V: Secretary Hull Spurns a Japanese Olive Branch
a. America Makes a Friendly Bow to League of Nations
JAPANESE gestures of friendship toward the United States did not evoke any similar action on the part of the United States. It was soon apparent that the Roosevelt Administration was prepared for limited co-operation with the League of Nations that had just censured Japanese conduct in North China.
b. Japan Earmarks Jehol as a Part of Manchukuo
b. Japan Earmarks Jehol as a Part of Manchukuo
While the Roosevelt Administration was indicating a co-operative attitude towards the League of Nations, Japanese troops began to move into Jehol.
VI: Moscow Molds the Political Pattern in the Far East
a. Secretary Hull Overlooks a Diplomatic Opportunity
WHEN SECRETARY HULL rejected in June 1934 the proffer of a Japanese olive branch, he clearly indicated his strong disinclination to have it cultivated in the friendly soil of American good will so that it would bear the rich fruit of a permanent accord. But despite this lack of response from the Department of State, the Japanese Government still strove for an intimate understanding with the United States.
VII: Mussolini Looks upon Ethiopia with Acquisitive Eyes
WHILE JAPAN was moving ahead in Manchuria in a sustained drive to expand the limits of the Japanese Empire, Mussolini was scrutinizing most carefully the map of Africa in order to plan a drive that would give imperial frontiers to Italy. These Italian dreams of empire did not begin with Mussolini. They began in the latter decades of the nineteenth century and they could be realized only if some of the great powers supported Italian aspirations.
VIII: Britain and France Fear to Provoke War over the Issue of Ethiopia
a. France Vainly Seeks Promises of Aid from Britain
ON SEPTEMBER 2, in preparation for the meeting of the Council of the League, Anthony Eden and Pierre Laval had a long conversation with reference to the Italo-Ethiopian dispute.
IX: America Anticipates the League in Exerting Economic Pressure upon Italy
a. Senator Nye Flusters Foreign Diplomats
AS THE LEGIONS of Mussolini were preparing to march into Ethiopia, many Americans began to press for neutrality legislation that would insulate the Western Hemisphere against the possible outbreak of World War II.
X: Mussolini Makes a Mockery out of Collective Security
a. Secretary Hull Defends American Policy
SECRETARY HULL’S press statement of November 15 convinced Mussolini that the United States should really be classed with the nations that favored economic sanctions against Italy.
XI: Ambassador Dodd Finds Berlin an Unpleasant Spot for a Wilsonian Democrat
a. Nazi Germany Makes a Friendly Gesture towards America
WHILE the Roosevelt Administration was rapidly dissipating a large fund of Italian good will for the United States, a more serious crisis was developing in German-American relations. During the spring and early summer of 1933 the prospect seemed bright.
XII: America Views the Hitler Regime with Increasing Dislike
a. Similarities between Nazi and American fiscal Policies
THE PURGE of the Nazi Party temporarily disrupted the ordinary processes of government in the Third Reich. It was obvious to the average statesman that important diplomatic problems could not receive due attention until administrative order was completely restored.
XIII: Europe Fails to Find a Substitute for Locarno
a. Hitler Liquidates the Locarno Pact
As tension in Europe increased as a result of the Italo-Ethiopian dispute there was a fear in some quarters that Hitler would exploit the situation in order to gain some substantial concessions. Hugh Wilson, American Minister at Geneva, wrote to Secretary Hull that it was the “concern regarding Germany which is decisively influencing the action of all the European . . .
