861.77 Chinese Eastern/644
Memorandum by the Assistant Secretary of State (Castle)
The Secretary: The German Ambassador came to see me on Tuesday71 to say that he had a telegram from Curtius, Minister of Foreign Affairs, asking him to assure the Department that Germany had entirely sympathized with your attitude in connection with your communication to China and Russia about the Kellogg Pact and to explain why Germany could not take similar action. Curtius said that Germany was in a peculiar position owing to the fact that it had charge of the interests of Chinese nationals in Russia, Russian nationals in China and, therefore, felt that it had little right to intervene. Germany felt also that, inasmuch as it was already acting as a channel of transmission in negotiations between the Chinese and the Russians, it would be wrong suddenly to act in concert with other nations toward bringing about a meeting. I think the Ambassador was genuinely afraid that you would feel that Germany had not played the game. I told him that I thought you realized Germany’s peculiar position in the matter, but that I would pass on what he had said to you.
- December 3, 1929.↩