By March 1935, however, it was no longer a secret, as Hitler publicly announced his intentions to rebuild the German air force, reinstate conscription (the draft), and rearm the nation. He assured other world leaders that these were not violations of the Treaty of Versailles but purely “defensive” measures. In a speech to the Reichstag, he said, “The principal effect of every war is to destroy the flower of the nation. Germany needs peace and desires peace.”