Page 113 - Was Hitler a Riddle?

100 The French Diplomats

from Berlin are warranted. For example, the claims made in 1942 by the
american scholar elizabeth r. Cameron that the ambassador unequivocally
favored Nazism are far-fetched. Cameron wrote that it was “known” that
François-Poncet harbored “enthusiasm . . . for the National socialist sys-
tem” and that he was suspected of having advanced diplomatic proposals
“behind closed doors.” On the other hand, François-Poncet’s reputation
11
in diplomatic circles as “the Führer’s favorite ambassador” seems justified.
12
He conducted interviews with Hitler or spoke to him at meetings more
frequently than any other foreign emissary—at least eighteen times dur-
ing slightly more than six and a half years. Hitler himself is known to have
had a special liking for the Frenchman; in the book Hitlers Tischgespräche
im Führerhauptquartier 1941–1942 (Hitler’s tabletalk in the Führer’s Head-
quarters), published in 1951, Hitler is quoted as praising the ambassador
for his “worldwide vision” and for being well versed in european culture
and blessed with a conciliatory nature. Hitler also appreciated his “great
generosity with pralines.” Finally, François-Poncet was a fighter on the in-
ternational scene with wide-ranging influence. “the extent of his contacts,”
Hitler pointed out, “is demonstrated by the fact that he once ordered a
whole carriage full of pralines from France” to be distributed to his ac-
quaintances. Not even sir Nevile Henderson, the most notable appeaser
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among diplomats in Berlin, tried so hard to curry favor with Hitler.
But Hitler also noted, correctly, that François-Poncet had committed a
major blunder in assessing the inner workings of the Nazi Party, a blunder
that proved to be helpful in persuading the Western powers not to rearm.
the ambassador’s frequent claim to have seen conclusive signs that Hitler’s
movement was riven by factional conflict between the sa and the reichs-
wehr persuaded many in the West that Germans would once again fight
each other, as they had during the Middle ages. this “prattle” by the am-
bassador, Hitler believed, had lulled the West into pursuing a policy of dis-
armament for several years, and by the time leaders in France and england
realized their mistake, Germany had enhanced its military power to such
an extent that nothing could be done by foreign countries to reverse the
tide or to persuade the Nazi leadership to abandon its expansionist foreign
policy. 14
Nevertheless, it is inaccurate to label François-Poncet an outright ad-
mirer of Nazism or even a committed appeaser. His position on the third
reich was not that firm; he often changed his mind on major issues, and in
his dispatches he tended to focus on specific events rather than on the ideol-
ogy of National socialism. Moreover, he was a fervent patriot, and when he