Page 100 - Was Hitler a Riddle?

The British Diplomats 87

in the years immediately following the conclusion of the peace treaty,
lothian believed that the harsh conditions imposed on Germany were not
unreasonable; some minor features that were unjust or not workable could
in time be easily corrected. But by 1923 he began to change his mind and
eventually concluded that Germany had been “sinned against.” He soon
became “obsessed” with this notion, which is the key to understanding his
attitude toward Nazism in the 1930s. although he strongly advocated dis-
armament and put a high premium on the avoidance of another war, he
thought that Hitler’s demands for basic changes in the restrictions imposed
on Germany were justified. 174
in January 1935, lothian went to Germany on a business trip in his ca-
pacity as general secretary of the rhodes society, and during meetings with
various dignitaries, including ambassador-at-large Joachim von ribben-
trop, he indicated interest in meeting some “representative Nazis” to learn
their views on future developments in europe. the meeting with ribben-
trop had been arranged by an english scholar, dr. t. P. Conwell-evans, who
was then lecturing on anglo-German diplomatic history at the University
of Königsberg. a staunch admirer of the “new Germany,” Conwell-evans
was only too eager to bring lothian to the attention of leading Nazis, in-
cluding Hitler, who granted lothian two interviews.
the first one took place on January 19, 1935, and lasted two and a half
hours. Conwell-evans acted as interpreter, and both ribbentrop and Hess
were present, but, as was usual at such gatherings, they said very little. Ba-
sically, the proceedings consisted of a monologue by Hitler, in which he
repeated his commitment to peace and offered an outline of a peace plan
“for at least ten years.” in his “Note of interview with Herr Hitler, 29 Janu-
ary 1935,” lothian made no comment on Hitler’s behavior or character. in
this respect, the report was strikingly different from those of British dip-
lomats who had met Hitler. lothian clearly took Hitler at his word when
he declared himself determined to avoid war. 175 For some five weeks after
the interview, lothian received a series of messages from ribbentrop and
Conwell-evans that he passed on to the Foreign Office. lothian now con-
sidered it his mission to act as intermediary between Germany and Great
Britain for the purpose of promoting better relations between them. He
took this role so seriously that he refused to sign any protest denouncing
Nazi barbarities, although in private he had told ribbentrop that the per-
secution of Christians, Jews, and liberal pacifists stood in the way of better
relations between their two countries. 176
When Germany remilitarized the rhineland in 1936, without doubt the