761.62/389a
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Germany (Mayer)
Sir: The Department is greatly interested in determining the attitude, policies and plans of the present Government and leaders in Germany in respect of the countries of Eastern Europe and it, consequently, hopes that the Embassy may find it practicable to devote special attention to this important aspect of Germany’s foreign relations with a view to keeping the Department fully informed of developments pertaining thereto.
In particular, it would be appreciated if the Embassy would from time to time forward to the Department, under cover of an appropriate despatch containing such comments as may seem appropriate, statements, published or otherwise, pertaining to the attitude, policies and plans of present day German leaders and the Nazi Government toward the Soviet Union and the communist regime in that country, in particular, and toward the countries of Eastern Europe in general, which emanate from (a) the National Socialist German Workers’ Party; (b) the most important leaders of that Party, such as Messrs. Hitler, Goebbels, Goering, von Ribbentrop, Frick, Rosenberg, Hess, Schacht, et cetera; (c) the German Nazi Government; (d) important officials of that Government; (e) other important organizations or individuals, such as organizations, press organs, and persons of importance in the industrial, commercial, financial, journalistic and educational fields.
[Page 333]With respect to statements which may appear in printed form, it is believed that such statements are likely to be available both in publications intended primarily for consumption abroad, and in publications intended solely for internal consumption and, in particular, for members of the Nazi Party, such, for example, as accounts of the proceedings of Party congresses and other Party meetings.
It is suggested that the Embassy endeavor to include within the scope of its examination of published sources in which statements of the nature indicated are likely to appear appropriate official publications of the German Government, including press releases of the office of the Chancellor of the Reich and the Foreign Office and the proceedings and official acts of the Reichstag; publications of the Nazi Party, including reports of the proceedings of, and resolutions adopted by, Party Congresses and other important Party meetings; reliable semiofficial and private press bureau publications; important journals dealing with industrial, commercial, financial, and educational matters and other trustworthy published sources. It may be pointed out in this connection that the Department would be glad to have translations from such sources prepared in the form and manner required by Instructions to Diplomatic Officers of the United States, Chapter XVIII–1, Notes 10 and 12.
It is pertinent to state in this connection that the Department has been glad to receive recently from the Embassy translations, accompanied by the original text, of two interviews with Chancellor Hitler in which appear statements of the nature in question. The texts and translations of the interviews referred to were forwarded under cover of the Embassy’s despatches No. 2709 of March 4, 1936 and No. 2745 of April 4, 1936.88
With respect to statements pertaining to the matters in question which do not appear in printed form, it is believed that such statements may be made in speeches, radio broadcasts, et cetera, and in private conversations. Information with regard thereto may be obtained from a variety of sources, including members of the diplomatic and consular corps, German officials, private persons, et cetera. Statements from such sources may be submitted in memorandum form under cover of an appropriate despatch. In this connection attention is invited to Chapter XVIII–1, Note 13, of the Instructions abovementioned, and, in particular, to the paragraph of that note marked “Confidential sources”.
The Department would appreciate it if the Embassy, in forwarding from time to time selections of material of the nature indicated, would submit brief interpretative and analytical comment as to the importance and significance of the information forwarded, including comment [Page 334] with respect to (a) the general trends of views expressed; (b) differences between statements intended for consumption abroad and those intended for internal consumption, and, in particular, for members of the Nazi Party; (c) differences in views expressed by Nazi Party leaders before and after the Nazi Party came into power; (d) differences in views expressed by the same person when speaking as a Party leader, on the one hand, and as a Government official, on the other; and (e) differences in views expressed by the same or by different persons, organizations or press organs.
It is requested that your despatches on these matters be forwarded to the Department in quintuplicate, with translations also in quintuplicate and original texts in single copy. It is further requested that copies of your reports and of the translations (but not of the original texts) be forwarded to the American diplomatic missions at Moscow, Riga, and Warsaw, and that appropriate notation of such distribution be made on the original and all copies of such reports.
Very truly yours,
- Neither printed.↩