851.00/11–2947: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
5120. My 5020, November 22.1 I had a long conversation with Leon Blum last evening. He began by saying that when [he?] took such a strong stand against De Gaulle before the Assembly last Friday he knew it would probably cost him the Prime Ministership but that he had felt obliged to do so for the following reasons. He said France’s possibility of staging an economic, social and political recovery, and at the same time remaining democratic depends to a very great extent on the non-Communist left and, in particular, on the anti-Communist trade unionists. Blum believes that the situation has evolved to the point where it will be possible in the not too distant future to break the Communist control of the CGT, “the Communists’ one great weapon”. He does not feel, however, that the time is yet ripe, and said it is now of vital importance to support and encourage non-Communist trade unionist elements. In his Assembly speech he had castigated the Communists on the one hand and De Gaulle on the other because had he attacked only the Communists, anti-Communist labor elements would have been profoundly “deceived” and would have gained the impression that Blum’s govt had made a deal with De Gaulle looking to the latter’s arrival in power. Such an impression, he said, would have seriously compromised the efforts of himself and others to break Communist hold on organized labor. He expressed the strongest possible disapproval of De Gaulle, whose tendencies he believes are not “democratic” and whose action “has seriously hampered the efforts of the real democratic elements in France”.
He also referred to the recent visit of Carey of CIO2 and said that the latter’s visit and his statements at CGT and WFTU meetings [Page 804] coupled with the results of the recent CIO Congress had been “very helpful in strengthening the determination of French non-Communist labor elements”.
Referring to the strike situation Blum said he did not have the latest news but his general impression was that the general situation remained about where it had been the last two days. He remarked that while it is serious and the next few days are of critical importance he is not unduly pessimistic and believes a settlement [can be reached?] of this “generalized strike fomented by the Communist influence in the working class, thus aiding the work of liberating French trade unionism from Communist domination”. He described the present strike situation as being one of great complexity. He said that on the one hand he believes that for the first time since the liberation a majority of French labor desires to be “liberated from Communist domination”. On the other hand, traditional observance of trade union discipline is still an important factor and many workers are now on strike not because they believe in it but because of their habit in observing strike orders from union headquarters. In other cases workers are striking who while opposed to Communist control of the CGT, are either too apathetic to oppose them actively or fear future Communist reprisals if they do not follow the consign of the union leadership.
Despite such circumstances Blum expressed the conviction that the opposition to the Communists in the trade unions is growing daily and said that “for the first time since 1945 the situation is such that there are now good hopes of liquidating Communist control”. He mentioned that trade union friends of his who until recently had not believed it possible to break the Communist control of the CGT and who were even opposed in principle to the idea of an ultimate split in the French trade union movement now believe that the Communists can be placed in a minority position and are also now willing to face the possibility that at some future date a split may be necessary.
Sent Dept as 5120; repeated London for Secdel as 878.