740.00119 EAC/5–1345: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Winant) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 13—5:20 p.m.]
4787. Comea 246. Paris 2521 to Department May 11, 2 p.m.,55 repeated to London as 291. In my 4783 to Department May 13, 1 a.m., [Page 293] repeated to Paris as my 259, I reported my démarche of yesterday informing Massigli of the United States proposal concerning the French zone in Germany. Whatever misunderstanding had arisen regarding the procedure contemplated has now been removed. Some confusion had in fact arisen because no description or inkling of General Eisenhower’s zone proposal of May 3 referred to in Department’s 3546, May 5, 7 p.m., to London repeated to Paris as Department’s 1869 was received here until May 10. Even the sketchy description received here on May 10 was forwarded, as stated in Caffery’s 289, May 9, 6 p.m., to London56 merely “to complete the record”.
In absence until May 10 of any factual information concerning the new United States proposal, it was natural to assume here that Ambassador Caffery had reverted to Department’s earlier instructions (Department’s 3332, April 28, 3 p.m., to London) directing him to “sound out the French Government” and then to inform me what area would be satisfactory to the French, pending which I was instructed to “await Caffery’s report before talking with Massigli”. Caffery’s 2410 to Department May 6, 1 p.m. repeated to London as 282 seemed in the nature of a preliminary report and not an adequate basis for taking action here.
Sent to Department as my 4787, Comea 246 repeated to Paris as my 262.
- Not printed; it reported that although General de Gaulle had been given the United States proposal on a French zone of occupation in Germany informally, no negotiations were taking place in Paris, and the French were waiting for the formal proposal to be made in the European Advisory Commission (740.00119 Control (Germany)/5–1145).↩
- Not found in Department files.↩