 When facing Van Kleffens he was unable to speak but merely cried; after a while Van Kleffens asked him to hand over the paper so that he could read it himself.It was directly apparent to Van Kleffens that the message entailed an offer to become a German protectorate (like Denmark had done a month earlier) under threat of complete annihilation of the Dutch state if the Dutch would refuse to comply.It would have to be made clear immediately that the Netherlands intended to continue the fight together with their allies; however, by the Dutch Constitution for a Dutch declaration of war, consent was needed of the States-General of the Netherlands.