Editing Joachim von Ribbentrop (section)

===Declining influence===
[[File:RibbentropDetentionReport.png|upright=2.2|thumb|alt=Small card titled DETENTION REPORT contains mugshots of Ribbentrop and other statistical information.|Ribbentrop's detention report and [[mugshot]]s]]

As the war went on, Ribbentrop's influence waned. Because most of the world was at war with Germany, the Foreign Ministry's importance diminished as the value of diplomacy became limited. By January 1944, Germany had diplomatic relations only with Argentina, Ireland, Vichy France, the [[Italian Social Republic]] in Italy, [[Denmark in World War II|Occupied Denmark]], Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria, Switzerland, the Holy See, Spain, Portugal, Turkey, Thailand, Japan, and the [[Japanese puppet states]] of [[Manchukuo]] and the [[Wang Jingwei regime]] in China. Later that year, Argentina and Turkey severed ties with Germany; Romania and Bulgaria joined the Allies and Finland made a separate peace with the Soviet Union and declared war on Germany.

Hitler found Ribbentrop increasingly tiresome and started to avoid him.<ref>Bloch, pp. 338–339, 361, 385–388, 420–422.</ref> The Foreign Minister's pleas for permission to seek peace with at least some of Germany's enemies—the Soviet Union in particular—played a role in their estrangement.<ref>Bloch, pp. 385–388.</ref> As his influence declined, Ribbentrop spent his time feuding with other Nazi leaders over control of antisemitic policies to curry Hitler's favour.<ref>{{harvnb|Michalka|1993|p=170}}</ref>

Ribbentrop suffered a major blow when many old Foreign Office diplomats participated in the [[20 July plot|20 July 1944]] ''[[putsch]]'' and assassination attempt on Hitler.<ref>Bloch, pp. 405–406.</ref> Ribbentrop had not known of the plot, but the participation of so many current and former Foreign Ministry members reflected badly on him.<ref>Bloch, p. 407.</ref> Hitler felt that Ribbentrop's "bloated administration" prevented him from keeping proper tabs on his diplomats' activities.<ref>Bloch, p. 408.</ref> Ribbentrop worked closely with the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]], with which he had reconciled, to purge the Foreign Office of those involved in the ''putsch''.<ref>Bloch, pp. 405–407.</ref> In the hours immediately following the assassination attempt on Hitler, Ribbentrop, Göring, Dönitz, and Mussolini were having tea with Hitler in Rastenberg when Dönitz began to rail against the failures of the Luftwaffe. Göring immediately turned the direction of the conversation to Ribbentrop, and the bankruptcy of Germany's foreign policy. "You dirty little champagne salesman! Shut your mouth!" Göring shouted, threatening to smack Ribbentrop with his marshal's baton. But Ribbentrop refused to remain silent at this disrespect. "I am still the Foreign Minister," he shouted, "and my name is ''von'' Ribbentrop!"{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1056}}

On 20 April 1945, Ribbentrop attended Hitler's 56th, and last, birthday party in Berlin.<ref>Bloch, p. 425.</ref> Three days later, Ribbentrop attempted to meet Hitler, but was rejected with the explanation the Führer had more important things to do.<ref>Bloch, pp. 425–426.</ref>