740.0011 European War 1939/3139: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 18—4 p.m.]
744. For the President and the Secretary. Léger83 this afternoon reminded me that Paul Reynaud intended to send this evening through diplomatic channels a personal appeal to the President describing the gravity of the situation and asking the President if it might not be possible for him to obtain from the Congress a declaration of war against Germany.
I said that in my opinion such an appeal would be far worse than useless. The Prime Minister knew as well as he, Léger, and myself, that the President was doing everything humanly possible within the limits imposed by reality to help at this grave hour.
I felt certain that the President would not make any appeal to Congress to declare war on Germany and I was equally sure that the Congress would vote almost unanimously against a declaration of war on Germany.
I went on to say that any such appeal by the French Prime Minister would seem to me unworthy of his responsibilities at the present moment. The moment was too serious, not only for France and England but also the United States, to have anything but frank dealing between the three Governments. Such an appeal by Paul Reynaud would be purely for the record. He wished some day to be able to show that he had made an appeal to the President of the United States and that the President of the United States had rejected this appeal. That seemed to me cheap, and I trusted that no such appeal would be made.
I added that if Paul Reynaud should insist, Saint-Quentin84 might ask to see the President to discuss the situation with him informally and I was certain that without presenting any appeal he would ascertain from the President that a declaration of war by the United States against Germany was totally out of the question.
Léger said to me that he was grateful to me for having spoken to him so frankly, that he would do what he could to stave off the action on which Paul Reynaud had decided. But he asked me if I should [Page 228] see Paul Reynaud this evening to express to him personally my conviction that a declaration of war by the United States against Germany was completely out of the question. I replied that I would do so.
At the moment Paul Reynaud is at General Headquarters but I expect to see him about 8:00 o’clock.
The German tank attack from Dragomann to St. Quentin and Valenciennes is being pushed with terrific intensity. The French troops have been obliged to retreat but are holding the tanks much better than on previous days.
Léger compared the action of the tanks at the moment to leaps of a tiger seeking to find an escape from his cage hurling himself against the bars. He said that the tank attack against Reims had been thrown back completely due not only to the generalship, but also to the personal heroism of General Huntziger who had charged to meet the tanks literally at the head of his troops and had thus inspired such bravery that the tanks had been thrown back with considerable loss.