851.248/75
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Office of Arms and Munitions Control (Green)
The French Ambassador telephoned Saturday morning asking for an appointment to see Mr. Moffat57 and me. He called at Mr. Moffat’s office late in the morning. After some preliminary remarks in regard to the intention of his Government to purchase planes in the United States and particularly in regard to the first contract for 100 planes which was recently closed with the Curtiss-Wright Corporation, he handed us a note dated June 4,58 of which the original and a translation prepared in CA59 are attached hereto.
I read the note aloud.
The Ambassador was informed that this Government had no objection in principle to the plans of the two French air missions outlined in the note; that the War and Navy Departments would be consulted in regard to possible arrangements; and that the Department would communicate with him as soon as the replies of those Departments had been received. He was told that, in all probability, satisfactory arrangements could be made to permit the trial flights referred to in the fourth paragraph of his note, but that, in view of the regulations relating to the safeguarding of military secrets now in effect, some difficulty might arise in making satisfactory arrangements for the prolonged presence of French officers in the Curtiss-Wright and Pratt-Whitney plants.