740.0011 Mutual Guarantee (Locarno)/762: Telegram
The Chargé in Germany (Mayer) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 28—1:20 p.m.]
234. My 232, July 25, 1 p.m.85 In conversation this morning Foreign Office showed attitude favoring acceptance of the invitation of five-power Locarno conference. Neurath is returning today and I understand the German reply to the invitation is ready for his approval.
Foreign Office expressed satisfaction with recent three-power talks in London and commented on helpful effect with regard to Italy of Eden’s speech in the House of Commons yesterday. Foreign Office gave the impression that it did not feel that Italy would impose any further conditions to participation in five-power conference, such as recognition of Abyssinia or a scaling down of the British forces in the Mediterranean.
Foreign Office emphasized the importance of careful discussion of agenda preliminary to any five-power meeting as well as of a thorough examination of the problems with which the conference would deal. All this would take time. What with the classic British dislike of intensive work in August, the party meeting at Nuremberg in early September and the League meetings somewhat later, Foreign Office doubted whether five-power conference could convene before the middle or end of October.86 Replying to a question on my part to bring out whether the Germans would enter the five-power conference with an avowed determination not to deal with Eastern questions, I got impression that such was not the case. The opinion was expressed that the conference should concentrate on Western questions in order to avoid an over ambitious program yet when these questions were solved this would constitute a good foundation for taking up Eastern problems. Apparently the Foreign Office thought that a Western air pact should be the first item on the agenda.
A well-informed German newspaper source close to Nazis expressed the opinion to me yesterday that the Government here looked favorably [Page 331] on a Locarno meeting provided it were adequately prepared which meant probably October as a time of meeting and further that the colonial question was being given very prominent consideration here at this time and would figure largely in any future German negotiations either [openly?] or under the surface. When questioned on colonial matters this morning the Foreign Office showed a certain reticence but rather confirmed such an attitude.
The Foreign Office evidently wants to convey general impression that it is doing everything possible to smooth out the rough places or suspicions in German foreign relations preliminary to a Locarno meeting. For example, the Foreign Office said there were no negotiations at this time contrary to rumors now current here. Conversations leading to a commercial treaty with Lithuania were progressing favorably. Concerning Danzig there had been a satisfactory exchange of notes with the Polish Government as the Foreign Office indicated to me some time ago would be the case. With the communications of this exchange of notes to the League of Nations the so-called Leipzig incident would be closed.87 Polish-Danzig relations were satisfactory and most important of all German-Polish relations with respect to Danzig were in no way disturbed.
The Foreign Office hoped that the Spanish situation which they felt to be serious would not develop in a way to cause international complications and prevent the Locarno meeting.
Copies to London, Paris, Rome, Geneva, Praha, Riga.