Figure 1.--This event in Washington, D.C. emplifies the comity that had developed among diplomats before the rise of the totalitarian powers that led to World War II. The press caption read, "Children Broadcast International XMAS Greetings: This group mof children, sons and daughters of prominent diplomats in the nation's capital, extended Christmas greetings to the children of the United States from the children of their respective countries, in the third annual international Christmas broadcast from Washington, D.C., December 20, we think 1934. Photo shows (left to right, front row) -- Luis Quingtanilla, son of th Counsellor of the Mexican Embassy; Mesa de Bayle, daughter of the Charge de Affairs of Nicaragua; Charles Francis Lombard, son of the Military Attache of France; Marjorie Bertha Morgenstieerne, daughter of the Minister of Norway; Masako Saito, daughter of the Japanese Ambassador; [Note Ambassaor Saito was the ambassadir at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack.] Masako Pola Fotitch, daughter of the Minister of Yugoslavia; anf Guillermo Najera, son of the Mexican ambassador." The children are dressed in a mix of national costumes and contemporary fashions. Put your cursor on the image to see the 1936 group wuth a German boy in his Hitler Youth (HJ) uniform. Of course the questiin I have is why is the German boy set off. We suspect it was his choice, not the work of the other children or the photographer. HJ boys were hardly encouraged to respect and associate with children from other countries and different etnic backgrounds. The fact that he is wearing his HJ uniform suggests that his parents were enthisiastic NAZIs. Given his age (about 10 year sold in 1936) he would have neen thrown into the World War II malestorm in 1944. The German ambassador at the time was Hans Luther.

Europe over time developed mutually accepted customs and norms. This was particularly the case of diplomats who dealed with their counterparts on a day to day basis. They and their families lived in other coutries. They tended to be urbane, cultured, an highly educated. And most spoke one or more foreign languages. There were wars in the 19th century, but not for the most part wars bent on destruction of other states and mass murder of civilians. Rather the wars were over terroitorty, in some cases only a small province or two. This changed in the 20th century with World War I and the rise of toitalitarian poweers first the Soviet Union (1917), than Fascist Italy (1923), militarized Imperial Japan (1920s), and finally NAZI-Germany (1933). Semi-Fasicist regimes arose or were imposed in a number of smaller states. The goals and methods of the totalitarian states were very different than those of the existung states. The old diplomatic niceties changed slowly. Here we see a civilized reminder of dplomaticic nicetis -- a Christmas Party for the children of diplomats in Washington, D.C. The totaltarian powers were set on creating a new world order, one which they souht to change fundamnenatally. This of course changed the diplomatic scene. Soviet, German, Japanese, and Italian diplomats no longer sought to reach agreement, but as state agents to force compliance with aggressive demands ultimately seeking to extend control over targetted states. We note the 1939 Christmaa Party. At he time Wrld War II had just begun. As the Grmans occupied occuupied one country after another, they imposed explotive demands through on puppet police regimes. Nothing more exemplifies this sift than the change over in Germany from Gustaf Stresemann to Jochim von Ribentrop and in the Soviet Union from Maxim Litvinov to Vyacheslav Molotov. A major goal of the NAZI Foreign Ministry as the War unfolded was to get occupied countries to turn over their Jews. They were not asking these regimes to participate in the killing process, but only to help round up Jews so they could be transported to the death camps. With the developmement of the chilling efficent death camps, the major limitation on killing Jews was rounding them up. The major concerns of the dilomats became waging war. Andthe center of this effort became Lonnon and Washington. The representation changed as one afteranther Ruropean countries were occupied by German and Soviet armies. As a result, the embassies especially the Londonm embassies became the site of goverments in exile. We note the 1944 Christmas Party assemlasge. It has three Belgian chldren. Their country had been occupied by the Germans (1940). Belgium had just been liberatd (September 1944), but days earlier the Germans had launched the Buulge offensive (December 16).

Created: 3:56 AM 1/21/2020
Last updated: 3:56 AM 1/21/2020