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S. Lester and J. Avenol will not interfere.
Elections in Danzig: Saar plebiscite influence, Danzig Constitution, and protection of Minorities; the Polish/Danzig conciliation was the High Commissioner's main task.
Regarding S. Lester's notes on his official visit to Warsaw and the conversations he had in Danzig with Ferber, Prost and A. Forster.
Instructions for the new Danzig High Commissioner.
Questions dealt with by the High Commissioner at Danzig: conflict between the Catholic Youth and Hitler Youth on negotiations for a concordat; deteriorating relations between H. Rauschning and A. Forster; K. Papée's fear as to the growth of semi-military organizations in Danzig; suppression for three months of the Catholic newspaper "Danziger Volkstimme", petition from the editor K. Formell, ex-Senator, to S. Lester; appointment by the Senate of a State Commissioner for the City of Danzig, Eggert, in place of the Municipal Council; deteriorating economic relations between Poland and Danzig: problem of the Polish pressure and control of the Danzig customs; A. Forster's threatening speech towards Poland.
On 30 September 1936, the League of Nations Council decided to appoint S. Lester as Deputy Secretary-General, in replacement of Pablo de Azcarate, although his appointment as High Commissioner in Danzig had been prolonged till October, 1937. S. Lester was to take up new responsibilities in February 1938.
S. Lester's departure from Danzig caused consternation among the opponents of the Nazi regime, and satisfaction among the Nazis, who regarded S. Lester as an obstacle to the establishment of a totalitarian State in Danzig, it was mainly a victory for A. Forster, the Nazi district leader and A. Greiser, the President of the Danzig Senate.
S. Lester succeeded P. Azcarate, who resigned the post of Under Secretary-General to become Spanish Ambassador in London.
September 1936, S. Lester appointed League of Nations Under Secretary-General, a position previously held by Ascarati, of Spain. S. Lester's appointment will take effect when his successor in Danzig is announced. By the appointment S. Lester became the second highest official at Geneva and will be in charge whenever Joseph A.C. Avenol, Secretary-General, is absent.
5 October 1936: the Council considered the position of the High Commissioner in Danzig. The Council asked Poland to take up matter on their behalf, i.e. abandon all formal attempt to hold up Danzig Constitution. Poland did not act. Nazi Government liquidated opposition press, abolished opposition Parties, arrested or forced out opposition leaders.
The Council reluctantly decided to maintain pretence (F. Walters) and to appoint a new High Commissioner in February 1937.
S. Lester placed in a special envelope, marked "Secret-Private Diary" his notes and some letters-copies for a crucial period July-December 1936. This envelope was mislaid but found many years later, after the rest of his papers (perhaps in the early eighties). Its contents have now been incorporated in the general collection of S. Lester papers, chronologically.
18 February 1937, S. Lester officially took up his functions of Deputy Secretary-General, a post on which he was appointed in September 1936, and that was previously held by Ascarati of Spain. S. Lester's appointment took effect when C. Burckhardt, his successor in Danzig, was appointed. By this appointment S. Lester became the second highest official at Geneva and was in charge whenever Joseph A.C. Avenol, League of Nations Secretary-General, was absent.
The Committee of Three including Britain, France, and Portugal replaced by Sweden, was set up in July 1936 to deal with Danzig affairs.
A. Eden on the Danzig Constitution; powers of Danzig government; A. Forster would benefit by Constitutional change; A. Greiser-A. Forster; Komarnicki and Polish information activities; hopes for delay in Constitution changes; moderates and extremists within the Nazi party; international criticism unites Nazi party; A. Forster's attachment to British; invitation to J. Avenol to visit Danzig; evolution of National-Socialist party; careerism of Danzig National-Socialist leaders.
This list covers letters from S. Lester to J. Avenol which figured neither in the League of Nations Danzig confidential files (now in archives), nor in S. Lester's folders of copies of his correspondence (1934-1936) with Secretary-General and League of Nations, obviously they are the more formal communications; as mentioned in G. Lippestad's letter these documents concerned: I. Participation of Danzig in International Treaties and Agreements II. Port and Waterways Boards III. Documents on Loans, etc. ; but they also concerned the appointment of the League of Nations High Commissioner, the Constitution of the Free City of Danzig, the Polish-Danzig Agreement of 6 August 1934, petitions, etc.
J. Avenol's thanks to S. Lester for his letters and personal notes explaining the Danzig situation, J. Avenol asked S. Lester to continue to inform him by letters and encouraged S. Lester in his task.