740.00/1931: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 19—1:10 p.m.]
1022. I just saw Halifax. He said that their final word to the Russians now is that they will accept the military pact but will not accept the Russians’ definition of indirect aggression and, if the Russians insist on it, the English are going to call the whole deal off.
Craigie26 again started discussions in Japan this morning but Halifax is not at all hopeful.
They are getting undercurrent [of] confidence that Hitler’s next move, instead of against Danzig, is to be against Hungary. However, Halifax said that Beck told him last week that he did not anticipate any real trouble, but a state of jitters for the next 12 months.
I asked Halifax whether he thought the situation might become acute in the near future. He said he had no definite information but in the next breath asked me how long it would take me to get back. I told him about 5 hours and he said he would keep my office informed and would call on me to come back if he saw the situation tightening.
I am seeing the Prime Minister at 12 o’clock tomorrow.
- Sir R. L. Craigie, British Ambassador to Japan. Reference is apparently to the situation at Tientsin; see vol. iv, pp. 163 ff.↩