760C.60F/271: Telegram
The Ambassador in Poland ( Biddle ) to the Secretary of State
Warsaw
, September 30, 1938—5
p.m.
[Received September 30—4:40 p.m.]
[Received September 30—4:40 p.m.]
223. For the President.
- 1.
- I share the opinion of the British, Rumanian and French Ambassadors as expressed by the last named that Polish-Czech situation is becoming steadily worse and may rapidly develop into critical situation. Beck has invited aforementioned Ambassadors and myself to confer separately with him this evening for the purpose of giving us an urgent message for our respective Chiefs of State.
- 2.
- As I am aware of Beck’s profound appreciation of the timely constructive suggestion you made for an international conference to include all states directly interested in the Czechoslovak problem, would you consider suggesting a conference of those powers still interested in Czech problem but not included in Munich Conference, namely, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary as last resort in the event all other means to prevent a clash appears to be failing?
- 3.
- I cannot too strongly urge your favorable consideration of this suggestion in that even within the next few hours situation might conceivably reach breaking point whereat, as I see it from here, such a suggestion from you might offer the only means of permitting the interested parties to continue negotiations gracefully. All signs here point to this being a question of hours and not days.
Biddle