760F.62/508: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 25—2:40 p.m.]
1156. Bonnet said to me today that the British Government had stated officially to the German and Czechoslovak Governments that the British Government would be glad to tender its good offices for the purpose of finding a settlement by agreement of the dispute between the German and Czechoslovak Governments with regard to the Sudeten regions of Czechoslovakia.
Bonnet added that the German Government had welcomed this proposal but that the Czechoslovak Government was reluctant to accept.
Osusky, the Czechoslovak Minister in Paris, had called on him yesterday afternoon to say that the Czechoslovak Government did not wish to make any decision with regard to this British proposal before consulting the French Government. Bonnet said that he had advised the Czechoslovak Government to accept the proposal and had said that the French Government supported fully this British initiative.
Bonnet said that he had as yet no information as to whether his advice to the Czechoslovak Government would be followed.
In any case he felt that this British proposal would turn out advantageously for France. If the Czechs should refuse British mediation the British then would make it clear that they were not prepared to go to war in order to maintain the dominance of 7 million Czechs over 3½ million Germans. It would then be possible for France to take a similar attitude. In case the Czechs should accept there would be a possibility of a settlement of the dispute. At least the British would [Page 537] be fully involved in the question of the Sudeten regions of Czechoslovakia and France would be certain of British support if the worst should come.
In further discussion of the question of European peace Bonnet displayed more optimism than he has evinced for many weeks.