Office of the Historian

740.00119 Control (Germany)/11–1548: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the Acting Secretary of State

top secret
urgent
niact
Paris, November 15, 1948—9 p. m.

5890. For Lovett from the Secretary. Regarding your 4400.1 Bevin [ McNeil?] has made reply in Parliamentary speech to French Ruhr note.2 Understand you have text from London. This will be delivered French as British reply. French Assembly meets 4 p. m. tomorrow. Immediate question is do we take our time, leaving hostile parties to question French Government on issue, or do we rush reply before Assembly meets. Caffery is preparing note which can be delivered before meeting. Essential receive your views and your draft note urgently. British, reply being repeated your information.

[
Marshall
]
  1. November 13, p. 492.↩
  2. The French note under reference here is presumably the communication identified in footnote 3 to telegram 4824, November 11, from London, p. 472. For the text of McNeil’s statement of November 15 to the House of Commons, see Parliamentary Debates, House of Commons, 5th series, vol. 458, cols. 25–27.↩