500.A15A4 General Committee/380: Telegram
The Chargé in Germany ( Gordon ) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 15—2:40 p.m.]
79. My 78, May 15, 1 a.m. Since the decision to convoke the Reichstag was announced Saturday morning I have had various conversations with Germans in relatively close touch with the situation but I [Page 143] should like to reiterate that it is clear that only very few people actually know just what action the Government through the Chancellor will take on Wednesday, and to add that I much doubt if even most of the members of the Government are yet aware thereof.
Under the circumstances I thought it well to see Dieckhoff90 early this morning and to tell him frankly that I should be very glad of anything he or the Foreign Minister could tell me as to the Government’s position towards the disarmament problem with particular reference to the stand to be taken next Wednesday. Dieckhoff said he was just going to see the Foreign Minister and that they would be glad to give me some answer as soon as possible but that the Chancellor who had left Berlin for the week end was only returning later in the day and that nothing was as yet settled. Dieckhoff has now just called up to say that he regrets that he will not possibly have anything further to say to me today.
The foregoing tends to confirm how closely final decisions are kept in the hands of a very small circle around the Chancellor. I may add that in the course of the conversation which developed with Dieckhoff this morning, he gave in a general way his views as to the Government’s position and its probable exposition next Wednesday which did not differ materially from the outline set forth in my telegram. As I believe he participated in some of the discussions culminating in the decision to convoke the Reichstag this may be of interest.
- Hans Heinrich Dieckhoff, Chief, Anglo-American and Near East Department, German Foreign Office.↩