Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1939, General, Volume I

760C.62/850: Telegram

The Ambassador in Poland (Biddle) to the Secretary of State

Warsaw, August 17, 1939—11 a.m.
[Received 1:35 p.m.]

180. For the President and the Secretary. Supplementing my No. 170, August 15, 12 noon.

1. Beck feels that while signs continue to indicate Hitler is still undecided as to definite plan of action he does not overlook disturbing implications of increase in pace of German mobilization and troop concentrations in East Prussia and in southeastern Germany. Besides his today’s report from Berlin indicated increasing pessimism amongst diplomatic circles and throughout German community as whole. Accordingly Poland was immediately increasing extent of its mobilization and had already so notified London and Paris.

2. In that large scale troops concentrations in Breslau Oppeln District might conceivably indicate any one of several alternatives described my No. 141, July 10, 7 p.m.,³² paragraphs 1 and 2, and in view of disturbing implications of Csaki’s second visit to Germany I am aware Beck is more than hitherto apprehensive over Hungary’s and Slovakia’s respective positions. (Beck and a number of his associates feel Poland could not look indifferently at the lengthening of Germany’s front along Poland’s southern frontier.)

3. Beck instructed Chodacki³³ to adopt as conciliatory an attitude as possible in his further conversations with Greiser.³⁴ Beck is calm and in good spirits and re-emphasized he and his Government would do all possible to contribute towards preventing a war.

Biddle

32. Not printed.
33. Marjan Chodacki, Polish Commissioner General at Danzig.
34. Arthur Greiser, President of the Danzig Senate, and Danzig Minister for Foreign Affairs.