Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1939, General, Volume I

740.00/1206: Telegram

The Chargé in Germany (Geist) to the Secretary of State

Berlin, April 28, 1939—6 p.m.
[Received April 28—2:20 p.m.]

296. This morning after Mr. Heath⁴³ and I had left for the Reichstag an official of the Foreign Office communicated with the Embassy a half hour before meeting of Reichstag and stated that the official text of Hitler’s speech was available and requested that I call. The official was informed that I had already left for the Reichstag. In my place Mr. Patterson⁴⁴ called at the Foreign Office and received the official German text with an English translation.⁴⁵ It was not made clear to Mr. Patterson at the moment that the handing of a copy of the German text constituted the final official reply to the President. A statement of the Deutsches Nachrichten Bureau this afternoon however said that the delivery of the copy to the American Chargé d’Affaires made clear the final official answer to the President.

After my return to the Embassy I immediately telephoned to the Foreign Office and was informed by the same official that the delivery of the copy this morning represented the final answer to the President. In my conversation with the Foreign Office official I gave no indication that I accepted this copy as an official reply to the President’s message.

Are there any instructions in the premises which the Department desires to give?⁴⁶

Geist

43. Donald R. Heath, First Secretary of Embassy.
44. Jefferson Patterson, First Secretary of Embassy.
45. New York Times, April 29, 1939, p. 9.
46. In telegram No. 128, May 1, 4 p.m., the Department replied: “We do not contemplate issuing any instructions in the premises.”