Office of the Historian

851.248/154: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State

Paris, March 6, 1939—noon.
[Received March 6—9:30 a.m.]

408. As of possible interest to the Department I have to report that Sol Rosenblatt41 (see Who’s Who) called on me this morning and made the following statements:

Pierre Wertheimer42 accompanied by Senator de la Grange will sail Wednesday for the United States to conclude a deal for the establishment of a factory to manufacture Amiot light bombers in New Orleans. Kuhn Loeb and Company is prepared to put up 3½ million dollars for financing and the French Government has already placed an order for 100 planes from the New Orleans factory, contingent upon its being established.

Rosenblatt (same) added that Secretary Woodring,43 Assistant Secretary Johnson44 and General Arnold45 were all entirely familiar with this deal and approved it unreservedly. He added that jigs and other machines would be exported from France to New Orleans so that within 6 months the factory could begin to deliver six planes a day.

Bullitt
  1. New York lawyer and personal friend of Pierre Wertheimer.↩
  2. Head of Société d’Emboutissage et de Constructions Mécaniques, which manufactured Amiot airplanes.↩
  3. Secretary of War.↩
  4. Assistant Secretary of War.↩
  5. Maj. Gen. H. H. Arnold, Chief of the Air Corps.↩