C O P Y                           
 
 
A german friend of mine of long standing has just arrived in
this country. Be is a person whose character and competence I can                                                      
vouch for without qualification. Be bring, information of greatest                                                         
interest.
 
 
This friend has been very highly placed in German aviation          
service. He is a man of high standing and absolute dependibility with
exceptional powers of observation. His contacts actually reach to                                                
Hitler's personal entourage as well an high places in the army and
navy.
 
 
He confirms much that was said about the fake mobilization
march through Berlin on the 3Oth of September. He tells me that it was
arranged by Hitler to test public opinion, that Goebbels assured him
the people were behind him find that the millions of streamers that
Goebbels issued were being neglected. Some of Hitler's entourage began 
to have misgivings and were even suspicicus, and Hitler himself, that 
there would be trouble in Germany if they actually started hostilities. 
On the 3Oth, Hitler had three long and violent crying spells--two of 
then quite hysterical.
 
 
The friend referred to above compared this mobilization in
detail with the similar mobilization in 1914 at which he was present. 
The resolution and enthusiasm at that moment, as you will recall, was 
overwhelming; but the procession of the 3Oth of September this year 
which took three hours end five minutes to pass a given point in the 
Wilhelmstrasse, was received in melancholy silence. During the entire
evening, my friend did not hear one single mark of applause or goodwill 
but, surprising enough, on a number of occasions, murmurs of disapproval 
and quite frequently a shourt, "Hell Moscow." In the dark, the police
could not locate the shouters and made no real effort to do so 
contenting themselves by shouting, "Shut up," at the various 
disturbers. One of then was asked if he was really for the Soviet. 
He said, "No, but I am against this."
 
 
More important is the information about the condition of the
aviation service. Specific orders were issued to some of the commanders 
that, in case of eventualties, they could not count on any replacement 
whatever of motors; many were informed that their immediate supply of 
aviation gasoline could not be replenished. He tells me that machines
are being turned out so fast that there are a shocklng number of accidents; 
wings are being torn off, propeller blades break loose. These 
delicate machines are easily damaged and are partly incapacitated. The 
best new German machines are, of course, euperbly designed but they are 
being built too rapidly end, what is more serious, they are too fast and 
too delicate to be managed by aviators of brief training. My informant 
is a superb flyer with a noble war record. He has himself built 
airplane factories and organized and directed aviation schools. He says 
that it would take three years to train a man sufficiently to handle
one of these machines properly and, even then, he would have to be a
man of exceptional talent. He safe not four per cent of the present