862t.01/17: Telegram

The Ambassador in France ( Wallace ) to the Secretary of State

848. Mission. Instructions contained in your 414 [618], March 26, 2 p.m., communicated to Millerand this morning. He made two comments.

1st:
As regards your view that further occupying German territory had no bearing on the matter, he wished to inquire whether you did not believe that Germany should give some guarantee that the troops would be eventually withdrawn from the neutral zone and also as to your views with regard to the guarantee which should be required by the Allies.
2d:
Millerand stated that he had asked Foch for an opinion as to what should be done with the Reichswehr troops who had taken refuge in the British zone and that he had agreed with the Marshal’s opinion that, as usual in such cases, these troops should be disarmed.

I replied that while you had agreed in principle with the views of the Rhineland High Commission, nevertheless you thought that permission should be granted in this case for the troops to return to unoccupied territory with their arms.

As regards Millerand’s first comment I undertook to refer the matter to Washington and to secure an answer for him as soon as possible.

[Page 301]

The Conference of Ambassadors met this morning and I made for the record the same statement in this connection as I made to Millerand.

Wallace