Cécil von Renthe-Fink
Cécil Karl-August Timon Ernst Anton von Renthe-Fink (1885–1964) was a German diplomat. He was plenipotentiary of Denmark from 9 April 1940 until 1942.
In 1926 von Renthe-Fink was posted to Dresden as Joint Secretary of the International Elbe Commission. This Commission had been set up by the League of Nations to ensure that the Elbe was kept as a free outlet to the North Sea for shipping from Czechoslovakia.[lower-alpha 1]
He was appointed envoy to Denmark in 1936. In 1939 he became a member of the Nazi party. After the occupation of Denmark he became plenipotentiary. In 1942 he was replaced by Dr. Werner Best after the Telegram Crisis. Berlin was hoping for a harder line.
In 1943 von Renthe-Fink was posted to Vichy France. In 1943, the German ministers Joachim von Ribbentrop and von Renthe-Fink proposed the creation of a European confederacy, which would have had a single currency, a central bank in Berlin, a regional principle, a labour policy and economic and trading agreements.
He was married to Countess Christa von Eckstädt, daughter of Count Vitzthum von Eckstädt.[lower-alpha 1]
Notes
- Arthur Kingscote Potter's autobiography and letters lodged at the British Library[1]