740.00119 European War 1939/103: Telegram
The Chargé in Germany (Kirk) to the Secretary of State
[Received 3:45 p.m.]
1795. My 1704, October 13, 10 p.m. The Dutch journalist who apparently with the knowledge of the Dutch Foreign Office intimated to Budapest officials in Goering’s entourage that the Netherlands Government would be willing to propose its good offices in the conflict if specifically called upon tells me that he has had two conversations on this subject with a person close to Goering. He states that in the second conversation that person who had apparently discussed the matter with his superiors expressed approval of the project in principle but suggested that the time for steps along these lines had not yet arrived and intimated that some drastic action might first have to be taken against Great Britain in order to convince the English of the inadvisability of continuing the war. The journalist is reported to have replied that in his opinion any such action would have the opposite effect. The journalist furthermore was given the impression that if a proposal should be confidentially conveyed to Germany that an informal meeting be arranged between a German, British and French representative for discussions the Germans would again [agree] but that no such initiative need be expected from the German side.
In connection with the foregoing it might be added that it has been reliably stated that whereas Hitler was in a receptive mood at the time of and immediately following his Reichstag speech his attitude has hardened following the Daladier and Chamberlain statements and that at the present moment this attitude has been further aggravated by irritation over the British-French-Turkish pact.