During and after the dinner, Beaverbrook spoke to me on various topics. The most interesting points:

(1) Ribbentrop’s star is waning. Hitler is mad at him. Why? Ribbentrop is said to have misinformed Hitler about the state of affairs in Britain and in Europe in general, and now this has come to light. The foreign minister is expected to resign soon. The Führer himself is going through one of his periods of ‘trance’: for almost a month he has not seen anyone, spoken to anyone or consulted anyone. He lives in solitude and ‘converses with his soul’. Those around Hitler quiver and worry. They don’t know what to expect.

(2) The bombing of British ships by Franco’s planes has finally affected the soul of the English philistine. There has been a marked shift in public opinion in favour of the Spanish government. The latest successes of the Republicans on the Ebro were met with great satisfaction in England. Beaverbrook expressed the hope that the Spanish government would hold out, at least till next spring.

On 15 July, Franco launched an offensive aimed at capturing Valencia, the seat of the Spanish government at that time. He met a 60,000-strong Republican army under the command of Colonel Modesto, who crossed the Ebro and pushed Franco’s troops some 50 kilometres back. The Republicans, however, were forced into defensive positions, having no reserves at hand.

(3) As I left for the USSR, Beaverbrook was very well disposed towards Chamberlain’s policy. Now I sensed something different. Beaverbrook accused Chamberlain of selling out Spain for his friendship with Mussolini. Moreover, he berated him viciously for his attitude towards agriculture (in one of his speeches Chamberlain expressed the opinion that it was more profitable to buy grain overseas than artificially stimulate the development of agriculture in England).

Someone told me that Beaverbrook has become very fond of the songs of the International Brigade in Spain. He has the music and lyrics of these songs and asks people to play them for him. So the Daily Express wants to support the Spanish government after all!