462.00R296/4593½
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With M. Laval, Paris, July 18, 1931
Encouraged by the spirit and success of my conference with Flandin, I decided to call on Laval and did so this morning alone. I told him of the satisfactory impression which had been made upon me by the attitude of his Government towards this matter; that I had conveyed these impressions to the German Ambassador and that I desired to help him in any way that would help the main object we had in mind for a solution of the crisis. I told him also from my acquaintance with MacDonald I felt I could assure him that he would meet the same spirit in London. Poncet acted as interpreter and both he and Laval were very responsive, and I came away feeling that the interview had probably helped the situation in the way in which we desired, having the conference taken to London with the best possible augury of success.