800.51W89 France/1057: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 1—3:45 p.m.]
1176. Blum lunched with me alone today and I had an opportunity to repeat to him everything that I had said to Delbos39 with regard to the absolute determination of the United States to stay out not only of any wars on the continent of Europe but out of any engagements or commitments which might possibly lead to our involvement in wars.
[Page 587]I repeated what I had said to Delbos; to wit: that I should be a bad friend of France if I did not advise him against basing his foreign policy or any portion of it on the expectation that by debt payments or any other means of cultivating a pleasant atmosphere France could by hook or by crook get the United States to take the position which we took in 1917.
Blum explained that on December 15, 1936, he would like to send a note to the United States Government saying that France was prepared to discuss the portion of the French debt to the United States which was represented by the payments due for the American “war stocks”. He said that this was the only proposal he could make without arousing violent opposition in the French Parliament.
- On November 28, 1936; see telegram No. 1160–1165, November 28, 1 p.m., from the Ambassador in France, vol. ii, p. 578.↩