840.50 Recovery/7–347: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France
urgent
niact
2450. For Caffery from the Secretary. Please deliver immediately the following personal and private message from me to Bidault and Bevin:
“I have followed with complete understanding the course of your patient efforts to find agreement with the Soviet Government on a broad and constructive approach to the problems of European recovery. We realize the gravity of the problem with which you have been confronted and the difficulty of the decisions which you have been forced to take. At least the Soviet attitude in these questions has been clarified at this stage and will not continue to represent an uncertainty in the working out of a recovery program for other countries.
“We here are prepared to do all in our power to support any genuine and constructive efforts toward the restoration of economic health and prosperity in the countries of Europe.”1
- Marginal notation by the Director of the Office of European Affairs (Matthews): “Approved by the President, the Secretary and Mr. Lovett in draft H.F.M.”↩