Office of the Historian

740.0011 European War 1939/8358a: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Minister in Bulgaria (Earle)

Washington, February 12, 1941—noon.

10. Yesterday the Bulgarian Minister was invited to call at the Department and he was informed of the substance of communications addressed by me to the Turkish and Yugoslav Governments which set forth in substance “the position of this Government in the developing world situation as ‘planning our own defense with the utmost urgency and in its vast scale’ integrating the war needs of Britain. This continues to be the keystone of American foreign policy and this Government is convinced that Britain will win, and to that end has undertaken the providing of facilities to meet British requirements until the final victory.”

There followed a further discussion with the Minister in which it was brought out that in the face of threatened aggression every government must make its own decisions but that of course, any policy of “complete neutrality” should not permit infringement of its sovereign rights.

In conclusion, the Minister was reminded of the President’s statement32 “We know now that a nation can have peace with the Nazis only at the price of total surrender.”

Hull
  1. Statement made in a speech from the White House December 29, 1940. For text of speech, see Department of State Bulletin, January 4, 1941, p. 3.↩