Foreign Relations of the United States, 1947, Eastern Europe; The Soviet Union, Volume IV

361.1163/5–1647

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Chief of the Division of Eastern European Affairs (Thompson)

[Washington,] May 16, 1947.

Mr. Doyle¹ inquired whether the Department had received any reports unfavorable to Father Laberge,² the American priest who is in charge of the French Catholic Church in Moscow.³ When I stated that I had not, he said that Father Laberge’s superiors were somewhat concerned over the reports which had reached them to the effect that he was too pro-Soviet and he had on several occasions done things which assisted Communist propaganda. He mentioned the report that Father Laberge had allowed himself to be filmed in his pulpit for a Soviet propaganda picture in which he had made a statement regarding the complete freedom allowed him and his church in Moscow. Mr. Doyle asked if I thought there would be any difficulty in the event that Father Laberge’s superiors decided to replace him.

I replied that while there would likely be considerable delay I thought that a visa for a replacement could be obtained if it were made clear that he was to be a replacement and that Father Laberge would leave promptly upon the arrival of his successor.

Mr. Doyle said he understood that the French Government had arranged to send a priest from another order⁴ presumably to take charge of the French church now administered by Father Laberge. He presumed that while the new priest would be in charge, the American priest would remain. He said that Father Laberge’s superiors were disturbed about this and were apprehensive that it might not be entirely divorced from French politics. Their fear was that the motive was to have a French priest in Moscow who could influence French Catholics in favor of the Soviet Union.

I pointed out that the new French Government had been constituted without Communist participation and said that the Ramadier Government⁵ would probably not be willing to lend itself to a maneuver of this kind. On the other hand, I thought it understandable that the French Government would want to have a French priest in charge of a French church in Moscow. I suggested that Mr. Doyle obtain any further information he could through church channels.

Mr. Doyle promised to keep the Department fully informed.

L. E. Thompson

1. Michael Francis Doyle, of Philadelphia, Pa., was an influential Catholic layman.
2. The Reverend George Antonio Laberge had arrived in Moscow on October 26, 1945, in succession to the Reverend Leopold Braun. Concerning the difficulties encountered in effecting the replacement, see Foreign Relations, 1945, vol. v, pp. 1124–1131 passim.
3. Church of Saint-Louis-des-Français.
4. The incumbents had hitherto been members of the Assumptionist Order, a religious congregation called Augustinians of the Assumption, founded in 1844.
5. Paul Ramadier had become French Premier on January 21, in succession to Léon Blum.