Yesterday’s conversation appears to have had an effect: today Eden got the laissez-passer for Prague from the Czech chargé d’affaires! But Eden has not directly informed me or Čorny (the chargé d’affaires) about the trip.

Vansittart invited me to see him today. He was in a somewhat melancholy, even slightly despondent, mood as if he had had a bout of illness the day before and had not yet fully recovered. V. spoke of the extreme importance of the improvement of Anglo-Soviet relations, of his own struggle for this improvement, and of his delight at Eden’s forthcoming visit to Moscow. Yes, he regards Eden’s visit as a major historic event, and it is crucial that his visit should have major historic consequences. It would be good for the three of us to get together on the 22nd, on the eve of Eden’s departure, and discuss the measures that could ensure the best outcome of the Moscow visit. I willingly agreed. In an almost trembling voice, V. added: ‘For many months we have been working together in the cause of Anglo-Soviet rapprochement, and I have brought the matter to its present stage, at which you have initiated direct talks between ministers. Here, naturally, I had to efface myself and step back…’

Vansittart filled me in on a great many details regarding the events of recent days. The following transpired. In the British government, a struggle is being fought between two tendencies in regard to Germany – ‘hard’ and ‘soft’. The same in the Foreign Office. Simon is for the ‘soft’ line, and V. for the ‘hard’. The note of 18 March was sent by Simon against S.’s wishes and without his knowledge (this is a bit hard to believe). The French government knew nothing about the note and is most displeased with the British government. But the protests from Paris and Rome have done their job and Simon will take a fairly firm line in Berlin, all the more so as Eden will be with him. Simon, however, refused to pay a visit to Paris before going to Berlin, and so Eden has been sent to Paris now. V. expects nothing from the Berlin talks, but he considers the visit useful from the point of view of educating Labour-pacifist public opinion. We’ll see.