770.00/665: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 16—5:23 p.m.]
2381. I saw Halifax this evening and he gave me the following information regarding the Balkan situation. England has been urging Turkey to try to work out some kind of an agreement with Italy along the lines of the Greek pact with Italy6 in order that a neutral [Page 471] bloc might be formed in the Balkans. For a few days the idea seemed to be working rather well but at the present moment it is not getting along as well as the British would like to see it. The Germans have been planting plenty of seeds of discontent in many of the Balkan states and particularly Bulgaria, to the effect that England was behind the whole proposition and was using them for her own interests and pointing out to the Bulgarians that the Turkish troops on Bulgaria’s borders was an instance of just how honest the potential neutral bloc was. They talked peace and put their soldiers on the borders. England in order to counteract this persuaded the Turks to withdraw these troops and Halifax said it has made a splendid impression in Bulgaria. So while for the moment the situation is not as bright as it was a week or 10 days ago he is still hopeful something may be worked out.
As regards Italy there is every indication that they are becoming more and more anti-German, particularly on the basis of the German-Russian agreement. He told me that the Italians are most unpopular in Germany but that nobody is permitted to say this out loud. Halifax told me a story which he never wants to get out: He said that when Ciano last saw Hitler, after a rather heated discussion, Hitler said to him, “You were born an ass and will die an ass.” I said to Halifax that this proved two things: my own impression of Ciano and that Hitler is rather a smart fellow. Halifax said, “Needless to say, this is not creating any great good-will in Rome for the Germans.” The British are also arranging to buy some airplanes from the Italians and this they feel will help them considerably.
As far as Germany goes they are still at a loss. Their information indicates that Goering is talking rather openly against Ribbentrop and that he is saying they won the Polish military battle and lost the political one. Halifax told me that Sikorski, the Polish general, whom they all like very much told him two things: First, that the Russian Army is unbelievably bad; that they would never fight anybody outside of Russia and that in his opinion they will not dare take on Finland; secondly, when the Germans and Russians were together the Germans were practically subservient.
Halifax told me that the Russians in answer to the British suggestions for trade agreements said they did not want to talk while they were carrying on these negotiations with Finland and they did not want to appear to be too friendly with Great Britain while they were having an argument with Finland.7
[Page 472]With reference to the Far Eastern situation he said the British had been helped a great deal by Mr. Grew’s speech8 and actions. Halifax said he told Winston Churchill last night at a Cabinet meeting that he did not consider the foreign policy of the British toward the Far East particularly heroic but he had one of three alternatives: First, he could not afford a repetition of incidents such as took place 5 or 6 months ago at Tientsin;9 it did British prestige inestimable harm in India and the Far East; secondly, while he thought the Chinese were the people to be with in this battle he was in no position to take the Japanese on in a wideopen break at this time; therefore, since he did not want to be humiliated and they could not fight the Japanese, the third alternative was to get along the best way they could until things cleared up considerably in the west. He said Churchill made a surprising statement to the effect that the future of the world would rest with China, Russia, the United States, and England. Halifax said, “Be that as it may, it certainly is not the line-up at the minute.”
- Treaty of Friendship, Conciliation and Judicial Settlement, signed at Rome September 23, 1928, League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. cviii, p. 219.↩
- For correspondence concerning the Soviet demands on Finland and the outbreak of the winter war, see pp. 952.↩
- At Tokyo, October 19, 1939; Department of State Bulletin, November 11, 1939, p. 509.↩
- See vol. iv, pp. 163 ff.↩