During the next twenty-four hours, from the evening of Sunday, August 20, when Hitler’s appeal to Stalin went out over the wires to Moscow, until the following evening, the Fuehrer was in a state bordering on collapse. He could not sleep. In the middle of the night he telephoned Goering to tell of his worries about Stalin’s reaction to his message and to fret over the delays in Moscow. At 3 A.M. on the twenty-first, the Foreign Office received a “most urgent” wire from Schulenburg saying that Hitler’s telegram, of which Weizsaecker had advised him earlier, had not yet arrived. “Official telegrams from Berlin to Moscow,” the ambassador reminded the Foreign Office, “take four to five hours, inclusive of two hours’ difference in time. To this must be added the time for deciphering.” At 10:15 A.M. on Monday August 21, the anxious Ribbentrop got off an urgent wire to Schulenburg: “Please do your utmost to ensure that the journey materializes. Date as in telegram” Shortly after noon, the ambassador advised Berlin: “I am to see Molotov at 3 P.M. today.”
Finally, at 9:35 P.M. on August 21, Stalin’s reply came over the wires to Berlin.
TO THE CHANCELLOR OF THE GERMAN REICH,
A. HITLER:
I thank you for the letter. I hope that the German-Soviet nonaggression pact will bring about a decided turn for the better in the political relations between our countries.
The peoples of our countries need peaceful relations with each other. The assent of the German Government to the conclusion of a nonaggression pact provides the foundation for eliminating the political tension and for the establishment of peace and collaboration between our countries.
The Soviet Government have instructed me to inform you that they agree to Herr von Ribbentrop’s arriving in Moscow on August 23.
J. STALIN
For sheer cynicism the Nazi dictator had met his match in the Soviet despot. The way was now open to them to get together to dot the i’s and cross the t’s on one of the crudest deals of this shabby epoch.
Stalin’s reply was transmitted to the Fuehrer at the Berghof at 10:30 P.M. A few minutes later, this writer remembers – shortly after 11 P.M. – a musical program on the German radio was suddenly interrupted and a voice came on to announce, “The Reich government and the Soviet government have agreed to conclude a pact of nonaggression with each other. The Reich Minister for Foreign Affairs will arrive in Moscow on Wednesday, August 23, for the conclusion of the negotiations.” William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
August 21. Today I have spoken very clearly . . . When I entered the room Mussolini confirmed his decision to go along with the Germans. “You, Duce, cannot and must not do it . . . I went to Salzburg in order to adopt a common line for action. I found myself face to face with a Diktat. The Germans, not ourselves, have betrayed the alliance . . . Tear up the pact. Throw it in Hitler’s face! . . .”
William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich