No. 600
Editorial Note
The government of René Mayer was defeated by a vote of 328 to 244 in the National Assembly on May 21 and, according to the Embassy’s evaluation reported in telegram 6050 from Paris, May 21, internal political considerations were paramount in precipitating the government crisis. Embassy officials believed that the Mayer government “was essentially overthrown because Gaullist trend toward participation combined with special interest opposition to his financial program.” (751.00/5–2153) In telegram 6054 from Paris, May 22, Embassy officials predicted that the government crisis could be alleviated if the governing coalition was broadened by bringing the RPF into the government. (751.00/5–2252)
In the weeks that followed, Guy Mollet, André Diethelm, Paul Reynaud, Pierre Mendès-France, Georges Bidault, and André Marie, were all unsuccessful in forming a new government. President Vincent Auriol let it be known that if any other investiture attempts were unsuccessful he might resign. This statement by Auriol, according to telegram 6464 from Paris of June 15, was illustrative of the growing sense of emergency in the National Assembly and a feeling that conventional methods might not suffice to reconstitute a government with an adequate program and powers to meet the situation. (751.00/6–1553)
Finally, following an overwhelming investiture vote of 398 to 206, Joseph Laniel became the new French Prime Minister on June 27. According to Embassy officials, the composition of Laniel’s Cabinet assured continuity in French foreign policy through the presence of [Page 1359] Bidault as Foreign Minister and René Pleven as Minister of Defense. The creation of vice premierships for Reynaud and Pierre-Henri Teitgen was interpreted as a strengthening of the pro-European integration forces. A report on Laniel’s investiture vote was transmitted to the Department of State in telegram 6664 from Paris, June 27 (751.00/6–2753); an evaluation of Laniel’s Cabinet was contained in telegram 6671 from Paris, June 28. (751.13/6–2853)
A detailed 15-page study of this government crisis, drafted by Martin F. Herz and entitled “Lessons from the Present Government Crisis,” was transmitted to the Department of State in despatch 2931 from Paris, June 23. (751.00/6–2353) Two weeks later Herz drafted a followup analysis entitled “The Political Parties After the Crisis,” which attempted to evaluate the impact of the crisis on the attitude of the political parties and on changed relationships between leaders and rank-and-file members; this study was transmitted to the Department of State in despatch 114 from Paris, July 9. (751.00/7–953)