Foreign & General
1. Rumours of impending Anglo-American deal with Germany, which is said to be connected with Herr Wohltat’s[1] visit but not as yet sponsored by the Cabinet. Conditions to be loan of £1000 million & access to raw materials, in return for disarmament under international surveyance. Daily Telegraph [a]
2. Russian fleet exercises evidently designed to impress Baltic States. Daily Telegraph [b]
Social
1. D. Tel. Gossip column notes that nearly 100 Conservative MPs. are officers in the territorials, R.A.F. voluntary reserve etc. Daily Telegraph [c]
Party Politics
1. Queipo de Llano relieved of his post. Daily Telegraph [d]
2. Friendly review of my novel in “Daily Worker.”[2] Daily Worker, 19.7.39 [e]
[a]
[b]
[c]
[d]
[e]
[1] Dr. Helmut Wohltat, Economic Adviser to Hermann Goering, was visiting Britain for a conference on whaling. He undoubtedly also had discussions with R.S. Hudson of the Department of Overseas Trade. It is now known that each was acting on his own initiative, but suspicions were aroused. Prime Minister Chamberlain categorically denied to the House of Commons on 24 July that anything more was involved than informal discussion on matters of joint interest, and assured the House that no proposals for a loan had been made.
[2] Orwell’s surprise was occasioned by the way the Daily Worker had attacked him in 1937; see letter to Victor Gollancz, 20 August 1937, 390. Peter Davison
Orwell Diaries 1938-1942 
A deal in July 1939 involving a £100,000 loan to Hitler in return for a promise not to spend it on arms and to get rid of those he already had. Sounds a great idea! Bound to work! After all, we know that AH was a man whose word you could trust – Chamberlain said so.
Max