500.A15A4 General Committee/976: Telegram
The Chairman of the American Delegation (Davis) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 12—9:35 a.m.]
892a. 1. As previously reported I have been approached several times by Schwartz, the unofficial Nazi representative here, to go to Germany or to meet Ribbentrop somewhere outside Geneva. Each time I have stated that I could not properly go to Germany as long as she is not in the Conference as it would be construed as an assumption of the initiative in bringing her back. I stated that I would of course be happy to receive Ribbentrop if he came to call on me here. The German Consul24 called to see Wilson to let him know that the German Government knows of Schwartz’s démarches.
2. Schwartz called again this morning. He said that the German Government was becoming sensitive over the fact that I had been to London and Paris and would not go to Germany; that they particularly desired that I have a talk with Ribbentrop before going to Paris or London again and that if I would let them know they would arrange for Ribbentrop to meet me anywhere across the German border if I would thus make a detour on my way to Paris this week. While I would like to be helpful to the Germans if they want to come back [Page 120] into the Conference I still feel that it would be inadvisable to fall in with this suggestion. I have contemplated that at some stage the British and French may find it advisable to request me to endeavor to mediate between them and the Germans. This could only be done with much hope of success at the urgent desire of all the parties concerned. If I should go to meet Ribbentrop now without the knowledge and approval of the British and French, the French would be suspicious and might claim that I was interfering with the success of their present efforts.
3. While my judgment is that I should stand by the position heretofore taken that if Ribbentrop wants to see me he must call upon me openly, I would appreciate your judgment and guidance.
- Wolfgang Krauel.↩