
The Munich Pact
September 29, 1938
An agreement concluded at Munich, Bermany, between Germany, Great
Britain, France and Italy.
GERMANY, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, taking into consideration the
agreement, which has been already reached in principle for the cession to
Germany of the Sudeten German territory, have agreed on the following terms
and conditions governing the said cession and the measures consequent
thereon, and by this agreement they each hold themselves responsible for the
steps necessary to secure its fulfilment:
(1) The evacuation will begin on 1st October.
(2) The United Kingdom, France and Italy agree that the evacuation of the
territory shall be completed by the 10th October, without any existing
installations having been destroyed, and that the Czechoslovak Government
will be held responsible for carrying out the evacuation without damage to
the said installations.
(3) The conditions governing the evacuation will be laid down in detail by
an international commission composed of representatives of Germany, the
United Kingdom, France, Italy and Czechoslovakia.
(4) The occupation by stages of the predominantly German territory by German
troops will begin on 1st October. The four territories marked on the
attached map will be occupied by German troops in the following order:
The territory marked No. I on the 1st and 2nd of October; the territory
marked No. II on the 2nd and 3rd of October; the territory marked No. III on
the 3rd, 4th and 5th of October; the territory marked No. IV on the 6th and
7th of October. The remaining territory of preponderantly German character
will be ascertained by the aforesaid international commission forthwith and
be occupied by German troops by the 10th of October.
(5) The international commission referred to in paragraph 3 will determine
the territories in which a plebiscite is to be held. These territories will
be occupied by international bodies until the plebiscite has been completed.
The same commission will fix the conditions in which the plebiscite is to be
held, taking as a basis the conditions of the Saar plebiscite. The
commission will also fix a date, not later than the end of November, on
which the plebiscite will be held.
(6) The final determination of the frontiers will be carried out by the
international commission. The commission will also be entitled to recommend
to the four Powers, Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Italy, in
certain exceptional cases, minor modifications in the strictly
ethnographical determination of the zones which are to be transferred
without plebiscite.
(7) There will be a right of option into and out of the transferred
territories, the option to be exercised within six months from the date of
this agreement. A German-Czechoslovak commission shall determine the details
of the option, consider ways of facilitating the transfer of population and
settle questions of principle arising out of the said transfer.
(8) The Czechoslovak Government will within a period of four weeks from the
date of this agreement release from their military and police forces any
Sudeten Germans who may wish to be released, and the Czechoslovak Government
will within the same period release Sudeten German prisoners who are serving
terms of imprisonment for political offences.
Munich, September 29, 1938.
ADOLF HITLER
NEVILLE CHAMBERLAIN
EDOUARD DALADIER
BENITO MUSSOLINI
Britannia's British History Department
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