740.5/6–554
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Deputy Director of the Office of Western European Affairs (Tyler)1
Subject:
- Visit of the French Ambassador with the Secretary on the Subject of the German and Allied Tripartite Security Declaration
Participants:
- The Secretary
- Mr. Henri Bonnet, French Ambassador
- Mr. Merchant, EUR
- Mr. Tyler, WE
The Ambassador said that he had been instructed to raise with the Secretary the question of the issuance of the German and Allied Tripartite Declaration which had been discussed in Paris last December. Mr. Bonnet said that his Government felt that it would be helpful to the prospects of the ratification of EDC from the point of view of parliamentary opinion if such a declaration were issued now. He noted that final agreement had not been reached on the text and that, in particular, the French version of the key paragraph concerning sanctions to be taken against a country in the event of its attempting to withdraw from EDC, is stronger than ours. Mr. Bonnet said it would be desirable to see whether we could reach agreement on the French version. Otherwise, it might be better not to issue the declaration at all.
The Secretary pointed out that the integrity of EDC had been taken into account in the formulation of the US assurances, which had been made public in mid-April on the assumption that the EDC debate would shortly take place. The debate had in fact not taken place and the situation today was technically the same as it was two years ago. Mr. Merchant observed that this latest suggestion by the French Government seemed as though it might be another pre-condition to the debate being held. If this were the case, it would be a very serious matter, in the light of the assurances which had already been given by us after assuring Congress that such action would insure that the debate would shortly be held. The Ambassador said that the proposal was not being submitted as a pre-condition but rather as a move which, his Government felt, would be helpful with regard to Parliamentary opinion.
The Secretary reviewed the delays that had already taken place, and the growing sense of exasperation at the continued postponement of action on this vital treaty by the French Government. He said it would be most inadvisable to raise again at this stage a proposal which would inevitably look like yet another condition, after all that had already [Page 967] been done by the US to help the French Government without the debate yet having taken place. He therefore felt he must discourage the Ambassador from pressing his proposal. He said that when once the debate had started, and if it were a matter of the vote coming soon and of the possibility of some action being taken by us at that time to help put it over the top, we should of course be glad to see what we could do.
In the course of further conversation, the Ambassador said he felt confident that the EDC debate would take place shortly. He qualified this, however, by saying that the outcome of the negotiations at Geneva would have great influence on this matter. He said he hoped and expected that the debate would take place this month or at least before the summer recess of the Assembly.
With regard to Geneva, the Ambassador said that there are two alternatives between which there is no middle ground: either increased military operations through the intervention of the US, designed to hold Indochina in general and the Delta in particular; or cease-fire and a settlement on the best terms obtainable. He said that the terms of settlement would be better in proportion as the Soviet Union and Communist China were in doubt as to the possibilities of US intervention, assuming that they did not want the war to expand. If, however, they were convinced that the US would not intervene on any account, the enemy could be expected to impose proportionately more unfavorable terms which it might nevertheless be politically impossible for France to reject. At all events there was no question of France continuing to fight in Indochina alone.
- A summary of this conversation was transmitted to Paris in telegram 4440, June 7 (740.5/6–454).↩