751G.92/191: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received January 19—10:18 a.m.]
71. Department’s 35, January 13, 7 p.m. and Embassy’s telegram 57, January 15, 7 p.m.,37 first sentence:
Chauvel states that the Foreign Office is somewhat mystified as to how to interpret the viewpoint contained in the Department’s telegram No. 35. He said that no distinction appears to be made therein between the position of the French authorities “who are clearly on the defensive” and the Thai authorities whose forces are engaged in attacking Indochinese territory. Chauvel likewise expressed the opinion that if nothing further had been said to the Thai Minister at Washington than the viewpoint expressed therein, the French were inclined to be skeptical as to the effectiveness of such a démarche in restraining the Thai authorities from “further aggression”. If a more detailed account of the Department’s statements to the Thailand Government could appropriately be sent me, it might prove useful in discussions with the French Foreign Office.
[Page 25]He showed several telegrams from Hanoi containing the latest reports on military action along the Thailand frontier. One of them reported that in the region of Pakse Thai troops to the number of a thousand, supported by tanks and artillery, had attacked Indo-Chinese outposts but had been repulsed. Chauvel remarked that these reports indicated that the native Indochinese forces were behaving well and the news was not discouraging. The French still have no clear estimate of whether the Thais intend to undertake military operations on an important scale or of how active Japanese support of them will be. Chauvel expressed the fear that the Japanese might merely be attempting to create sufficient confusion and agitation to serve as a pretext for marching through Indochina themselves and down into Thailand on the theory of “protecting” French territory and “restoring order” in Thailand.
- Latter not printed.↩