Dr. Salazar did not make any statement to that effect, from the manner in   
which he referred to Hitler and his policy of revenge, conquest, and   
hegemony, he clearly conveyed the inpression that this was wholly   
distasteful to him and I think it fair to interpret from the tone of Dr.   
Salazar's cautious remarks that he would be relieved to see the last of   
                          Hitler.                           
 
                                                            
 
 
Dr. Salazar then said that when I was last here I had expressed the view   
that Germany might suffer a collapse and asked whether I still felt this   
was the case. I replied that the tremendous losses in men and material   
which Germany was suffering at the Russian front - and the most competent   
military advisers had assured me that the struggle would continue   
throughout the winter- might lead to the downfall of Hitler. His   
disappearance and that of the men surrounding him was essential to peace.   
Dr. Salazar replied that though this might be conceivable, he couldnot see   
 any liklihood of a collapse in Germany in the near future. 
 
                                                            
 
 
Dr. Salazar added that all reports from Germany seemed to indicate that   
the German people themselves are sick of the war and are weighed down with   
acute consciousness that the series of victories in the last war had only   
culminated in Germany's ultimate defeat. To be sure the German army and   
the party members, buoyed up by German victories are still animated by a   
ke spirit, but this is definitely not shared by the German p
 
                                                            
 
 
I mentioned that all Italians, excepting, of course,  
Mussolini who is gambling everything on the war, were desperately anxious  
for peace. The food situation was serious, the Italians disliked the   
Germans before and loathed them now- a feeling which the Germans   
reciprocated - and they would give anything to be out of the war.   
Italians had come to me in a pitiable state some with tears in their eyes   
in the hope that I could bring them peace. Of courze, I could do nothing.  
Dr. Salazar indicated that, his information regarding Italy was similar.   
He said that the Italians were not a warlike people,  
they were artists, that, this was the fourth war that Mussolini  
had led them into and of course they had no stomach for it.  
The Germans, he said, were a different breed. They were naturally a   
military people who regarded warns one of the highest of human   
expressions- He said this in an oratorical manner in such a way as to   
         simply his contempt for such a philosophy.         
 
                                                            
 
 
I recalled Dr. Salazar's statement in my conversation of a  
year ago that he could not visualize the battle ground for the decisive   
battle of the war. Did he still hold this view?  Dr. Salazar replied that   
he had heard much talk of a second front. The British had made landings on   
the coast of Europe and had withdrawn. Most of Europe was occupied and   
defended, a word which he used with some emphasis, Could a successful   
invasion be made on a large scale on the continent? It, was not clear to   
him that this was feasible. At present, Britain's battle was on the sea   
where the struggle was being conducted with great intensity. To Great   
Britain, a maritime power, blockade was the major weapon. Conversely,   
Germany's military philosophy  
                            was