840.48 Refugees/1081: Telegram (part air)
The Chargé in Germany (Gilbert) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 10—9:05 a.m.]
709–710. I have felt it to be essentially desirable to explore in every direction available to me here what may be expected of Germany in its handling of the current Jewish problem. From an official of the party who was present on the occasion described below I have ascertained the following direct and in the strictest confidence.
Goering in the course of a talk which he gave before a recent private meeting of all German gauleiters said that they “must not be surprised if they should hear of his being in conference with groups of Jews”. He did not go beyond this in his general talk but in conversation with his intimates after the meeting he disclosed to them that Hitler had a few days previously confided to him the liquidation of the Jewish problem. He admitted that what had begun as a party policy had now developed into a “problem” for Germany both internally and externally and that it was his intention to proceed forthwith to its solution. He would approach the matter solely as a technical and economic question and it would be consistently handled only on that basis. The logic in this lay in the circumstances that the “problem” which had been created was itself in large part economic. Whether or not it could be entirely traced directly to the Jewish question the facts were that German exports in certain directions were beginning to show an alarming decrease. As an indication of this he cited that an official of the I. G. Farben Company stated that that concern estimated that it was facing a curtailment in its foreign orders of about 40 percent.
Goering stated that his plan which he hoped to carry through envisaged the complete elimination from Germany of all Jews within a period of 3 years. He said that it was of course “absurd” to expect these emigrants from Germany to leave completely lacking in funds as that was contrary to reasonable economic principles to which he intended to adhere throughout and that this factor in the immigration was something to which he was giving his attention. He did not go into details as to what he had in mind respecting this but I feel that my No. 675, November 30, 6 p.m.,87 may be noted in this connection.
Goering stated further that he himself could see no reason why Mr. Rublee if he felt inclined to do so should not shortly come to Berlin to talk things over. He expanded on this by saying that while Germany positively would not enter into official relations with the [Page 865] Evian Committee nor in any official sense “recognize” it, it would nevertheless be interesting to know what facts the Committee had at its disposal and what general procedures it might suggest for working the matter out. He said that such general procedure or ideas could be implemented only in their specific application and could not be formally adopted as a program, particularly not as a public program. Germany in line with its generally announced policy would enter in this respect into no international or multilateral arrangements whatsoever. It would in this matter as in all others adhere strictly to the principle of solely bilateral relationships. He hoped that it might be possible to enter into separate pertinent arrangements with each country concerned. While these would undoubtedly vary with each country in line with special circumstances which might become apparent in each case certain procedures or ideas such indeed as those which the Evian Committee might have in line would be both interesting and presumably useful insofar as they prove to be susceptible of practical and specific application.
In connection with the immediate foregoing it will be recalled that my knowledge of the proposed Brussels meeting derives solely from the Foreign Office. In view of personal equations with the Government here it would, I feel, be interesting to know if possible whether the “unofficial” German who may attend the meeting in fact “represents” Ribbentrop or Goering.
In respect of the foregoing I will say that I am personally satisfied that the account of the meeting and the statements of Goering are substantially a correct recital of what actually occurred.
- Not printed.↩