“Late in the afternoon Messersmith and directors of the United States Lines came to report the foolish order of German-American lines, supported by the government, to the effect that nobody leaving Germany might by tickets for any transportation costing more than 200 marks, i.e., on any but German ships…In a few days the German Government announced abandonment of their policy and gave a lame excuse. It is another illustration of Nazi clumsiness in international affairs.”
William E. Dodd, United States Ambassador to Germany, Ambassador Dodd’s Diaries, August 12, 1933