Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-05-24
Nazi Diplomat Denies
Coming Here 10 Buy
U. 5. Oil Property
Says Mission Is Purely
Personal Financial
One, in Interview
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 24.-Dr. Kurt
Rieth, former German diplomat
whom the New York Herald Tribune
said was in this country buying
rich American-owned oil properties
in Eastern Europe, now almost
valueless to citizens of the United
States said today his visit here
was a purely personal financial
mission"
The 59-year-old German added
that his mission had no connection
with affairs of the Nazi Reich and
that there should be no public in
terest in his personal affairs.
In a telephone interview from his
suite at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel,
DR.. Rieth said he entered this
country March % at Brownsville,
Tex, after a trip from Germany
via South America and Mexico be-
cause it was "the only course I
could pursue to get to the United
States" He added that he had mo
financial or diplomatic relations"
in South America.
The Herald Tribune said that on
crossing the American border he
gave "as a future destination the
office of Walter C. Teagle, chairman
of the board of the Standard Oil
Co. of New Jersey" in New York
City and that he had used Mr..
Teagle's name as a friend at sew
eral banks and financial firms.
Denies Knowing Reith.
w. S. Parish, president of the oil
company, authorized this statement:
Mr. Parish stated that he did
not know DR.. Kurt Reith, had never
seen him and that so far as he knew
no one in his organization in au-
thority today knew him, and that
no one had been approached by DR..
Rieth, and that no one had any
knowledge of his trying to approach
him.
Some six weeks or two months
ago they had heard from the F. B.
I, that DR.. Rieth had entered the
United States at Brownsville and had
used Mr.. Teagles name and his ad-
dress at the Standard Oil office when
entering the United States. Mr..
Teagle told me that he did not know
him, that the gentleman had never
approached him or tried to see him,
and the use of his name in connec-
ton with DR. Rieth was wholly I'M
authorized. We have no knowledge
OF DR.. Rieth, why he is here, for
what purpose and none of our people
has had any contact with him.
Has Had Inquiries.
Mr.. Parish stated that several
times in the last year We have had
inquiries as to whether or not we
would sell our German subsidiary
and our Hungarian subsidiary. These
feelers for sale never developed to
any conclusion and we are unable to
say whether they were genuine or not.
We have never been approached by
any one concerning the Rumanian
property.
standards attitude toward the
sale OF their property in Germany
and Hungary is that if a satisfac-
tory price can be had and the sale
is not disapproved by our Govern
ment they would be glad to
turn the value of these properties
into American dollars. For many
months now, Mr.. Parish stated. they
have had no control from New York
Of the operations of these two COM
panies and for years have not been
able to get dividends out of these
companies"
Denied Official Assignment.
The Herald Tribune quoted DR..
Rieth as denying he had any Off
cial assignment in this country. but
reported from other sources that
DR.. Rieth's major objective was an
attempt to arrange for the sale to
the Reich at a cash price of around
SIS, 900 900 the Hungarian subsidiary
Of Standard Oil of New Jersey
known as Maori"
DR.. Rieth asserted he was here
to see about some property owned
by two sisters, the Herald Tribune
said.
While in South America, the Her
aid Tribune said, Dr. Rieth assisted
in the formation of the American
Abstention Committee. composed of
two Japanese, an Italian and a Ger
man.
The real aim of the committee Is
to hinder the application Of the
lease-lend bill by every means, from
propaganda to more direct methods"
the Herald Tribune said.