851.51/332
The French President of the Council and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Poincaré) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 31.]
Mr. Secretary of State: The journey which the distinguished Ambassador of the United States at Paris is about to make to America furnishes me with the opportunity of addressing to you, by his kind favor, a personal word which he will be good enough to hand to you and which will express to you once again the unchangeable feelings of the Government of the French Republic.
Before, during, and since the war, I have already on several occasions, either as President of the Republic or as President of the Council and Minister for Foreign Affairs, given to your great country the assurance that France, faithful to its ancient friendship, will [Page 405] always be happy to maintain with the United States the most frank and cordial relations. This policy is ours more than ever.
France came out sorely tried from a bloody conflict which she did everything to avoid and which ended by involving most of the civilized nations. In this long struggle, she was proud to uphold the cause which America herself embraced and which was that of human right. But the victory, however complete it was, has left France devastated and bending under the burden of a debt contracted in the cause of national defense.
Since the peace, France has done all in her power to improve this difficult situation. She has voted heavy taxes; she has reduced her military expenses in the full measure compatible with the exigencies of her security. But Germany having up to the present paid only insignificant sums for the reparation of the damages she caused, France has been obliged herself to pay for the reconstruction of destroyed towns and villages and she has already spent for this purpose 90,000,000,000 francs. This burden, which increases each day by reason of the immensity of unfinished restorations and Germany’s delays, will end by overwhelming our finances, if we do not in the end obtain the execution of the obligations which were undertaken towards us.
It is true France is the creditor of several Allied countries on account of advances which she made to them during the war for the needs of the common cause, but these countries are not at the present time in a position to pay these off and we would be all the more scrupulous about pressing them since their debt arises from expenditures made in the general interest.
Under these circumstances, we who are debtors to the United! States because of the prolonged efforts to which the war obliged us find ourselves, as to the present, absolutely unable to discharge our debt in the near future, and if any reduction of our credit with Germany were one day imposed on us by circumstances, the fatal consequence would be that the settlement of our own debt would involve France’s ruin. This ruin would be disastrous for Europe and for the world besides, it would be a scandalous revenge of the nations which have fought against our common ideal of liberty, and a defeat of the principles which we have defended together and which France has again endeavored to protect at Genoa and at The Hague.
I have full confidence that America will remain in agreement with us to avert such a catastrophe.
In any case, I beg you to believe in our constant determination to remain in entire accord of sentiment with the Government of President Harding and with you personally.
Please accept [etc.]
- File translation revised.↩