Go-Betweens for Hitler by Urbach Karina

Author:Urbach, Karina
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780198703662
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2015-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

Coburg had reported to Berlin that he also asked the King whether Hitler and Baldwin should meet. Edward VIII answered according to this report: ‘Who is King here? Baldwin or I? I myself wish to talk to Hitler, and will do so here or in Germany. Tell him that please.’

Ziegler concludes that ‘it is inconceivable that Edward VIII would have expressed himself with quite such freedom or such folly’.91 This is a very benevolent, if not illogical interpretation. As we know, Edward did get his meeting with Hitler eventually (albeit when no longer king) and Coburg was one of his German hosts in 1937.

Ziegler, who could not know about the Duke of Coburg’s special role in Britain and his frequent invitations to Buckingham Palace, just dismisses him as the ‘absurd Duke of Saxe-Coburg’.92 This is bemusing to say the least, since in many other instances Ziegler has to admit that Edward VIII did show interest.

Edward was certainly indiscreet to many more people than his cousin, Coburg. In January 1936 a report arrived from the German embassy in Washington, which Hitler read two days later. It must have cheered him up. The American diplomat James Clement Dunn had said at a meeting with State Department officials that he expected the British position to become more pro-German now that Edward was king. Dunn’s comments had been leaked to German diplomats, who reported the gist of it to Berlin. Dunn had talked to Edward when he was still Prince of Wales in spring 1935. During this conversation the Prince had been quite ‘open’ about his political views.93 He had said that he disapproved of France’s efforts to revive the entente cordiale and force England onto the French bandwagon. He was convinced that France was thinking only of its own interests and would drop England, if it got into difficulties. He also disapproved of the French line of forcing Germany onto its knees and showed a lot of understanding for Germany’s difficult situation. He had stressed that he was not adopting his father’s stance, who blindly followed the Cabinet’s decisions. On the contrary he, as Prince of Wales, felt obliged to interfere when the Cabinet was planning something which was contrary to British interests. Dunn had been impressed by these straightforward comments. He had come to the conclusion that the new King Edward VIII would not openly and directly intervene in politics, but would try to use his influence as much as possible behind the scenes. Dunn was of the opinion that King George V had been passionately in favour of peace and therefore supported the Hoare–Laval Pact, but that Edward VIII was cold towards France.94

It is obvious from this statement that Edward VIII saw himself as a political actor. In 1940 he would tell a Spanish diplomat that he had retired ‘from politics four years ago.’ This meant that he had tried to be a political player up to his abdication in 1936. Edward VIII was indiscreet not just when talking to an American.

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