Evening star., 1948-02-09
The Memoirs of Cordeh Hull
Failure to Repeal Arms Embargo in 1899 Seen
Factor in HitIer's Decision to Go to War

lin foreign military circles was that
Germany was militarily able TO move
against Poland at any time. On
June "a Kirk reported that rumors
of unusual troop movements and
continued military activity in Ger
many had created the general i'm
preston that preparations were be-
ing made for some eventuality.
Bullitt Not Optimistic.
Ambassador Bullitt cabled from
Paris on May 16 that Premier Dala-
dier had expressed the opinion that
peace would probably continue
through June, but he was not, on
the whole optimistic On June
80 Bullitt cabled the belief Of Alex
Leger, of the French Foreign once,
that crisis of the gravest character
was inevitable before the middle Of
August.
Polish Ambassador Count Potocki
said to me on May 81 that Hitler
would be obliged to take some step
In some direction during the COM
ing months. On June 26 Potocki in
formed me that his country was
preparing increasingly to fight In
case Germany should start a war.
From London Ambassador Ken
nedy cabled me on June ~ Lord
Halifax's thought that the German
situation was very uneasy and that
there was ample opportunity for
trouble before the end of the next
month. On July Kennedy cabled
that Halifax had told him the Brit
ish were calling up their reserves
of ships and navy personnel, osten-
sibly for maneuvers in August, but
actually in order to have the navy
ready month before trouble might
come, on the assumption that this
would be in September.
Our Charge at The Hague, y.
Webb Benton, reported on June 3
the opinion OF Admiral F'urstner,
chief Of the Netherlands Naval
Staff, that Hitler might resort to
war between the middle and end
of August, after the harvest. and
Furstner referred to known German
efforts to harvest the crops as rapid.
ly as possible.
All these dispatches Borah and
his associates could have seen II
they had wanted to. But Borah
chose instead to rely for his infor-
nation on what was later reported
to be a minor press service In
London.
Isolationists' Last Stand.
Here was the last effective stand
of the powerful isolation movement
in the United States. The move
ment continued It's fight by every
means at hand and 1t remained o
danger, but after war came in Eu-
rope 1t was never again able to
thwart an administration proposal.
No one can say definitely that the
failure of our efforts to lift the arms
embargo was a final, or even an
important, factor in Hitler's ulti.
mate decision to go to war. am
certain, however, that, II the arms
embargo had been lifted in May,
June or even July, 1899, he would
inevitably have had to take this
factor into his calculations.
/ On July 20, Bullitt, in a cable
from Paris for the President. said
the opinion in both London and
4 Paris was that the probability oi
i Htler's deciding to make war II
August had been increased by Con
i gress' decision to postpone action o,
neutrality legislation and that Brit
5 ish Foreign Undersecretary Vansit
/ tart was betting 2-to-1 that wa
: would come in August.
), When August came, the end wa!
in sight. For nearly seven year
Hitler had been building up military
forces and tearing down treaty
observance and respect for inter.
national law. The moment hac
arrived to make a shambles of Eu.
rope and bring death to tens o1
millions Of men, women and chill
dren.
Shortly after midnight on Septem-
ber l, the telephone rang beside the
Presidents bed. Bullitt was on the
phone from Paris. German troops
had crossed the borders of Poland.
Copyright 194s, by MANA. Inc)