The Foreign Minister closes his note with the statement that he is taking up the pending cases with the competent authorities with a view to expediting their investigation.

My appointment with the Chancellor (see my 162, October 12, 10 a.m.) has now been fixed for Tuesday at noon. Does the Department wish to instruct me as to any specific statement it desires me to make to him? DODD

362.1113 Velz, Roland/6 Telegram

The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State

BERLIN, October 17, 1933-4 p.m. [Received October 17-11:35 a.m.]

171. My 168, October 15, noon. Neurath informed me this morning that the two assailants of Velz came before a summary court yesterday and were this morning sentenced to 6 months imprisonment each.

DODD

362.1113/19 Telegram

The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State

BERLIN, October 17, 1933-6 p.m. [Received October 17-4:19 p.m.]

172. My 168, October 15, noon, last paragraph. At my interview with the Chancellor this morning at which Neurath was the only other person present I first took up the subject of assaults on Americans and the failure to punish the assailants and, pointing out the increasing resentment that had been aroused in the United States, said that we must request absolute assurances that such attacks would cease. Neurath said that he thought we could be assured of this referring to the sentences in the Velz case (my 171, October 17). He added that henceforth should there unfortunately be any more such cases they will not only be dealt with drastically but will receive the publicity we have advocated. Hitler added with great emphasis that he would personally see to it that any offender of this kind would be punished to the limit of the law.

48

I then turned to the question of financial and commercial discrimination (see Department's 123, October 9th) 18 referring to the quota arrangements recently made and especially to the discrimination against American creditors as evidenced by the recent agreement with Swiss holders of scrip. Neurath admitted that these practices were not unexceptionable but contended that Germany could not pay her foreign debts if she could not ship goods and that she had to make arrangements of this nature in order to increase her exports.

48 Post, p. 453.

We then talked for some 20 minutes about Germany's withdrawal from the League. The Chancellor showed much anxiety concerning the President's attitude and American public opinion. He became somewhat heated on the subject of Versailles and made various rather confused and, as far as I could follow him, contradictory statements concerning the disarmament of other powers and Germany's need of defensive armaments. I interrupted a fairly violent attack on the French attitude and on the neglect of the world to enforce the Treaty of Versailles to inquire if aside from the question whether Germany had suffered an injustice and of who was at fault, the danger of war was not the predominant consideration. To this the Chancellor agreed and he did then make the definite statement that he would not allow any incident along the Polish, Austrian or French frontiers to develop into a war and affirmed his recognition of the efficacy of convoking a further conference should matters take such a turn as to make armed activity seem imminent.

The total effect of the interview was more favorable from the point of view of the maintenance of world peace than I had expected.

The Ambassador in Germany (Dodd) to the Secretary of State No. 252

BERLIN, November 7, 1933. [Received November 20.]

SIR: With reference to my despatch No. 219 of October 19,49 and particularly to enclosure 3a, a translation of an article published by the Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, to the effect that Minister Göring had issued an order to the appropriate authorities to protect foreign citizens against attack, I have the honor to transmit a copy in translation of an order relating to this subject issued by Rudolf Hess, the Deputy Leader of the National Socialist Party.

The Department will observe that members of the National Socialist Party are warned against "the commission of transgressions and other actions intended to create discontent among the general public" or the exercise of pressure on non-party members in regard to the giving of the Nazi salute. This announcement would appear to be another step taken by the National Socialist officials to restrain their over-enthusiastic followers.

In this connection, therefore, it will probably be of interest to the Department to learn that during a recent conversation between an officer of this Embassy and Mr. Kirkpatrick, the First Secretary of the British Embassy, the latter expressed the opinion that this order may have been 49 Not printed.

motivated by the protest made by that Embassy following upon an attack made several days ago in Berlin by a Nazi on an Englishman who failed to give the salute when a Nazi detachment with flags passed by.

Whether the Government in Berlin will succeed in stopping these incidents will depend of course on the control exercised by them over their subordinates throughout Germany. That there may possibly be reason to doubt this is evidenced by the case of Mr. Noel Panter, a British newspaper correspondent who was arrested and imprisoned by the Bavarian officials during the latter part of October (see my despatch No. 246 of November 4).50 According to Mr. Kirkpatrick, the British Embassy, which has been active in obtaining the release of Mr. Panter, experienced the greatest difficulty during its efforts in his behalf, as the statements made by the central authorities in Berlin were frequently at variance with those of the Bavarian officials. In view of the fact that the chief officials of the state governments are Statthalters directly responsible to the Chancellor of the Reich, the difficulty experienced by the British Embassy is deserving of attention. Respectfully yours,

WILLIAM E. DODD

GERMAN REPRESENTATIONS URGING THE RECALL OF EDGAR ANSEL MOWRER, AN AMERICAN NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENT IN GERMANY

811.91262/112

The Consul General at Berlin (Messersmith) to the Secretary of State

[Extract]

No. 1303

BERLIN, May 12, 1933. [Received June 3.]

SIR: I have the honor to inform the Department that the position of a number of the American correspondents in Berlin has not been easy since the accession to power of the National Socialist Government and since the establishment of the strict censorship of the German press and of public opinion-forming means. It is the intention of the present Government and of the Party not to allow anything to appear in the press or to reach the public, which is not in accord with its ideas or wishes. To this end there has been established the most effective control of public opinion-forming means of all kinds in Germany which has probably ever existed in any country. The press censorship may be considered as absolute. It was obviously the desire of the authorities to prevent what is from their point of view, undesirable news reaching the outside world. through the foreign correspondents in the country. Here, however, was a 50 Ante, p. 263.

problem which they found difficult to handle and it has not been handled altogether with much tact and success.

The American journalists in Berlin are for the most part men whose names are well-known in the journalistic world, and who have no desire to do anything but to report objectively what is passing in the country. They number among them some of the best known newspaper men we have in the field of foreign correspondents. They are not men who can be controlled or who can submit to improper censorship, as neither their self-respect nor what they feel their obligations to their newspapers and the public would permit them to submit to improper control. The American correspondents here are I believe almost without exception men who would under no circumstances serve as an instrument either for favorable or unfavorable propaganda.

The first of the American correspondents to have difficulty with the authorities was Mr. Deuss of the International News Service, who was accused by the authorities of having sent out unsubstantiated stories of physical cruelty since March 5. The authorities were finally willing to permit Mr. Deuss to remain if the International News Service would publish in the United States certain statements. These statements they did not feel they could consistently publish and they preferred to remove Mr. Deuss to London and to replace him here by Mr. Hawley. I venture the opinion that the removal of Mr. Deuss to London in no way prejudiced him or his reputation and I believe that the action of the International News Service in preferring to remove him to London rather than to publish certain statements, was very commendable.

The second of the American correspondents to have difficulty, was Mr. Edgar Mowrer who is also the President of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in Berlin this year. Mr. Mowrer had published a book which was not pleasing to the present Government. The real reason, however, that he became persona non grata to the present Government, was more likely the fact that some of his accounts of happenings in Germany after March 5 were not pleasing. The authorities let it be known that if Mr. Mowrer was permitted to remain as President of the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in Berlin, they could have no official relations such as they had had in the past, with the Association. It was therefore a question as to whether Mr. Mowrer should resign as President of the Association or not, and he placed the matter before a general meeting of all the foreign correspondents in Berlin and there was almost a unanimous vote that he should continue as their President. As a result of this action Mr. Mowrer refused to resign. It is considered by many here that the attempt of the authorities to force him out of the Presidency of the Association was only the first move towards forcing him out of the country; but the refusal of the foreign correspondents as a

whole to disown Mr. Mowrer undoubtedly had an effect and he has since been undisturbed. The question of relationships between the Association of Foreign Press Correspondents and the authorities has not come up in the meantime as there has been no public occasion which required the recognition of the Association by the authorities; but as the matter now stands, the Government has not changed its attitude. An endeavor is now being made to bring together in an informal way, the Minister of Propaganda, Dr. Goebbels, and Mr. Mowrer, in order that through this personal contact the difficulties may be ironed out and any objection to Mr. Mowrer removed. It is believed that the authorities are now prepared to find some reason for continuing to recognize Mr. Mowrer as President of the Association and to continue with the Association the relations which formerly existed between the Government and the Association.

The most interesting and in some ways the most important development, however, has arisen within the last few days with regard to Mr. Knickerbocker who is the correspondent of the New York Evening Post and the Philadelphia Public Ledger. Mr. Knickerbocker is as well known in Germany as he is in the United States on account of his books and his newspaper articles. He is very highly considered in many circles in Germany. The series of seven articles which he wrote on the economic situation aroused the resentment of certain persons in the Government and in the National Socialist Party, as did some of his other articles which he has written since March 5 on the happenings in Germany.

When I had a conversation with Minister Goering some weeks ago, he brought up the name of Mr. Knickerbocker and seemed to particularly resent some of the stories which he had written. I took occasion at that time to point out to the Minister that Mr. Knickerbocker was one of the most careful correspondents I knew; that I had reason to know that he always took great care to document himself; and that he was in many respects one of the most conscientious newspaper men I had known. I called attention at the same time to the fact that the American newspaper men in Berlin were an unusually high class lot of men and that they compared very favorably with the foreign correspondents which other countries had in Germany and were on the whole an outstanding group. I informed the Minister that I did not think that the Government or the Party could under any circumstances hope to control what these American correspondents sent to their papers, or dictate what they were to say. I said that he would understand that as high class newspaper men they could not submit to control or dictation as to what they were to write to their principals and maintain their self-respect. I expressed the hope, therefore, that these correspondents would not be interfered with and that before any action was taken against any one of them it should be