862.002 Hitler/104: Telegram
The Ambassador in Germany ( Dodd ) to the Secretary of State
[Received March 12—3:20 p.m.]
45. Pursuant to your telegram No. 15, March 10, 2 p.m., I just saw Neurath69 as in my telegram No. 44, March 12, noon,70 and called to his attention the subject matter of the instruction in the terms thereof.
He replied that he had already on his own initiative taken the matter up with Propaganda Minister Goebbels who had thereupon, subsequent to the appearance of the Angriff’s March 5 article, rebuked the editor. In reply to a direct question Neurath could not state that any other paper had been rebuked or that retraction had been published. By way of extenuation, Neurath insisted that the German public, incapable of distinguishing between American federal and municipal officials, had been genuinely indignant and that their reaction as indicated in the press had been “spontaneous”.
While not expressing any formal regret Neurath’s attitude was distinctly understanding and sympathetic. His statement regarding [Page 372] Goebbels’ rebuke to the Angriff editor may be regarded as corroborated by the fact that the press on and after March 6 played down the incident and comment was largely confined to La Guardia personally.