Berlin Diary (90 page)

B
ERLIN
,
September
27

Hitler and Mussolini have pulled another surprise.

At one p.m. today in the Chancellery, Japan, Germany
, and Italy signed a military alliance directed against the United States. I was caught way off base thinking that Ciano had come to pipe Spain into the war. Suñer was not even present at the theatrical performance the fascists of Europe and Asia staged today.

I came to my senses this morning when I noticed the schoolchildren who had been marched to the Wilhelmstrasse to cheer—waving Japanese flags. As I had a broadcast at two p.m. and the correspondents were convoked at the Chancellery for “an important announcement” at one p.m., I asked Hartrich to cover the actual
ceremony. At the
Rundfunk
I followed it by radio.

Core of the pact is Article III. It reads: “Germany, Italy, and Japan undertake to assist one another with all political, economic, and military means when one of the three contracting parties is attacked by a power at present not involved in the European war or in the Sino-Japanese conflict.”

There are two great powers not yet involved in either of those wars: Russia and the United States. But Article III does not refer to Russia; Article V refers to Russia. Article V says: “Germany, Italy, and Japan affirm that the aforesaid terms do not in any way affect the political status which exists at present between each of the three contracting parties and Soviet Russia.”

The Soviet Union is out. That leaves the U.S.A. in. There was no attempt to disguise this obvious fact in Nazi circles tonight, though, as expected, my censors tried to stop me from saying so and I had to use all my wits in getting the thing across in my broadcasts. Though it would have been more honest and accurate to say bluntly that Nazi circles did not disguise the fact that the alliance was directed against the United States, I had to water it down to this beautiful opening sentence: “There is no attempt in informed circles here tonight to disguise the fact that the military alliance signed in Berlin today…
has one great country in mind
. That country is the United States.” Then to clinch the argument I had to resort to a nebulous analysis of the text of the treaty and the German interpretation thereof, which the censors, after some sour remarks, finally passed.

Now, why did Hitler, instigator of this alliance, hurriedly rig it up just at this time? My theory is this: Ribbentrop journeyed suddenly to Rome a fortnight ago to break the news to Mussolini that the expected
land invasion of Britain, which Hitler in a speech only a few days previously at the Sportpalast had promised the German people would certainly take place soon, could not be carried out as planned. Mussolini had already started an invasion of Egypt to coincide with the attack on Britain and to divide the Empire’s forces, but not to do much more than that this fall. We know that Ribbentrop stayed longer in Rome than he planned. The Duce, no doubt, was disturbed at Hitler’s abandoning the all-out attack on Britain which he was confident would end the war—and Italy had only entered the war when she did because she thought it was almost over. What was the Axis to do? The obvious thing seemed to devote the winter to attacking the heart of the British Empire in Egypt, conquer that country, take the Suez Canal, then grab Palestine, Iraq, where badly needed oil was at hand, and possibly continue down the Euphrates and take the Persian oil region, or at least its export base at the head of the Persian Gulf. Germany
could supply thousands of airplanes and tanks and some complete
Panzer
divisions which had been assembled for the attack on Britain. If necessary, Yugoslavia and Greece could be occupied (Italy to get Dalmatia permanently), and southern Greece used as a starting-place for German planes against Egypt and the British Mediterranean fleet.

To ensure the complete and timely success of the campaign, Spain must be brought in and made to take Gibraltar immediately, thus destroying Britain’s position in the western Mediterranean. Serrano Suñer, Franco’s brother-in-law, Minister of Interior and leader of the Falangists, was in Berlin. He personally seemed favourable. Only Franco, that ingrate, hesitated. The British, Franco apparently thought, were not yet beaten, and…

There was that other factor, the United States.

Until recently, that factor had not been taken much into account in Berlin. Last fall Göring had scoffed to us of the possibility of American aid to the Allies playing a role in this war. All through the summer, as the German army smashed through the west, Berlin was confident that the war would be over by fall, and that therefore American aid, which could only become really effective next spring, was of no concern to Germany. That view seems to have been sincerely held here until very recently. In the last two or three weeks something has gone wrong with the plans to invade Britain
. They may or may not be off, but probably are. At any rate it dawned on Berlin a few days ago that Britain might not be defeated after all this fall, might still be fighting next spring, and that then American aid to Britain, especially in planes, would begin to make itself felt rather seriously. Something must be done after all about the United States. What? Something to scare her and to set the American isolationists loose again with a new cry about the danger of war.

In Japan a few weeks ago a new government under Prince Konoye came to power proclaiming a “new life “and a “new order” in eastern Asia. The Prince was a man the Germans could deal with. Herr Stahmer, a confidential man of Ribbentrop’s who used to be employed in working on the British appeasers, was dispatched to look over the ground. There follows now a military alliance designed to threaten America and keep her out of the war. If I am any judge of American character, no one at home with the exception of the Wheelers, Nyes, and Lindberghs will be the least bit frightened by this. The effect will be just the opposite from what Hitler and Ribbentrop, who never fail to misjudge Anglo-Saxon character, expect.

Then too, this tripartite pact is a thing the Axis powers and especially Germany can ballyhoo to the skies, thus taking people’s minds off the fact that the promised invasion of England isn’t coming off and that the war—which every German confidently expected since midsummer would be over in a month or two—isn’t going to end before winter comes, after all.

The ballyhoo today has already been terrific, pushing all other news completely off the front page. The German people are told that the pact is of world-shaking importance and will shortly bring final “world peace.” The ceremony of signing, as described by Hartrich, who was present, was carried through with typical Axis talent for the theatrical. In the first place, the surprise of the event itself. Then the showy setting. When Ribbentrop, Ciano, and Japanese Ambassador M. Kurusu, a bewildered little man, entered the gala hall of the Chancellery, Klieg lights blazed away as the scene was recorded for history. Brightly coloured uniforms all over the place. The entire staffs of the Italian and Japanese embassies present. (No other diplomats attended. The Russian Ambassador was invited, but replied he would be out of town this noon.) The three men sit themselves at a gilded table. Ribbentrop rises and motions one of his slaves, Dr. Schmidt, to read the text of the pact. Then they sign while the cameras grind away. Then comes the climactic moment, or so the Nazis think. Three loud knocks on the giant door are heard. There is a tense hush in the great hall. The Japanese hold their breath. The door swings slowly open, and in strides Hitler. Ribbentrop bobs up and formally notifies him that the pact has been signed. The Great Khan nods approvingly, but does not deign to speak. Hitler majestically takes a seat in the middle of the table, while the two foreign ministers
and the Japanese Ambassador scramble for chairs. When they have got adjusted, they pop up, one after another, and deliver prepared addresses which the radio broadcasts round the world.

To add: Article I of the pact states that Japan recognizes the leadership of Germany and Italy in the creation of a new
order in Europe. Article II says: “Germany and Italy recognize the leadership of Japan in the creation of a new order in the greater east Asiatic territory.”

Neither of the two sides can lend the slightest economic or military help to the other so long as they are separated by the British navy. What Japan gets out of it is not clear, since if we should go to war with her neither Germany nor Italy could harm us until they had conquered the British navy. And should we get involved in war with Berlin
and Rome, Japan is bound to declare war on us, though her own interests might dictate not doing so. However, she could no doubt find an excuse for forgetting the treaty in that case.

One thing is clear: Hitler would not have promulgated the tripartite pact if he thought the war was coming to an end before winter. There would have been no need of it.

B
ERLIN
,
September
30

A two-hour alarm last night, but we heard nothing. Apparently the British were attacking Brandenburg, to the west of the capital. Though damage from British bombing is still negligible, the authorities, I learn, have ordered the evacuation of all children under fourteen from Berlin. Agricultural Minister Darré today claimed that food supplies for the winter have now been secured. He estimates the potato crop
at sixty million tons. The grain crop is two million tons less than last year, but will be sufficient. Rations for meat, fats, and bread will remain the same throughout the winter.

B
ERLIN
,
October
3

Tipped off that Hitler and Mussolini are to pull a surprise meeting at the Brenner tomorrow. Hitler has already quit Berlin amidst the usual secrecy. We are not allowed to report it, as Hitler’s movements are considered military secrets. (Himmler keeps the Führer’s standard flying above the Chancellery nowadays even when the great man is absent, so that no one will know.) I did manage to slip in a concluding sentence in my broadcast tonight about a “news development of special interest” being scheduled for tomorrow.

B
ERLIN
,
October
4

The meeting in the Brenner took place shortly before noon today. The official communiqué gave no information on the talk except that Keitel was present. The Foreign Office warned us not to speculate.

It would be reasonable to conclude, I think, that there must have been differences between the two Axis powers so fundamental that Hitler deemed it advisable to see the Duce personally. For in the last month Ribbentrop has been to Rome, and Ciano has been here, so that there has been no lack of contact between the nominal directors of foreign policy. The best guess here is that Mussolini is sore because the Germans apparently have abandoned the idea of invading Britain this fall, leaving him holding the bag with his offensive in the Egyptian desert, where his army, now seventy-five or a hundred miles within the desert, must transport all its own
water overland. Obviously Ribbentrop failed to appease the Italians, so it was necessary for Hitler to do it. It would be wishful thinking, though, to conclude that today’s meeting was only negative. Obviously future war plans were gone over and perhaps a decision made to tackle the British Empire seriously at its waistline, by a drive on Egypt and the Suez Canal. It may be that Germany agreed to establish military bases in the Balkans to help this drive. One German plan much talked about here is an offensive through Turkey to the Near East.