811.04418/459: Telegram
The Minister in the Netherlands (Gordon) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 4—11 a.m.]
97. I saw the Prime Minister yesterday morning immediately after the receipt of the Department’s circular telegram July 2, 2 p.m. As he had his hands fairly full with trying to form a new Cabinet he was not thoroughly informed as to the action taken by Congress in this matter (the first accurate account of which incidentally only reached the Legation yesterday morning in an article by the London Times Washington correspondent). When however I explained to him what had transpired, his first reaction was very definitely one of dismay. A more detailed report of his brief but strong remarks I shall only entrust to the pouch9 and needless to say I assured him that any reaction he expressed would remain entirely confidential and would under no circumstances be ascribed to him. Two other high officials and one important and always well informed individual expressed themselves strongly in the same vein.
My own initial comment and appraisal is that the vote will not have any direct or immediate effect on the policy of the Government of the Netherlands but that if not rectified it will constitute a tremendous encouragement and incitation to the dictators and especially to men of the stamp of their Foreign Secretaries who have consistently preached the doctrine of the impotence of democratic organization [Page 663] of government and of the paralyzing effect of the lack of discipline and unity of view inherent therein, and who could scarcely have hoped to find better substantiation of their theories; it is unnecessary to labor the point of the converse adverse effect upon the efforts of the sane governments of Europe to prevent a world conflagration.
I shall of course report again when I have assembled additional views but without waiting further I feel sure that such views will be unanimously in line with these set forth above.
- Despatch No. 812, July 5, from the Minister in the Netherlands, not printed.↩