GERMANY'S LEADING DIPLOMAT

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 7, 23 January 1937, Page 11

GERMANY'S LEADING DIPLOMAT

- * Herr Von Ribbentrop, whose Social and Diplomatic Successes have Secured Advantages which have Stunned all the Chancellries of Europe

rj.ERMANY'S AMBASSADOR EXTRA- ^ ORDINAEY of the Third Reich is Herr Joachim von Ribbentrop, whose career has been marked by many stirring events. Born 44 years ago at Wesel, a small town on the banks of tke Rhine at the Dutch from tier, he is the offspring of substantial German families who have given miJ'ltary men, high offieials and landed proprietors to their country and count among their ancestors a chief of Blucher's general staff at "Waterloo. His parents made sure he acquired perfect language facility and sent him to spend considerable time in Switzerland, Erance and England: the result is he speaks French like a Parisian and English like a Britisher. At eighteen years of age he went to Canada and, having to earn a livxng, got engaged as a draughtsman with a Quebec engineer detailed to build the bridge across the Saint Lawrence. In 1914 war broke out. 'The Canadian espionage service suspecting him of being- a German secret service agent decided to arrest him. But when the police came to his quarters, they found the bird had flownj they began to search, emptying all the drawers -in the hope of seizing incrimihating information. While this was going on, nobody paid any attention to a young painter dressed in a stained shirt and carrying a pail and brush who came down from the upper floor and went out. It was Mr von Ribbentrop in person. Having seen" the police coming to his house, he went upstairs where some workmen .wero having lunch: Ribbentrop disguised himself and got away quietly. Having escaped the Canadian police, von Ribbentrop went to the United States and embarked on a Dutch boat going to Germany. But the ship called at a British port and the English police sifted the 500 passengers in order to catch any young Germans returning for military service to their native country. Again fortune favour ed von Ribbentrop whom a young comrade hid in the coal chute. Back in Germany he set out for the eastern front as a lieutenant in a reigment of Hussars; bxxt on account of his perfect facility in foreign languages, they were not long in summoning him to the Ministry of War at Berlin. At the time of the Armistice he went on a mission tp Constantinople. War over von Ribbentrop was faced with the prospect of making a living and went into wine. He distinguished himself in this new profession by his business skill and in 1920 married the daughter of a maker of wines which imitate champagne. He - became business adviser to Otto Henkel, the richest wine-maker of Rhineland. He later became an associate of his millionaire father-in-lawj business compelled him to travel and toolc him often to Erance, England and the United States where he formed numerous contacts.

For eight years he lived the life of a family man in his lovely villa at Dalhem in the neighbourhood of Berlin and was interested solely in making a go of his business. At first he .was only an indifferent and, at times, a disgusted speetator of events in troubled, uncertain Germany. Little by little, however, he was won over to Hitler's ideas and in 1928 joined .the Nazi party to which he was'to devofce mnch timO. There is an interesting story concerning his first meeting with Hitler. Yon Ribbentrop was dining with his father-in-law and a friend, the banker Schroeder, when the maitre-d'hotel announced that Hitler had come incognito to see the tvyo men on business. Yon Ribbentrop was introduced as that remarkable man who through his energy and gift of tongues had been able to sell German champagne at as high a price as French.' Hitler, who knows men, was immediately impressed with von Ribbentrop, who soon became indispensible to him, although pref erring to remain in the background. At first his duty consisted chiefiy in puttin'g the' Fuhrer in contaet with the

aristoeraey, the army and the industrial 4?orld, and never did the dinners and receptions smaek of anything resembling officialdom. It was von Ribbentrop with von Papen who, in January 1935, negotiated Hitler 's interview with Marshal-President von Hindenburg, who managed to surround his chief and friend with the army representative, General von Blomberg, and with the head of high finance, Dr. Schacht. Little by little, his role grew. Eventually he became the Fuhrer 's closest consultant and his moderating influence was exerted usefully every time that either at home or abroad they "were about to go too far." In time von Ribbentrop was entrusted with secret missiona abroad. It is in England that German diplomatic activity is chiefiy exerted and naturally von Ribbentrop was sent to London as envoy,

Now in England the aristocracy has close: affiliations with the political world and to get to the Foreign Office it is necessaTy first to get into certain influential London salons. Hitler is aware of this axxd has kept Prince Otto von Bismarck there for eleven yeaTS as counsel to the ambassador. He is very popular, indeed, with the English nobility. Yon Ribbentrop made himself much liked in this quarter and on account of his social and diplomatic success and his activities as a learned man, he ■ has secured ad,vantages which has stunned all the chancellries of Europe. It was he who on June 18 of last year signed the Anglo-German naval accord which recognised the right of the Reich to a tonnage equivalent to 35 per cent. of the English .tonnage. And he it was whom Hitler sent to London to soothe the unrest pcijasioned by the occupation. of tho Rhine. Of a very athletic turn which makes for over-Channel popularity; his golf wins smiling approval, he is a good horsexnan and shot and enjoys tennis and swimming equally well. But his favourite relaxation in his Ingres violin which he enjoys playing' in a quartette. Mr and Mrs von Ribbentrop have four children: three daughters, of whom the eJdest is fifteen, and a boy, fourteen. They live a quiet family life at Dalhem where one of their habitxxal guests is the Fuhrer, in whose honour vegetarian dinners are always served. A well-known journalist recounta how at a certain diplomatic dinner at Nurcmburg in September, 1935, von Ribbentrop en.tertained his guests, thxu discoursed on ihe political probloit.8 of tlxe hour and of Ihe future. All the French were aelighted with the freedom with which he spoke. Put when, later, th jy tricd to establish the pomts which he had di-jju-sod and to draw their conelusions thet* f-nnd that none of tiujn .could agree aoout tho smoo.-h phrasef: which left them o:nn to a> variety of interpieto.tions. i Another time in the courso of a disenssion on axmaments, the French and English delegates were emphasising the striking diff erence existing in the points of view of their respective countries and of Germany. Mr von Ribbentrop, smiling, listened ixi silence, then said, "After all, gentlemen, what does separate us? It is simply a quOstion of terminology, In France military service is compulsory; in England it is voluntary; and in Germany it is voluntarily compulsory.' * And on still another oecasion, diplomats were studying in his presence the question of colonies. One of them, speakii'g of a coloxfy belonging to a power of second order, whose bad climate and aridity are well known, said, "This country would be habitable if it had water and a better population." To which Mr von Ribbentrop remaxked, "If I do not mistake,. that is exactly what. could be said about hell,"