After 1935, Lansbury was singularly driven in his pursuit of peace. Along with [Anglican] Canon H.L.R. "Dick" Sheppard, he founded the Peace Pledge Union in late 1935, which grew immediately to become the largest pacifist organization in the country, boasting a membership of several hundred thousands within a few months. [6] Two months later, when Sheppard died unexpectedly, Lansbury became the organization's president. He was instrumental in mobilizing the largest peace movement that Britain had ever seen, which became a political factor which the National Government could not ignore. [7]
From America, Lansbury continued on to France, where he met Léon Blum, the socialist Popular Front Prime Minister. Then he went on to Belgium, and the Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. [10]
Lansbury had done more than any other pacifist to capture Britain's attention, indeed the world's. [11] Dr. Alfred Salter [12] exclaimed that "George Lansbury is doing more for real peace than all the official politicians of all the camps put together." [13] However, he had not yet visited the dictators. They were the ones who were causing much of the renewed warmongering that he was struggling to avoid.
In March 1937 the problem was rectified when Hitler invited Lansbury to see him in April. Without any hesitation, Lansbury accepted. On April 19, 1937, the two met face to face for about two and a half hours. [14] In the interview, which Hitler demanded be kept secret, the two casually talked about world issues and war and peace. Lansbury gushed afterwards:
There was no long speech from him. It was a real conversation. We discussed the whole gamut of subjects over two hours and a quarter. The whole talk was as satisfactory as those with Blum and Roosevelt. Hitler treated the interview very seriously. I think he really wants peace.
[15]
Lansbury was one of many who were fooled by Hitler's act during 1937. Nineteen Thirty-Seven was the year when Hitler played the role of peacemaker. [16] It was a year in which no aggressive action was taken by him [save covert operations in Spain]. It was the proverbial "lull before the storm." Lansbury was conned into believing that Hitler wanted peace, that he was sincere. Later, Lansbury even wrote that:
