740.0011 Mutual Guarantee (Locarno)/767: Telegram
The Chargé in Germany (Mayer) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 29—12:20 p.m.]
236. My 234, July 28, 5 p.m. Conversations with British Chargé d’Affaires and French Counsellor yesterday generally confirmed impression that German authorities are favorable to Locarno conference this fall.
British Embassy was more concerned than anything with French position with regard to Eastern European problems. Embassy was fearful that the French would feel they must strongly maintain the “indivisibility” of peace and therefore its Eastern pacts simultaneously with Western agreements. British Chargé d’Affaires showed [Page 332] plainly that British could not understand German failure to reply to their questionnaire as well as German refusal of a visit to Berlin of Lord Halifax here which the British proposed some weeks ago.
French Counsellor indicated that at recent London conversations his Government had patently shown its desire for an opportunity to get Germany to the conference table and to give real consideration to her ideas. He hoped the German Government appreciated the French concessions. As in the case of the British Chargé, Arnal had some qualms with regard to Germany’s position respecting the Eastern problems. In this general relation the French Counsellor expressed a certain apprehension over the way the German press was seeing the hand of Moscow everywhere such as in France, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Rumania. He feared that possibly the Germans might be whipping an anti-Bolshevik campaign as a prelude to an attack on Russia at Locarno meeting as the world menace and to offering Germany as the candidate for world savior in this connection.
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