800.51 W 89France/57: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Herrick)
46. In acknowledging receipt of copy of your telegram No. 8, of January 3, 11 a.m., Mr. Mellon27 informs me that due note has been taken of contents of last paragraph of your telegram under reference; that he will regard the memorandum as confidential; and that in view of Clémentel’s statement as to the nature of the memorandum, it does not seem possible to consider it as being in any way a proposition from the French Government to this Government or to the World War Foreign Debt Commission.
Mr. Mellon observes that while there appears to be no intimation from you that a reply to Clémentel’s memorandum is expected, he assumes that I shall be communicating with you, and in this connection he states that the terms suggested in Clémentel’s memorandum for dealing with the debt of France to the United States do not seem to offer a practical basis upon which negotiations might be begun. Mr. Mellon adds that he will appreciate receiving any information that may have come to you respecting any discussions that may have taken place in Paris respecting inter-Allied debts.
- Andrew Mellon, Secretary of the Treasury and chairman of the World War Foreign Debt Commission.↩