751.6111/76: Telegram
The Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 16—5:06 a.m.]
196. I talked with Laval this afternoon. He had been much pleased and impressed by his visit to Moscow. Stalin32 personally made a great impression on him and I gather from Russian sources that Laval made an extremely favorable impression on Stalin.
Laval said that he had begun his conversation with Stalin in the usual vague diplomatic manner and that Stalin had interrupted him saying “I cannot talk in diplomatic language, I am not a diplomat”, whereupon he had replied “all right, you will get it straight”, and had at once told Stalin the French could not understand the camouflage of the actual dictator of Russia and world Communism pretending that he had nothing to do with the Comintern and foreign Communists and that French public opinion certainly would not understand if Stalin did not now give orders to the Communists in France to cease opposition to the army budget and to the 2-year service law. He said that Stalin had replied “I agree” and had promised to make a veiled public statement which is to be issued this evening in the communiqué to the effect that Stalin understood and fully approved of France’s policy of maintaining her armed forces at the level of security (I have received the information from another source which I consider reliable that Stalin also agreed to give private orders to the French Communists through the Comintern to cease agitation against French military preparations. I also understand from the same source that as soon as Stalin has given these orders the French will permit Soviet Consuls to be placed at Lyon, Marseilles and other French cities.)
Laval said that he had also stated to Stalin that in order to cultivate the ground for a fruitful Soviet-French friendship it would be necessary for the Soviet Union to make some arrangement about payment of the Czarist debts to France and had asked Stalin to abandon his position of categoric refusal to discuss the matter. He states that Stalin has agreed to do this. (From another sure source I learned that negotiations for a commercial arrangement between [the] two countries will be begun at once and that payments on the Czarist debts may be provided for in the framework of a commercial agreement accompanied by credits). Laval assured me that no specific plan had been discussed by him and Stalin but I understand that [Page 279] the French hope to have the Soviets agree to a 10 percent additional tax on all Soviet importations into France. The proceeds of this extra tax would be applied to the Czarist debts. The French Ambassador who was present at the conversations between Laval and Stalin said that Stalin had agreed to take up the matter of the debts if the French could devise a formula which would not involve a legal recognition of them. This promise of the Soviet Government has a familiar sound but the French are most pleased by it.
I asked Laval what he intended to do about Austria in case it should go Nazi as a result of internal combustion and not visible external pressure. He said that he had not yet had to cross that bridge and would not until he had to. He said that the Italians would undoubtedly ask for France’s support for an invasion of Austria and that he would have to discuss the matter in Geneva.
I asked if conversations would be begun at once between the general staffs of the French and Soviet Armies. He said that of course such conversations would take place but that it was probable that nothing spectacular would be done as he was especially anxious to have the Franco-Soviet agreement33 appear to the world not as an alliance for war but a pact for peace. He added that in all his utterances here and in the future he intended to hold out a welcoming hand to Germany.
I have received information which I consider reliable that discussions between the Russian and French general staffs will not begin until the Soviet-Czech agreement has been signed.34 (The Czechoslovak Minister this afternoon informed me that the Soviet-Czech pact would probably not be signed until the meeting in Geneva and probably would be signed there). The conversations between the staffs of the Czechoslovak and Russian Armies will then be begun and the French general staff will be drawn into the discussions.
I asked Laval if there were any truth to the rumor which is prevalent here to the effect that Poland had informed France, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union that if the Soviet-Czech pact should be signed Poland would refuse to join any Eastern pact and that he and Stalin had decided that in spite of any position the Poles might take the Soviet-Czech pact should be put through as planned. He replied that there was no truth in this rumor and that he expected that as a result of his conversations in Warsaw the Poles would enter into an Eastern pact of consultation, nonaggression and nonassistance to an aggressor but without the mutual assistance clause. The Polish Ambassador today told me virtually the same [Page 280] thing as Laval. He indicated, however, that Poland was averse to the inclusion of Czechoslovakia in any Eastern pact.
Laval assured me that the question of French loans to the Soviet Government had not been discussed but I understand from another source that if necessary the French Government will advance funds for military preparations to the Soviet Government privately through advances by French banks to the State Bank in Moscow.
Litvinov will not accompany Laval to Cracow.
I understand that Litvinov has been invited by the French Government to return Laval’s visit and that his visit to Paris will be the occasion of a spectacular reception.
In conclusion Laval said that as a result of the Franco-Russian pact he was most optimistic as to the possibility of preserving peace in Europe. He said that he felt that the British were closer to France than ever before and added that he was being extremely careful to do nothing to touch British sensibilities in any way and that he would continue to hold out the hand of welcome to Germany as cordially as any Englishman could desire.
- Joseph V. Stalin, Soviet Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.↩
- Signed May 2, 1935, League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. clxvii, p. 395; also printed in British Cmd. 5143, Misc. No. 3 (1936), p. 26.↩
- Signed May 16, 1935, League of Nations Treaty Series, vol. clix, p. 347.↩