LONDON, March 11, 1940.
 
         The Ambassador accompanied me at 3:30 p.m. to the 
 
Foreign Office, where I was received immediately by Lord 
 
Halifax.
 
        Lord Halifax is exactly like his photographs: exceed-
 
ingly tall, gangling, and with a rather inchoate face. 
 
But one cannot be with him for more than a few minutes before 
 
one is impressed with his innate sincerity, with the 
 
strength of his determination to pursue "the right", as he 
 
sees it; with his essential "goodness". One can question 
 
the ability of his intellect to cope with the more devious 
 
processes of other minds, or the breadth of his insight into 
 
the problems of the present world situation; but not, I 
 
think, his quality of "character".
 
     The conversation began with very few preliminaries.
 
I outlined to the Foreign Secretary the scope of my in-
 
structions, and made it particularly clear that I was not 
 
carrying with me any proposal, and that all that I was 
 
looking for on behalf of the President was the possibility 
 
at this juncture of the establishment of any real and 
 
lasting peace.
 
     Lord Halifax reviewed the history of the past year and 
 
a half since Munich. He related in great detail the efforts 
of Mr. Chamberlain and of himself to adopt towards Germany 
 
a policy of conciliatory justice, with recognition by Great 
 
Britain of the legitimate right of Germany to economic bene-
 
fits in Central and Eastern Europe, and with full willing-
 
ness to concede that Germans under other jurisdictions in 
 
Central-Europe should, if they so desired, be afforded the 
 
opportunity of living under the German Reich. He reminded 
 
me that every step taken by Great Britain in that direction 
 
has resulted not only in new and more far-reaching demands
 
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