765.84/4101: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Straus) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 15—4:03 p.m.]
308. Wilson19 saw Bargeton20 this afternoon who said that Paul-Boncour is leaving tonight for Geneva for the meeting of the Committee [Page 121] of Thirteen to be held tomorrow afternoon or Friday and that Flandin was not going. Bargeton said that the French Government in the past few days had been actively urging upon the Italian Government the necessity of adopting a conciliatory attitude regarding peace negotiations with Ethiopia in order that France might have something to take to the British in an effort to keep the latter from pressing for the tightening of sanctions with consequent further disruption of what remains of European solidarity. He did not know what instructions Aloisi was in fact bringing to Geneva but seemed to have some hopes that a basis for negotiations between Italy and Ethiopia might be reached. He remarked he was of the opinion that the British attitude towards Italy was not primarily motivated by political reasons, since the British Government realized that there are always ups and downs in colonial ventures and that the future would lay many obstacles in Italy’s path in Africa to keep her from threatening British interests, but that there was a wave of “a sort of idealism” in a British public opinion, a sympathy with the underdog aggravated by the Italian use of poison gas and that this force of public opinion was driving the British Government.
Regarding Germany, he said that the French Government did not know the exact form in which the British inquiries would be put to the German Government but he “supposed” these would be in your possession soon. He said that the British Government had received assurances “in principle” from the German Government regarding non-fortification of the Rhineland during the proposed 4-month period of negotiations, and, while the French Government was aware that work was being done in the Rhineland on new air fields and gun emplacements, he believed that Germany would not undertake fortifications on a large scale during this period.
Regarding the recent Turkish request for revision of the status of the Straits, Bargeton said that the French Government had not come to any definite decision but was awaiting issues from the views of powers more directly affected, such as Rumania and Bulgaria.
Mailed London, Berlin, Rome, Geneva.