740.00119 European War 1939/34: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 6—3:01 p.m.]
1954. First reactions to Hitler’s peace proposals of Foreign Office officials, who have been in conference all the afternoon with the Prime Minister and Lord Halifax, are to the following effect: that the proposals as they stand are too vague to offer any basis for a conference unless they are implemented by some concrete action on the part of Germany which could be accepted as an evidence of good faith and as at least a provisional guarantee against further aggression. Such a gesture it is suggested might be the evacuation of the Polish part of Poland. A conference on the basis of Hitler’s proposals as they stand would put all the cards in Hitler’s hand. He would simply demand concrete concessions of far reaching import from the Allies in return for vague assurances on Germany’s part. They feel that it is impossible as yet to give a considered opinion on the possibilities which the proposals may offer for negotiation but they are to be given the most studied and careful consideration. The Prime Minister and Lord Halifax have in fact already said in Parliament that any German proposals would have such consideration. The Government is giving out a statement tonight which will be broadcast to America.
A Foreign Office official expressed the view that there are two practical possibilities of following up these proposals to good effect if allowed: (1) that the German Government may be maneuvered into a position where it will be obvious even to the German people that Hitler personally is the sole obstacle to peace, and (2) that failing [Page 506] this it may be possible to maneuver Hitler himself into a position where he will have to make a peace that the Allies would be willing to accept. These ideas were not elaborated. The official says that they are convinced that strong influences around Hitler, including Goering,80 are pressing him to stop the war. They frankly state in the Foreign Office that they have no idea what Hitler’s next move will be or when it will come but they are not going to a conference with Germany unless the present proposals are preliminary to more concrete expression and are redrawn in such form as to offer some hope that a negotiated settlement can be reached.
- Hermann Goering, Reich Minister for Air.↩