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his right hand he were an enormous ring set with six huge diamonds; on his left hand he wore an 
 
emerald at least an inch square.
 
          His manner was simple, unaffected and exceedingly cordial, and he spoke with far greater 
 
frankness and clarity than any other German official whom I met. We dispensed with the services 
 
of the interpreter, except for the translation by Dr. Schmidt into German of what I had to say.
 
          The Field Marshal, after I had once more set forth the nature and purposes of my mission, 
 
reiterated the history of German foreign policy during the past seven years along exactly the same 
 
lines as those followed by Hitler and Ribbentrop.  At one point, however, Geering deviated from 
 
the account given by the two others. In discussing the causes of the war against Poland, Geering 
 
stated with the utmost precision that at the time Ribbentrop had visited Paris on December 6, 
 
1938, to sign the non-aggression pact between France and Germany, Bonnet, then Foreign 
 
Minister, had assured him in the name of the French Government that as a result of the conclusion 
 
of the agreements of Munich, France would renounce all interests in Eastern Europe, and  
 
specifically that France would refrain from any further influencing of Polish policy. While I had 
 
seen, of course, the recently published offlcial declarations of the French and German 
 
Governments in regard to this question, I had not before received so precise a statement of the 
 
alleged commitments made by Monsieur Bonnet at that time.
 
          I consequently asked the Marshal to repeat this statement, and the Marshal turned to Dr. 
 
Schmidt who, it appeared, had been present in Paris at the interview between Monsieur Bonnet 
 
and Herr yon Ribbentrop when the alleged commitments were made, and Dr. Schmidt related 
 
textually what had been said