741.62/270: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 16—4:35 p.m.]
412. I had lunch today with Sir Warren Fisher.89 He told me that the British Secret Service had unquestionable evidence that Germany is definitely getting a great advantage out of the war scare episodes in that they are all arming themselves as fast as they can with Germany selling them the arms, the profits and exchange for these transactions being so great as to make the burden of German rearmament very small. He also said that German war plans are on the supposition that if war were declared on Great Britain the issue would be decided within 30 days and that Germany is building an air force designed to demolish London completely in one fell swoop. Fisher said further that all departments of the British Government have been advised that they must go ahead independently on their war plans without looking for any support or help from America; if such support should come for any reason at all it must be considered as a windfall and nothing else.
- Permanent Secretary of the British Treasury and head of the British Civil Service.↩