English Translation

Aratelf yA. h0s 29 The Head of the Business Group Prague, 22 September 1942. II/l - 773/42 g. Secret ! Beheim 1./ Ve r merk . Subject: German-Slovak negotiations on the participation of the Protectorate in Slovakia. In the German-Slovak banking negotiations which took place at the meeting of the government committee, the Slovaks again raised the question of the participation of the protectorate in Slovakia. They had linked this question with the banking affairs by means of the governmental regulation No. 153 of 18.7.1942"on ensuring the satisfaction of claims against branches of foreign financial institutions" had secured the participations in Slovakia belonging to the Czech banks and had appointed special agents at the 4 branches of Czech banks in Pressburg in the implementation of this regulation. As chairman of the German subcommittee m y for banking matters, R i h l e has vigorously protested against these measures and compared them with measures against enemy assets. From the Slovak side it was then admitted that the government's aigihe regulation had above all the purpose to raise the question of pro- On the other hand, we have said that we have refused to link the banking questions with the question of participation, but we are also prepared to discuss the issue of participation. The importance of the Slovaks to the discussion of the question of participation is shown by the fact that, in the presence of the undersigned, Minister President T u k a personally presented his position in this regard to the Chairman of the German Government Committee, Ministerial Conductor Dr Bergemann. Prime Minister Tuka pointed out that the Reichsmarschall had expressly explained to him that Germany had only taken part in the defence operations in Slovakia.