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

760C.62/886: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State

Paris, August 19, 1939—3 p.m.
[Received August 19—11:08 a.m.]

1529. My No. 1526, August 19, 1 p.m. The British Chargé d’Affaires in Paris called on me this morning and stated that he was familiar with the questions which Weizsaecker had put to Henderson, British Ambassador in Berlin and Coulondre, French Ambassador in Berlin.

He said that he had received this morning Henderson’s account of this conversation.⁴⁰

Henderson had stated flatly to Weizsaecker that he hoped there was no doubt in the mind of the German Government with regard to the support that Great Britain would give the Government of Poland in case of war between Germany and Poland. Great Britain would make war at once to support Poland.

Weizsaecker had replied that in view of Polish provocation toward Germany he felt that Great Britain was completely absolved of all obligations to Poland and trusted that Great Britain did not intend to go to war in support of a lunatic nation—meaning Poland.

Bullitt

40. British Cmd. 6106, Misc. No. 9 (1939), doc. No. 48, p. 88.