Evening star., 1945-06-15
land, and spoke English as tiuently

land, and spoke English as huently
as German.
From England he went. to Canada
worked for a while on construction
jobs, fought in the German Army
during the World War and after
ward married, In 1920, Anne Henkell
daughter of one of Germany's larg-
est wine merchants. Won Ribbentror
himself went into the wine bust
ness and supposedly accumulated a
fortune.
Formed Contact With Hitler.
Meanwhile, he had become inter
ested in the Nazi movement and had
formed a contact with Hitler. He
also had another influential friend
Franz Won Papen, one-time German
military attache here and later Vice
Chancellor of Germany. 1t was Won
Ribbentrop who arranged the meet
ing between his two friends that
resulted in Hitler's first entry into
the government.
After Hitler came into full power
he distrusted the professional dip
lomats of the Wilhelmstrasse and
turned more and more to his friend
Won Ribbentrop for advice on for
eign relations. In time the amateur
diplomats position was formalizeo
by his being made head of the for
eign section of the Nazi party.
His quarters were next to the Will
helmstrasse. Germany had, In
reality, two foreign Offices. One
the official one-carried on the rou.
tine of international relations
granted passports and visas, made
political and economic reports ano
kept the normal wheels of diplo-
macy turning. The other-Vor
Ribbentrop's organization - really
determined, under Hitler's author
ity, the foreign policy of the Reich
Won Ribbentrop's first major dip.
lomatic victory came in 1885 wher
he negotiated with the British tht
Anglo German naval agreement BY
which London permitted Berlin tt
escape from the naval clauses of the
Versailles Treaty and build up te
one-third of British sea strength
He also negotiated the German.
japanese anti-comintern pact OF
1886, aimed at solidifying the two
powers against Russia.
Went to London in 1886.
He went to London as Ambassador
in 1886. He began badly, shocking
British sensibilities by greeting King
Edward VIII Cnow the Duke OF
Windsor, at Buckingham Palace
with the Nazi salute and the words
Hell Hitler" instead of making the
traditional bow from the waist
This provoked a storm of criticism
in the British press.
AS time passed, Won Ribbentrop
became increasingly unpopular in
London. even among British society
which the Nazi leader adored. Never
theless, his frequent association
with the Cliveden set convinced him
that England would not fight. He
returned to Berlin in 1888 to become
foreign minister as anti British as
he once had been pro-British. When
former Undersecretary of State
Sumner Welles visited him in Berlin
in 1910 he even refused to speak
English, forcing the American to
speak through German translator
even though he understood every
word.
Won Ribbentrop took the leader
ship under Hitler at the Munich
Conference of 1898 among Italy
Germany, France and England
which resulted In the sell out" OF
Czechoslovakia The supineness OF
the Allied powers on that occasion
convinced Hitler that the adviser on
foreign affairs was correct in his
belief that he could safely go ahead
with his plans of conquest without
fearing London and Paris. Further