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or admit that things are different, even if they can touch  
them with their own hands. When Ribbentrop went to London  
as Ambassador, von Neurath, who at that time was Foreign  
Minister, surprised me with a dull-witted joke. He said: 'Voa   
Ribbentrop will experience for himself that it is  
easier to receive a "yes" when one goes to London as a rep-  
resentative introducing a new mark of champagne, than when  
going there as Ambassador to Germany.' In fact, Ribbentrop experienced   
it. And after that he wanted to punish England;  
punish it because she had not said "yes" to his demands,had  
not accepted the Nazi greeting. In fact, he wished to  
punish, because things were not as he had thought them to be -  
and consequently did not work out the way he had imagined." 
 
                                                            
 
 
I was very much surprised at Count Clano's frankness of  
speech and I told him so. I even advised him to be more  
careful. But he told me, that he was in the habit of speak-  
ing his mind openly. "Furthermore - whom would it hurt?  
Mussolini?" And at these words he shrugged his shoulders.  
"To the Germans? But the Germans owed him gratitude I  
have given them the best of advice. I told them: 'Do not  
start the war' Do not start it, because You will lose it  
and ruin yourselves altogether.' The facts have proved that I was right   
in what I predicted. So they ought to pay me  
homage." "Homage"- I said -"no, on the contrary, they will  
never forgive You. The beaten man never forgives the one  
that gave him the good advice that would have saved him;  
never forgives the one, who on every occasion can say: "I  
told You so'" "It is true" he replied -"but after all,  
they can do what they please to me. I want to say what I  
think." He then turned to me with a question "But do they  
                          know...