611.5131/1202
Memorandum by the Chief of the Division of Western European Affairs (Dunn)
The French Ambassador came in today and said that he was very much interested in having the preparations for the negotiation of the Franco-American trade agreement expedited. He said that he had returned to this country in June and had planned to stay here until the second half of August, hoping that the preparations would be far enough along before he went back to France to arrive at a basis of negotiation. He said he hoped very much that the possibility of summer vacations in the various branches of our Government would not delay the preparations. He said if there were a possibility of delay, the French Commercial Attaché, M. Garreau-Dombasle, might wish also to take leave, which would cause a definite delay in progress. He further intimated that the French Government might be having some slight difficulty in formulating definite decisions with regard to their concessions by reason of the present negotiations the French are carrying on with the German Government, but that the German negotiations would not long delay any decisions.
I told Mr. de Laboulaye that I was certain that our preparations would not be delayed by any vacations which might be taken during the summer, as the whole machinery for the trade agreements was moving forward at full capacity and we had every intention of completing the negotiations now under way and even undertaking new negotiations during the summer period.
Mr. de Laboulaye asked me to lay before the Secretary his concern in maintaining the greatest expedition possible in the French negotiations, as he desired to take advantage of the present mood of the French Government in order to have a successful termination of the trade agreement negotiations.