-2-                             
 
 
of Fritsch", since all of them had been friends or                                                    
colleagues of General Werner Von Fritsch, whose death
on the Polish front they believed to have been a Nazi                                               
murder.
 
 
These officers were skeptical of the results of the                                          
German invasion of Russia, and they believed that the
situation would become so bad that they and the Army
group would have to take over the Government and attempt
to make peace. Fenthol's real mission was to try to
ascertain what kind of a peace could be made were Hitler                                            
disposed of. First, could there be a peace if Goering                                               
replaced Hitler; second, if not, what kind of peace
(other than total destruction) could a new Government
(presumably of Army officers) obtain for Germany. Fenthol
said he had wanted to come to Washington but he had been
unable to got a visa.
 
 
The calculations of the German officers were based                                           
primarily upon the German plight as to food and lubricants.                                         
Russia had not been delivering the wheat and lubricating                                            
oil in accordance with her trade agreements. In May 1941                                            
Germany asked for the right to administer the Ukraine and
the Baku oil fields to increase deliveries. Russia 
declined, and Fenthol thought (June 16, 1941) that the
Germans would march into Russia (as they did). The
 
 
German