800.51W89 France/761: Telegram

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

714. The following is the text of the Government’s draft of a note to the United States which was rejected this afternoon by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber by 24 to 9.

  • “1. The French Government acknowledges the December 8th reply wherein the United States admits the possibility to examine all elements whereon France bases her claims of revision which will be taken into consideration by Congress and the American people.
  • 2. France asks that there be opened without delay negotiations tending to revise the régime hereafter incompatible with the situation created by the moratorium granted at the request of President Hoover also by consequent acts as a result of which reparation payments were suspended.
  • 3. The French Government will pay $19,261,432.50 on December 15. France asks that this payment be applied against any accounts created under the new debt agreement.
  • 4. The French Government has the honor to inform the United States that so long as the situation provoked by the Hoover moratorium [Page 744] exists and if no new settlement of international debts occurs in the meantime France will in fact and law be wholly unable to support hereafter any charges under a régime which can no longer be honestly justified except by the payment of reparations”.83

Marin opened the debate in the Chamber of Deputies at 3 o’clock this afternoon with an attack on the United States which is continuing while the subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Commission is drawing up a draft of reservations which are unlikely to be acceptable to Herriot and on the rejection of which the question of confidence will probably be placed.

Edge
  1. Telegram in two sections.
  2. For French text, see Journal Officiel de la République, Débats Parlementaires: Chambre des Députés, Séance du 12 Décembre 1932, p. 3550.