852.00/5827: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Bingham) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 25—12:16 p.m.]
407. I saw the Foreign Secretary late yesterday afternoon…
Eden took occasion to tell me that, while the Spanish situation was still very grave, the fact the Germans had not undertaken reprisals immediately was hopeful to that effect. In addition he said the Admiralty had told him there were no German ships in the Mediterranean itself, although they were off the coast of Spain. He thought it likely he would soon see that German warships had entered the Mediterranean, and newspaper reports this morning stated that several have passed through the Straits of Gibraltar.
He expressed his regret that Neurath’s visit to London had been postponed, but said, on the other hand, he felt Neurath was a restraining influence on Hitler and that it was probably better he had not left Hitler at this time. He said he did not know of course what form German reprisals might take, but he thought it likely Spanish ships would be seized carrying Russian munitions from Odessa to Spanish Government ports, as these were going out of Odessa in very large quantities. There was some comfort in the thought that the Germans and Italians had not withdrawn from the Non-intervention Committee, but that his Government did not think the situation was as bad as the French seemed to think it was; that, Delbos had called him up, however, in the middle of the night evidently greatly disturbed, and that he had sought to reassure Delbos at least to the extent that the situation, grave as it was, was not so disturbing as Delbos thought it was.
He said both he and the Prime Minister were making every possible preparation for the debate in the House of Commons this afternoon, and that the Prime Minister had agreed to speak on the subject, in addition to himself.