840.48 Refugees/900: Telegram
The Ambassador in Germany (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 15—5:22 p.m.]
620. I had requested an interview with Ribbentrop in order to talk to him about the Rublee matter before my intended leave. Being in town today and hearing of my more immediate departure he fixed an appointment this afternoon.
I told him that I had presented this matter as had the French and British Embassies some weeks ago to which no definite reply had been given. Ribbentrop said that he was not thoroughly familiar with the affair and asked me to state it. I did so with detail and emphasis.
Ribbentrop then said that the German Government “obviously” could not treat with an unofficial person the representative of a Committee which they had not recognized on matters affecting German internal affairs, any more than the German Government could treat with any other government on the internal Jewish problem. He said, however, that from Germany’s point of view there were advantages in the expedition of emigration, that this question had interest to both sides and the idea occurred to him that unofficial persons might explore this matter with Rublee perhaps in Holland and go into the question from the ground up. He wanted to reflect on this and will take the matter under advisement when he returns from Vom Rath’s funeral in Dusseldorf at the end of the week.
He then asked me whether Rublee was a Jew. I replied certainly not, his ancestors were French Huguenots. He then inquired about Rublee’s standing and I described him as a prominent lawyer of Washington who had undertaken a task at the request of the Committee, that he thought was useful.
In closing the interview Ribbentrop deplored the amount of hatred in the world and the type of things that were sent by newspapermen. I replied that as far as the American correspondents here were concerned they had sent only what they had seen. He shook hands and terminated the interview.
[Page 825]Throughout the discussion his attitude while polite was extremely reserved and he avoided any mention of the general situation and the relations between our two countries.
Repeated to London for Rublee.