740.00119 Control (Germany)/9–2546
The Secretary of State to the President of the Provisional Government of the French Republic (Bidault)
My Dear Mr. President: Since I talked with you on Monday69 I have been considering the action you advised me the French Government planned to take with reference to integrating the economy of the Saar with France. I hope that upon further consideration you will determine not to take any unilateral action in this regard.
As you know, the United States Government has announced that it will at the Peace Conference support the claim of France to the Saar territory.
Further, we have stated we would be willing to have the Saar excluded from the jurisdiction of the central German administrative agencies to be set up under the Potsdam Agreement.
But the United States Government feels very strongly that no unilateral action should be taken by the French Government and that the question of separate administration of the Saar pending the Peace Conference ought to be presented to the Council of Foreign Ministers prior to any action.
With assurances [etc.]
- September 23; see memorandum of conversation, supra.↩