Office of the Historian

892.014/8–1246

Memorandum of Conversation by the Acting Chief of the Division of Western European Affairs (Wallner)

[Washington,] August 12, 1946.
Participants: M. Bérard, Minister-Counselor of French Embassy
M. Wapler, Counselor of French Embassy
Mr. Moffat, Chief, SEA
Mr. Wallner, Acting Chief, WE

M. Bérard called at his request to communicate new instructions from his Government as follows:

It had been noted in Paris that in its reply to the French proposals concerning the Court, the Siamese Government had expressed a desire [Page 1058] to leave in abeyance the question of the withdrawal of the Siamese complaint from the Security Council until the Delegation had discussed this point with the Department and French representatives. Likewise it had been noted that in the suggestion for direct negotiation and settlement made to the British Minister in Bangkok by Prince Vanvaidyakorn it was contemplated that the conversations should take place “in the corridors of UNO”. From these two indications, the Quai d’Orsay had deduced, and wished to forestall, the possibility of a Siamese desire or intention to mix up direct Government-to-Government conversations with the appeal to UNO in the hope of placing pressure on the French Government. Consequently, the latter wished to impress upon us and have us impress upon the Siamese Delegation that the two things must be kept entirely separate, with direct Government-to-Government conversations taking place here in Washington with the maximum discretion prior to any further Siamese move in the United Nations. Otherwise the French Government would feel obliged to invoke Article 107 of the Charter with a view to quashing the Siamese complaint.

The Department’s representatives stated that it was their view that the Government-to-Government conversations should take place here without any present reference to UNO and that they believed the Siamese were of the same mind. They agreed, however, to confirm this and also to warn the Siamese to make no premature or indiscreet statements to the press. They added that it was their understanding that the French Embassy and the French Foreign Office would maintain an equal discretion. The French representatives agreed.