862.015311/26
Memorandum by the Secretary of State
The German Ambassador came in and said that it was his duty to make earnest complaint about the violent and offensive utterances of a New York City judge47 relative to the German flag, and to request this Government in suitable language to deal with that situation in accordance with the comity existing between nations. The Ambassador reiterated the very offensive and serious nature of the utterances of this judge and the importance to satisfactory relations between our two Governments of utterances by this Government showing more concern than heretofore in similar circumstances.
I replied that it was, of course, very unfortunate for these publications to occur, such as the one he referred to, whatever might be the actual facts; that, of course, I had not had a chance to assemble officially the full and accurate facts of the reported occurrence, but that I would be glad to proceed at once to do so through the Governor of New York; that counties and municipalities and their officials were, of course, creatures of the state and I could only seek through the Governor the full and official facts pertaining to the incident. I said that, of course, we had many millions of Catholics and many millions of Jews in this country, together with their friendly and other relationships extending into still other millions; that we had all races here, including many violent and ultra-radical persons, entertaining every shade of social, political, religious, and other views; that they thrived on controversy and newspaper notoriety and desired above all else to figure in international controversy and in [Page 488] great headlines in the press growing out of such controversy, and that the problem was how to deal with these large numbers of violent, extreme, controversial persons, thus seeking publicity and strife, without increasing such utterances and actions rather than quieting and decreasing them. I further stated that these persons relish bitter exchanges of epithets and denunciations back and forth and, therefore, it was a problem as to how to deal most effectively with a given case, for this and the additional reason that when one such person so offending was given a castigation by the Government, probably fifty others of similar mind and disposition proceeded at once to find ways also to give offense and to get their names in the press conspicuously in connection with international exchanges with reference thereto, I then very earnestly said to the Ambassador that without reference to their truth or falsity the awful news reports coming out of his country about racial and other conditions and controversies were the basis on which these violent utterances, such as he was now complaining of in this country, were inspired and that it was absolutely necessary, if the seat of the trouble was to be dealt with, that those reports be diminished or discontinued. I then emphasized the view that I would be so gratified if some cooperative efforts thus dealing with the fundamentals of the situation could be brought about, adding that myself and the German Ambassador would be worried half to distraction by a chronic state of incidents such as the one he now complained of, unless some cessation of these inflammable reports coming out of his country could be accomplished. I said that we had talked this phase over more than once in the past, but that I could only keep this view alive in the hope that it might be carried into effect to a more or less extent. The Ambassador parried this statement and view by making some reference to the interference by one country with the internal affairs of another, to which I replied that, of course, I was not raising that question in any sense but was only making a concrete statement to the effect that so long as these combustible reports came out of his country we were liable to have a succession of just such unfortunate incidents as the one he was now complaining about.
The Ambassador then said that he was especially concerned about this Government showing more concern and more feelings in the nature of regret than it had shown. I again emphasized to him the unusual type of persons we were dealing with and that I must first secure the official facts and study them with the view to carefully approaching and dealing with the problem presented so as not to inflame and aggravate this type of violent-minded person which existed in large numbers in our big cities, so that we would have numerous repetitions of such utterances as he now complained of.
[Page 489]The Ambassador urged me to say something rather definite now, which I inferred meant to express regret, even reminding me that this Government expressed regret to Japan about the publication of a cartoon.48 I reminded him that I had expressed regret that Japan felt constrained to take exception to the matter, or words to that effect. He then inquired what he should say to the press, seeking still further to draw from me some expression of regret right now. I gave him no satisfaction and he then said he would say nothing to the press. I finally repeated that I would give the matter attention just as soon as the official facts could be assembled.
- Judge Louis Brodsky.↩
- See memorandum by the Secretary of State, August 5, 1935, vol. iii, p. 863.↩