840.20/3–448: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France
784. Eyes only for the Ambassador from the Secretary. Please deliver the following to Bidault personally: “Thank you for your personal message of March 4 which I have discussed with the President. We share your views as to the seriousness of the developments in Europe and as to the urgency of determining the best course to be adopted to prevent the expansion of the area of Communist dictatorship. We appreciate fully, I think, the dangers facing France and the other free countries of Europe.
“The deliberations in which representatives of France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are now engaged at Brussels will, I hope, result in comprehensive arrangements for the common defense of the participating nations. Such a result would appear to be an essential prerequisite to any wider arrangement in which other countries including the United States might play a part.
“As soon as my Government has had an opportunity to study the agreements reached at Brussels, I will be ready to discuss with you and Mr. Bevin what further steps may be desirable. It might be wise to have a Benelux representative.
“I am advising Mr. Bevin1 of these views and should you wish to do so I have no objection to your discussing with him this reply to your letter.”
- The Secretary of State, in telegram 875 to London, March 12, 3 p. m. instructed the Chargé, Gallman, to advise Bevin personally along the lines of the message conveyed to Bidault, and to assure him that the Department shared his concern over extension of Communist dictatorship as expressed by Bevin to Douglas in their conversation of February 25, described in telegram 755, p. 32. (Telegram 875, not printed: 840.00/3–1248.)↩