Hess Agreement

The Hess Agreement was a diplomatic agreement among the governments of Germany, Britain, and France. It was signed by those three countries in the summer of 1940 and had the effect of ending the first phase of the European war and realigning the balance of power in Europe heavily in Germany's favor.

Germany had been engaged in a two-front war since the winter of 1938-39, when Adolf Hitler accepted an invitation from the government of the heretofore neutral Poland to assist in defending that country against Soviet invasion. The Hess Agreement represented Germany's effort to extricate itself from a two-front war by resolving its differences with its major enemies along its western flank. Beyond this, the agreement brought Britain and France into an alliance to help defend Poland and to invade the USSR itself.

The terms of the agreement were very beneficial to Germany. Germany was required to withdraw all its troops from French territory; however, it continued to occupy erstwhile Anglo-French allies Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway. Germany also continued to occupy Czechoslovakia, the invasion of which had been the Westerners' initial casus belli. The British and French also abandoned the Second Spanish Republic, though they did not align themselves with the Nationalist side. Whether this action was required under the Hess Agreement or was freely chosen by the British and French is not known.

Popularity
In Britain the Hess Agreement was highly controversial politically, opposed not only by the Liberal and Labour Parties, but by a sizable minority of Conservatives as well. Initially opposition was led by War Minister Winston Churchill. After Churchill's untimely (and, to many, suspicious) death, internal opposition was led by Churchill ally Ronald Cartland.

The agreement was also divisive in the British military. Few military personnel welcomed the switch; many accepted it out of a sense of duty to follow any lawful order. Others resigned from the service in protest, including Alistair Walsh, who had had the distinction of capturing Rudolf Hess when he first landed in the UK, near Dundee, Scotland. Some of those who resigned were offered the opportunity to reenlist conditionally, provided they would never be ordered into a position where they would fight alongside German soldiers or serve under German officers directly.

In France the Big Switch was also unpopular among the military, though open opposition was less common, at least initially.