760F.62/1142: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received September 27—11:10 a.m.]
1607. Chautemps has just informed me that since the French Cabinet this morning had no knowledge of the nature of Hitler’s reply to the messages from Chamberlain transmitted yesterday by Sir Horace Wilson it had been impossible to come to any definite conclusions as to what policy should be followed. Daladier and Bonnet had been instructed to maintain firmly the French point of view but to attempt to continue negotiations.
Members of the French Government are thinking about some sort of statement to Hitler giving further assurances as to the determination [Page 675] of France and England to see to it that the Czechoslovak Government gives effect immediately to the promise it has made to turn over the Sudeten territory.
Chautemps said that every member of the French Cabinet had expressed gratitude to the President for his appeal of yesterday. They felt that the President’s appeal coupled with Chamberlain’s personal letter to Hitler and the flat statement by the British Government that in case of German attack on Czechoslovakia, France, England and Russia would march at once to the support of Czechoslovakia had produced the “comparatively moderate” tone of Hitler’s speech.