851.01/12–2244: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 22—5:25 p.m.]
1016. In rendering his report to the Consultative Assembly this afternoon on his trip with General de Gaulle to Moscow and the signature of the Franco-Soviet treaty of alliance and mutual assistance [Page 939] the Foreign Minister spoke at length but did not bring out any important new items of interest. He emphasized that the treaty was entered into in an atmosphere of friendship and amity between two countries which had suffered and sustained unprovoked German aggression. He several times reiterated that it was neither France’s nor the Soviet’s desire in concluding the treaty to do anything which might in any way be contrary to their strong and wholehearted friendship and understanding with Great Britain and the United States. He mentioned in the course of his speech France’s desire to avoid the formation of an occidental or any other European block but rather the firm determination of France as well as of the Soviet Union to work with the United States and Great Britain for an effective world security organization after victory.
He concluded with a rather detailed account of the Polish question which he implied had been discussed in some detail at Moscow. He affirmed the Soviet desire to see a strong renascent Poland although with different boundaries. He referred to the force which Poland might derive out of the parts of Silesia and of East Prussia which would be assigned to Poland in compensation of any territory which might be lost in the east. He expressed France’s sincere desire for a true reconciliation between the various Polish factions.