500.A15A5/579: Telegram
The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 10—2:30 p.m.]
235. Foreign Office and other sources of information regarding German attitude London Naval Conference indicate that while interested the German Government is not concerned at this preliminary stage. The German Government feels that its agreement with England takes care of present situation. If Naval Conference has positive results and a further stage is reached the German Government might of course come into the picture.
No German observers have been sent to London. I understand from British Embassy that arrangements have been made to keep German Naval Attaché at London informed.
We learn on the best authority that when the Japanese naval delegation passed through Berlin recently a dinner was given in their [Page 160] honor by Ribbentrop2 and a similar entertainment by Admiral Raeder. This is something more than what the usual civilities of the sort required and further evidence of German-Japanese entente.
Apropos of this general relation information derived from important industrial leaders here is that war on Russia must come as Germany must expand in that direction. On the other hand I have the opinion of other eminent business men that a war would ruin Germany (confidential letter to Judge Moore of November 273). Possibly this indicates a divergence of opinion, possibly it is merely a question of time.
[Here follows a summary of German press comment on the London Naval Conference.]