if necessary. In a dispatch to the Wilhelmstrasse sent on 16 January 1938, Dirsken advised recalling the German military mission from China, ending arms sales to China, recognizing Manchukuo, prohiniting German investment in Kuomintang China and allowing German corporations to invest only in Japanese-occupied northern China. Noting that Ribbentrop was very pro-Japanese, Weinberg described Dirksen as the "one important member of the German diplomatic corps who agreed with Ribbentrop's China policy" who did much to ensure the final German recognition of Manchukuo in 1938. Ambassador to Britain In early 1938, as part of the Blomberg-Fritsch affair, which saw Hitler tighten his control of the foreign policy and military, Neurath was removed as foreign minister and replaced by Ribbentrop, the ambassador to Britain. Besides forcing War Minister Werner von Blomberg to retire and removing the Army Commander Werner von Fritsch, the purge also removed several senior generals and diplomats. Dirksen took advantage of the situation by asking for a new post and was rewarded by being made the German ambassador to Britain and replaced Ribbentrop. Ribbentrop was endeared by Dirksen's support for his pro-Japanese line against Neurath, and besides, Dirksen had also managed to get along well with Heinrich Georg Stahmer, the chief of the Asian desk of the Dienststelle Ribbentrop. Moreover, Ribbentrop, wanted to promote General Eugen Ott, the German military attaché to Japan, as ambassador to force the Japanese to reciprocate, and thereby promote his very good friend, General Ōshima Hiroshi, the Japanese military attache to Germany, to be Japanese ambassador in Berlin. Ōshima was unique as being the only diplomat who actually liked Ribbentrop. On 4 February 1938, Hitler removed Neurath and also Count Ulrich von Hassell, who was German ambassador to Italy. For a time, it was widely believed that Dirksen would replace Hassell. Hitler's original plan was to move Franz von Papen, the German ambassador to Austria, to Spain and for Baron Eberhard von Stohrer, the German ambassador to Spain, to replace Ribbentrop in Britain. However, the crisis that led to the Anschluss started before Papen could go to Burgos, the capital of Nationalist Spain, which required him to stay in Vienna. Hitler decided to keep Stohrer, who had proved to be able to get along well with the prickly General Francisco Franco in Burgos. Count Hans Georg von Mackensen was demoted from State Secretary and appointed the German ambassador in Rome to replace Hassell, as