760F.62/323: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 23—7:35 p.m.]
821. Massigli’s56 description of the situation this afternoon was that “The crisis continues—merely its first phase has been successfully passed thanks to the military measures taken by Praha and to the resumption of British-French solidarity at Berlin.”
He said that the French Government has made no démarche as yet today at Praha but that the French Minister there will receive instructions this evening to urge: (1) that no further military measures be taken by the Government; (2) that every effort be made to meet the demands of the Sudetens; and (3) that negotiations with them be hastened with a view to avoiding tension throughout the whole of the election period which does not end until June 12.
According to Massigli the British Minister at Praha has already been supplied with new instructions to counsel conciliation and further concessions but he does not know whether these instructions have been acted upon.
On the whole he appeared sanguine and extremely pleased as he put it that the first game of the set had gone to the French side. [Page 516] He agrees that it is problematical that the British can repeat their performance of Saturday57 at Berlin in the event of another acute rise in temperature.