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Diary 8: May - December 1940

Item 107

Transcription: P1/8 (15) Dear Sean: I have thought of you constantly since the news of Avenol's resignation came last night and wished terribly that we might have a chance to gossip together. I knew, of course, what this means to you. I remember clearly a talk we had on one of those now so distant days before I left, and I can see that all the issues we then mentioned have now precipitated themselves. It is a tough situation which to my mind has two aspects: first, I know you deeply you hoped against it and that it is not, therefore, of your seeking; second, I have absolute confidence you will find the way to meet it. One cannot, of course, know all the details from this distance. Nevertheless, from what I can imagine and what Hambro guesses, I can appreciate what a difficult situation Avenol found himself in and how almost inevitable, given all the circumstances, was his action. I appreciate from my conversations with him on the Woeffler letter early in the war that he was not anxious to stay but would have been glad to find an honorable way out . . that he stayed on, in part, from a sense of duty . . but that now, from his viewpoint, the situation was very different . . . . However that may be, it leaves the problem with you. This a tough one, indeed, in these days, for the League is so much bigger then any of us that our own personal feelings must, in large measure, be subordinated. It would be very presumptuous, I feel, for me to attempt to express an opinion, far less, give a counsel,ut this distance, but I do want to say, first, that I have the fullest confidence that you will come out to whatever the right decision may on the spot prove to be, and, second, that you have my fullest loyalty and support, for whatever little they may be worth. My deepest regret is that I cannot be with you, and perhaps help you, in this difficult moment. But you can be sure I'm inmensely with you in spirit . . . I've just written an enormous letter to Loveday on this beautiful, but hot, Sunday, when the family is all down swimming. Would you let me enclose a carbon, first, because it would break my back to do it again, and, second, because I'm never sure if these letters actually arrive? It gives all the news fully and will, I hope, be cheering to you, as it surely is to Hambro, myself, and a multitude of friends here. I also enclose a series of clippings about this matter and Avenol's resignation. These are the only copies I have, here in the country at the moment, so that perhaps you might show them to Loveday? I hesitated about sending them directly to Avenol, but, first, I do not know if he will be in Geneva when this arrives, or perhaps left for the Supervisory, and, second, it might be better for you to decide if you felt it best for them to go on to him, with or without mention of my having sent them over. It's an odd thing; many of our people have been calling the League "dead" but it always seems to be breaking into the news. The bigger situation is developing ever more sharply: two-ocean navy, 36,000 planes, strong possibility of conscription, Pan-American trusteeship embargo on petroleum and iron, deeper and deeper alarm, greater and greater realization of the impossibility of isolation.Sluggish Presidential campaign, absorption in foreign news, undercurrent shift of psychology. Wife & 3 children at seashore, Adelaide in California still, here for Sunday off tomorrow for Boston, then New York end Washington. BEST LUCK A.S. July 27, 1940 AIR MAIL

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Diary 8: May - December 1940

Item 98

Transcription: Left page I have been thinking over the problem of the Supervisory Committee: it is all important and I agree with you that we should get a meeting at the very earliest moment. In his report and his proposed plans Avenol is I am afraid cooking a lot of trouble for us, quite apart from the vital question of the funds. Now that Holma cannot come here and we are still without the nomination of Kelly and Costa du Rels being confirmed, I should very much like you to give thought again to the question of a Lisbon meeting. First of all if you and I were in agreement with it I think we could get the majority of the Members to agree. Avenol says he will not go; there is less reason for his refusal than for that of anybody else; I fear he wants to avoid a meeting which would have a strong character. I am not sure if the Committee Members would not be prepared to hold the meeting even if he persisted in declining to attend. Would it really be an irregular meeting if the President and Members in the peculiar circumstances insisted on it being held at a point where they could attend? (meetings have been held at the Hague and Paris on the grounds of mere personal convenience). If the meeting were helf in such circumstances, Avenol would perhaps refuse to submit his report to them but it would be qualified to deal with the first and urgent thing: the approval of financial arrangements for his departure; and with the President of the Assembly and the Council in the Committee, as well of Right page qualified as any other Body fix the date definitively. The question which you have raised about our absence from Geneva is important, but for me more on the grounds of what he could do in our absence. We would be away at least a fortnight, even with a special aeroplane from Barcelona to Lisbon; if there were any danger of being cut off, it would be awkward, but as I am more and more inclined to think we shall have to face the problem of transfer, provided we get the time, your presence outside rather than inside might even be an advantage provided the possibility were foreseen before you left Geneva. I myself would have to make the most streneous efforts in any cir-cumstances to get back. I have been typing this out on my own machine this morning to throw up a few points which I should like you to think about. I know I am very far from completing the picture and there is much to be said on both sides, but I am very more and more anxious on the question of getting a reasonably good meeting very soon. I am in one of my impatient moment: and resenting having to sit still while M. "Renard" [Avenol] is so busy. He may produce something or take some action quite beyond my power of toleration, although I am convinced we must do our very best to prevent an open scandal. I am also worried because Hambro is not properly informed and our telegrams may not have helped him very much. August ...

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Lettere circa la morte dell'aspirante ufficiale Augusto Volpe

Item 12

Transcription: ...

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Diary 8: May - December 1940

Item 94

Transcription: Left page maintenance. He discussed all the budgetary difficulties and problems and said that certainly a very big proportion of States could or would pay nothing, that others were willing to pay at least the same as this year and that others would, not be prepared to pay as much though wishing the League Secretariat to survive. The problem of a meeting of the Supervisory Committee naturally came into it. Hambro had wanted the meeting first in America, alternatively in Lisbon; Avenol flatly refuses to move from Geneva and says it cannot be held without him. Says also while he will finish drawing salary and will realize his pension rights at the end of August, he will continue as Secretary-General (!) until Supervisory Committee meets. Continues extremely busy with his financial plans and the preparation of his report. Jacklin is now as thoroughly convinced of his evil intentions as I have been all along 6 weeks. One of the results of our conversation at luncheon is that Phelan who is going by private car with Mortished, has postponed his journey for a few days and we have secured the co-option of Costa du Rels, President of the Council, on the Supervisory Committee. Fortunately his country is in good financial standing with the Treasury, but of course two Latin-American Members on the Supervisory Committee may later cause difficulties.

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Schreiben von Emilie Göler an die Großherzogin Luise; Eltern holten ihre Kinder ab; Hoffnung darauf | den Schulbetrieb im Januar wieder aufzunehmen

9 Items

Description: Hierarchie: Großherzogliches Familienarchiv (Eigentum des Hauses Baden) und Markgräfliches/Großherzogliches Familienarchiv: Nachträge >> Einzelne Angehörige des Hauses Baden >> [13 A] Luise Großherzogin von Baden (1838-1923) >> Familie, Hof, Regierung >> Erziehung, Schulen >> Victoria-Schule und -Pensionat >> Berichtserien >> Emilie Göler von Ravensburg [?-?, Oberin des Viktoria-Pensionats Karlsruhe und der Filiale Baden-Baden 1917-1920/1923]

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