During his time in Berlin, Ebbutt became well acquainted with top government officials and counted Chancellor Heinrich Brüning among his friends, and developed a reputation for accurate reporting and intelligent analysis.
In April 1933 he wrote in The Times:[3] Later journalist and author Douglas Reed described the article as "a masterpiece of careful political forecasting, based on expert knowledge.
"[4] However, Ebbutt felt his message about the real mood of Germany was not being fully conveyed to the British public, because of The Times and its editor Geoffrey Dawson.
Joseph Goebbels, the propaganda minister, sent a warning to all other foreign journalists not to attend his departure at Berlin station, saying that their presence there would be an unfriendly act.
Despite these warnings, around fifty people turned up to say goodbye to him, including Shirer, who described Ebbutt as "terribly high-strung, but moved by our sincere...demonstration of farewell.