). Moreover, officially accepted the British proposal, the previous day, And just like then, for the second time he began to demand not only Gdańsk, but the whole corridor.
As for Polish-German negotiations, It was expected to come to Berlin a Polish government representative within 24 hours from the conversation with Henderson, which the British government was informed the next day in the morning, 30 August. Hitler at that time, Especially for this visit, has prepared a 16-point negotiation proposal, which would present to the Polish envoy. These points were provided for, among others, by the connection of Gdańsk to the Reich, plebiscite in the law of Pomerania (Gdynia would remain Poland), Building extraterritorial roads and tracks through Pomerania and the demilitarization of Gdańsk, Gdynia and the Hel Peninsula. Moreover, The case of the Polish port in Gdańsk would be treated on an equal footing, Like the question of the German port in Gdynia. Hitler predicted, that in the event of the arrival of the Polish representative in Berlin, He would use a similar blackmail, which Czech politicians met in the year 1938.
However, In the evening 30 August, the British government informed Henderson, That he would not count on the imminent persuasion of Poles to immediately send a representative to Berlin. A few hours later, During a meeting with Ribbentrop, which Henderson appeared, to provide the German minister with this information, German read him several fragments from the developed previous day 16 point list. Then, to the English question, could he transfer the document to the Polish embassy, Ribbentrop replied: “It is already after the case, Because the Polish negotiator did not appear”. Despite the requests of Henderson, refused to inform about the fact of the Lipski ambassador. At last, o 2:00 in the morning 31 August, Henderson gave a testimony to the Pole on his own, advising, for the Polish government to negotiate with Germany as soon as possible.
However, Apart from the real intentions of the Germans, Ribbentrop's words were right: It was too late. In the morning 31 August Hitler issued an official directive ordering the implementation of the plan “Fall Weiss” 1 September at dawn. This order is already 13:00 It was delivered to all German units. So they didn't make much sense finally initiated by Poland, at the morning by the instillation of Leipzig, negotiations. At 12:40, The Polish government provided information to the Polish ambassador to Berlin, that he will consider the British proposal of direct negotiations with the Reich. Leipzig, wanting to convey these words to Germany, already 13:00 he called the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ask for an audience with ribbentrop. The Pole has a response to the Swa request about 15:00, and adopted by the German minister was only Fr. 20:30. The conversation lasted only 2 minutes and did not bring anything about negotiations. At the same time, a 16-point negotiation program was published on Radio Wielkie Niemie, which later – left without the approval of Poles – He could serve as an excuse for aggression.
However, an official pretext and – According to the Germans – The direct cause of the outbreak of war, The SS campaign in Gliwice was filed, to be in an international opinion a Polish provocation. In the evening 31 August, on the password “Grandma died”, A small group of German criminals, dressed up in Polish uniforms, Under the command of Sturmbahnfuehrer SS Alfred Naujocks attacked the radio in Gliwice. After the Germans entered inside and firing several shots, the following words were broadcast: “Gliwice radio station is located in Polish hands”. Germany, After running out of the building, they were liquidated by the SS, for eliminating risk, that real facts about the robbery would get outside. In order to indicate the role of Poland in this action, The body of a previously shot Pole was left under the radio station – Franciszek Honiok, arrested in the native village of the previous day.
The next day at dawn, Shots fired from the battleship Schleswig-Holstein towards Westerplatte were to start the war.