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Germany and Japan pp 223–249Cite as

The Second Crisis

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Abstract

“Oshima came to my house to see me on August 22 at midnight. The news that Ribbentrop was flying to Moscow …. was a heavy blow for him, though he was Japanese and General enough not to lose his outward poise. His face became rigid and grey.”1 Before his departure the Foreign Minister had told the Ambassador by telephone of Germany’s new policy, and naturally the envoy desired further information. The State Secretary spoke of the German-Russian rapprochement, but only increased the visitor’s “uneasiness.” Oshima argued that the U.S.S.R., relieved of anxiety in Europe, was bound to turn her attention to the Far East, and this would work to the detriment of Japan. Besides, what had taken place in the Soviet capital was inconsistent with the German-Japanese relationship so far; he expected that his country would experience “a certain shock.” Weizsäcker must have prepared himself in advance, for he truly marshalled his retorts. He denied that the German-Japanese entente had been impaired; rather, this new development would aid Japan in the improvement of her Russian relations. Moreover, Japan did have a “priority,” and the German government waited for six months without obtaining a satisfactory reply.

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References

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  1. Ernst L. Presseisen
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© 1958 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Presseisen, E.L. (1958). The Second Crisis. In: Germany and Japan. International Scholars Forum. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-6590-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-6590-9_8

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