GERMANY’S LEADING DIPLOMAT

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 19, 23 January 1937, Page 16 (Supplement)

GERMANY’S LEADING DIPLOMAT

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

rjERMANY’S AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY 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 the Rhine at the Dutch frontier, he is the offspring of substantial tierman families who have given military men, high officials 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, France 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 living, 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 flown; they began to search, emptying all the drawers in the hope of seizing incriminating 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 were 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 favoured von Ribbentrop whom a young comrade hid in the coal chute. Back in Germany he set out for tho eastern front as a lieutenant in a reigment of Hussars; but 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 to 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. Ho became business adviser to Otto Henkel, the richest wine-maker of Rhineland. He later became an associate of his millionaire father-in-law; business compelled him to travel and took him often to France, 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 spectator 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 devote much time. There is an interesting story concerning his first meeting with Hitler. Von Ribbentrop was dining with his father-in-law and a friend, the banker Schroeder, when tho maitre-d ’hotel announced that Hitler had come incognito to see the two men on business. * Von 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 preferring to remain in the background. At first his duty consisted chiefly in putting the Fuhrer in contact with the

.now in England the aristocracy has close affiliations with the political world and to get to the Foreign Office it is necessary first to get into certain influential London salons. Hitler is aware of this and has kept Prince Otto von Bismarck there for eleven years as counsel to the ambassador. He is very popular, indeed, with the English nobility. Von 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 advantages which has stunned all the chancellries of Europe. It was he who on Juno 18 of last year signed the Anglo-German naval accord which recognised the right of tho Reich to a tonnage equivalent to 35 per cent, of the English tonnage. And ho it was whom Hitler sent to London to soothe the unrest occasioned by the occupation of the Rhine. Of a very athletic turn which makes for over-Channel popularity; his golf wins smiling approval, ho is a good horseman and shot and enjoys tennis and swimming equally well. But his favourite relaxation in Lis Ingres violin which he enjoys playing in a quartette. Mr and Mrs von Ribbentrop have four children; three daughters, of whom the tldcst is fifteen, and a boy, fourteen. They live a quiet family life at Dalhem where one of their habitual guests is tho Fuhrer, iu whose honour vegetarian dinners are always served. A well-known journalist recounts how at a certain diplomatic dinner at Nuremburg in September, 1935, von Ribbentrop entertained his guests, tlm discoursed ou the political probloirs of the hour and of the future. All the French were delighted with tho freedom with which he spoke. Put when, later, ihjy tried to establish tho po'iits which ho had dw;U'sed and to draw their conclusions the*' foiud that none of limn could agree aoout tLo sm'oJi phras.es left them o * ui to a variety of interpietatioDS. Another time in the course of a discussion on armaments, the French and English delegates were emphasising the striking difference existing in the points of view of llieir respective countries and of Germany. Mr von Ribbentrop, smiling, listened in silence, then said, “After all, gentlemen, what does separate us? It is simply a question of terminology. In France military service is compulsory; in England it is voluntary; and in Germany it is voluntarily compulsory. ’ * And on still another occasion, diplomats were studying in his presence the question of colonies. One of them, speaking of a colony belonging to a power of second order, whoso 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 remarked, “If I do not mistake, that is exactly what could be said about hell.”

aristocracy, tho army and the industrial world, and never did the dinners and receptions smack 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 eithef at home or abroad they “were about to go too far.” In time von Ribbentrop was entrusted with secret missions abroad. It is in England that German diplomatic activity is chiefly exerted and naturally von Ribbentrop was sent to London as envoy.