862t.01/62: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Wallace) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 10—5:02 a.m.]
954. Mission. I learn from Derby that when he presented to Millerand this afternoon the communication substance of which I have cabled,34 the latter handed him a lengthy written reply, having had the communication since this morning from Cambon. French reply, the text of which Derby will give me tomorrow morning, stated the various matters in which it was important for the Allies to act harmoniously, cited infractions of the treaty by Germany, informed the British that France could not imagine an instance that could arise in which France again would have to act alone and assured the British Government that France would take no action without consulting her Allies, if such a case did arise. It also stated that as soon as the unauthorized German forces had evacuated the neutral zone, France would withdraw from the Frankfort area. Derby telephoned the substance of the reply to Lloyd George who was not satisfied and asked Derby to withdraw from the Conference of Ambassadors. However, he persuaded Lloyd George to permit him, for the present, to attend the meetings at which there should be discussed questions unrelated to encroachments on German territory. Derby told me he would take up the question again with Curzon and later with Lloyd George who tomorrow leaves England for Marseilles. Derby also told me that this evening my Italian colleague came to see him and that he was instructed to follow his British colleague and withdraw from Conference of Ambassadors. Bonin therefore will follow Derby’s action. Derby received the impression that Millerand was relieved at the nature of the British note. He had evidently expected a stiffer attitude on Great Britain’s part. The next meeting of the Conference of Ambassadors will be held Monday with only questions relating to the Hungarian treaty on the agenda. I will cable the text of Millerand’s reply to Derby when it is received tomorrow morning.
- Telegram not printed.↩