740.00119 EW/12–1644
The British Embassy to the Department of State
Aide-Mémoire
Early in November information reached His Majesty’s Government that von Kessel, Counsellor at the German Embassy to the Vatican, was anxious to desert to the British authorities in Rome. The German Ambassador von Weizsäcker was said to be aware of and in sympathy with von Kessel’s intentions. Von Kessel wanted to meet a British officer to give oral explanations which he claimed might be connected with a fresh “putsch”. Though suspicious of this approach His Majesty’s Government authorized an interview to see if von Kessel had any useful information to impart.
- 2.
- The interview produced no information of value. It appeared that neither von Kessel nor von Weizsäcker was prepared to renounce publicly his German allegiance and both seemed to be primarily moved by the desire for personal reinsurance [reassurance?]. In the message received from Weizsäcker the latter claimed he had means to bring about the downfall of Hitler but that for his own safety he would only [Page 572] communicate his proposal to a responsible British official personally known to him. Von Kessel offered to go to Switzerland ostensibly on sick leave there to establish contact with Guderian41 or von Rundstedt who he thought would be willing to negotiate peace.
- 3.
- His Majesty’s Government considers that this approach is purely a manoeuvre and that there is nothing to be gained by maintaining contact with von Kessel, which has accordingly been dropped.
- 4.
- The Soviet Government is being informed.
- General Heinz Guderian, Acting Chief of the Army General Staff.↩