840.00/441
The Chargé in Czechoslovakia (Benton) to the Secretary of State
[Received August 18.]
Sir: As of interest, I have the honor to give below the substance of a conversation with Dr. Kamil Krofta, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, relative to the general European political situation.
Dr. Krofta, as he is inclined to be, was pessimistic with regard to the future. He fears that the growing power of Germany, the dissatisfaction of Italy, and the inability up to now of England and France to work together, have created a future of great uncertainty. He pointed to the fact that Czechoslovakia is in an exposed position, surrounded as she is on practically all sides by potential enemies; but he believes that the country will be able to maintain her independence.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Dr. Krofta touched upon Poland, and said that he frankly does not understand the Polish attitude toward present day European problems. He is strongly of the opinion that Poland, as she has so often done before, is playing an “opportunist” game—and a dangerous one he thinks it. He believes that the Danzig question will be amicably settled, for the reason that a settlement would be to the distinct advantage of both Germany and Poland.
Referring to Germany, Dr. Krofta observed that since Hitler has taken over the power he had been able at more or less regular intervals to “give the people something”; first, the reestablishment of obligatory military service,80 then the return of the Saar to German sovereignty, then the reoccupation of the demilitarized zone in the Rhineland, and lastly the Austro-German Accord. Dr. Krofta does not know what the next German move will be, although he is convinced that Hitler has no designs, at least for the present, on Czechoslovakia, a view which, I may add, is apparently not shared by many thinking Czechs. He is inclined to believe that Germany does not desire the Sudeten provinces, which without the rest of Czechoslovakia would be of little use to her, and that Hitler knows that he would not be allowed to absorb the entire country.
Concluding his observations, Dr. Krofta told me in strictest confidence that he has reason to believe that Germany may offer Czechoslovakia a “political and commercial pact”, to be in force for a certain number of years, similar, I take it, to the recently concluded Austro-German Accord. If such an offer does actually materialize he said [Page 327] that Czechoslovakia would be placed in an unsatisfactory position, since to refuse would lay her open to charges of failure to cooperate in the maintenance of European peace, and to accept would tend to separate her from her Little Entente friends.
Respectfully yours,