851.00B/12–2249: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bruce) to the Secretary of State
5367. At CP mass meeting held Paris last night in celebration Stalin’s birthday Thorez delivered principal hommage that set forth [Page 690] usual obsequious adoration of “genius” of “father of peoples” in all matters. While he repeated “general line” of CP here established at recent meeting of central committee1 two aspects of his speech are noteworthy since they reflect new accent on German and colonial problems precipitated by Communist conquest of China and establishment of German “popular” government.
It should be noted first that Thorez devoted more than usual attention to German question and went to great lengths (owing no doubt to Stalin’s recent messages to Pieck and Grotewohl) in underscoring fact that from very inauguration of World War Two Stalin included German “people”, among Soviet “allies”. He explained that Stalin’s German policy “conforms with French interests” as well as with “internationalist sentiments” and concluded that portion of his speech on Germany by citing Timbaud’s (CP resistant leader executed by Germans) dying exclamation “Long Live German Communist Party!”
Secondly, in setting forth classical Stalinist line on “national problem” Thorez espoused “divorce” of French colonies from mother country although he hedged somewhat in citing Lenin’s phrase to effect that “right to divorce does not signify obligation to divorce”. He insisted however: “proletarians of an imperialist country which oppresses in its colonies tens of millions of slaves, we have had to proclaim strongly right of these peoples to self determination up to and including separation from France. We have had to combat in our country any tendency towards colonial exploitation and chauvinism, leaving to our Communist comrades in the colonial countries task of reacting against all narrow nationalism and of proclaiming utility for their own peoples of a fraternal struggle with the French proletariat against the same imperialist oppressors. It has been our duty, as it was in 1925 at time of Moroccan war and as it now is in case of Vietnam war, to support effectively and practically oppressed peoples fighting for their liberties and their independence”.
These two statements, one on Germany and other on colonies, probably run more counter to French nationalist statements (not to speak of treasonable overtones in case of Indochinese war) than any speech delivered since liberation by important French Communist and are sure to displease certain elements on periphery of CP if not within it [Page 691] in addition to the average French man, woman. It is one more striking example where extension of fundamental Soviet policies to Communist movements abroad conflicts with basic interests of a particular section of Comintern.
Sent Department 5376, repeated Moscow 251, Berlin 323, London 951. Department pass Moscow.
- In reporting on these meetings, which began on December 9, Bruce had noted in telegrams 5203 and 5210, December 12, not printed, that “anxiety over spread of Titoism has caused overwhelming neurosis within French CP leadership as well as in Kremlin” and that recent events tended further “to confirm our overall impression reported during past year that CP here is on decline and is becoming increasingly isolated on political as well as labor level owing in large part to fact that Kremlin is obliging Communists to carry out policies that shook French nationalist spirit.” (851.00B/12–1249)↩