Office of the Historian

851.00/1–2347: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
top secret
Paris, January 23, 1947—7 p. m.

318. My 308, January 23.2 A most reliable source close to Marcel Paul3 informs me that latter told him several days ago that the French Communist Party had received instructions from Moscow to get as many Cabinet posts as possible but to enter the Government “even if it only obtained two Cabinet posts”.4 According to Paul the two posts in question were National Defense (this for prestige reasons because of the strong stand the Communists took in December) and Labor. Anything else they could get would be gravy. Paul added that it was of great importance for the Communists to be in the Government during the period preceding the Moscow Foreign Ministers Conference5 since the results of this Conference would have a vital bearing on the evolution of events in western Europe.

My informant was also told by a Left-Wing Socialist who has very close relations with Pierre Hervé6 that the latter told him much the same story but added that Moscow has instructed the French Communist Party to behave with moderation in the next several weeks but to be prepared if necessary to create a major political crisis at the end of February or the beginning of March preceding the Moscow conference in case it becomes necessary to “neutralize” French foreign policy [Page 689] at that juncture. When asked how such a crisis could be provoked Hervé reportedly replied that “the Communists could always find some pretext to withdraw from the Government but in addition could through the CGT create an impossible situation for the present Government”.

To protect source I have classified this telegram top secret and request that it be treated with utmost secrecy.

Sent Department as 318, repeated to Moscow as 22.

Caffery
  1. Not printed.↩
  2. A leader of the Communist Party in France.↩
  3. Vincent Auriol, elected President of the French Republic on January 16, selected Paul Ramadier to form a new cabinet after Léon Blum retired. On January 22 Ramadier announced formation of a coalition cabinet that included five Communists, among them Maurice Thorez (as one of two Vice Premiers), François Billoux (National Defense), and Ambroise Croizat (Labor).↩
  4. For documentation relating to the Moscow Conference, March 10–April 24, 1947, see vol. ii, pp. 139 ff.↩
  5. A leader of the Communist Party in France.↩