462.00R296/4021: Telegram

The Ambassador in Germany ( Sackett ) to the Secretary of State

[Paraphrase]

90. Reference is made to your telegram No. 86, June 21, 2 p.m. The Embassy took every precaution in order to prevent the information that the Hindenburg message was sent being made public. However, the Germans were unable to contain themselves entirely, so great was the enthusiasm created by the news of President Hoover’s decision. Foreign Minister Curtius told me at a luncheon given yesterday by Bruening that the newspaper people in Germany had acquired the information that a message had been sent to President Hoover by President Hindenburg.

Owing to the absence of regular newspapers on Monday morning in Berlin only emergency sheets appeared. However, the main one of these briefly summarizes the Hindenburg message. The story carries a date line of New York, June 21.

Under Secretary von Bülow told me this morning that the method set forth in your telegram for handling publication of the message was [Page 38] entirely satisfactory to him. He also said in strict confidence that he believed that some high German official had been responsible for the leak to the German newspapers.

Sackett