751.5 MAP/1–1551
The MDAP Section of the Embassy in France to the Department of State 1
No. 1900
Subject: MDAP Monthly Report No. 11 (December 1950)
I. General
The negotiations which began in October concerning the extent of U.S. financial assistance to France in connection with the latter’s 1951 Military Production Program were concluded in Washington on December 18 and 19, with the exchange of Aide-Mémoire. The U.S., in its Aide-Mémoire, agreed to by the French, spelled out the conditions under which the proposed assistance to France would be made available.
In Paris during December officials of the MDAP Section had a number of conversations with French officials concerned with the Military Production Program, including M. Roland de Margerie, of the Foreign Office, General Kahn, Secretary General of the Armed Forces, and M. Bernard de Margerie of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for European Economic Cooperation. Discussed in these conversations were problems which are expected to arise in connection with implementation of the Washington Agreement and the French officials were informed of the nature of the information which would probably be required in this connection.
[Here follow details on the French production program and military budget and on consideration by the MDAP Section of criteria in procedures governing offshore purchases of military equipment.]
[Page 1454]II. Political
During December the French Government and Parliament took positive and constructive action on important matters connected with national defense and the security of the French Union, while at the same time the Government was more hesitant and the public worried over action taken and contemplated in connection with German rearmament. Hypersensitive to real or suspected shifts in the world policy of the U.S., many Frenchmen began the month worried that UN reverses in Korea would lead the U.S. into precipitate action that would involve us in unlimited war with China and so start a world war whose immediate result would be occupation of Western Europe by the Red Army, and ended it somewhat alarmed that the rising tide of isolationism that they perceived in the speeches of Kennedy, Hoover,2 and others would lead the U.S. to abandon Europe and thereby expose their country to Soviet invasion at Stalin’s leisure.
A major accomplishment of the month was the National Assembly’s approval on first reading of the 1951 rearmament budget bill. Although the finance committee had first recommended certain cuts in the 740 billion francs total for military expenditures proposed by the Government, it later, on the pleas of the Ministers involved, accepted the Government’s figure. The Assembly approved this by the overwhelming vote of 418 to 180, with only five non-Communists voting against this total (which compared with 420 billions requested a year ago for 1950 outlays). Pleven also won four successive votes of confidence by wide margins on the manner of financing these increased expenditures. As passed by the Assembly, the bill provided for 140 billion francs in new taxes. An extraordinary session of the Parliament was to be held in order to complete enactment of the military budget by January 9.
By appointing General de Lattre de Tassigny High Commissioner in Indochina with both military and civil responsibilities, France showed its determination to maintain its sector of the Asian anti-Communist front. General de Lattre soon managed to raise the morale of the French Union troops and made it clear he would work hard for the creation of a Vietnam army.
As to German rearmament, hesitations of certain Socialist ministers (not including Defense Minister Moch) for a time threatened the unity of the Government over the compromise formula to be submitted by the Deputies to the NAT Council at Brussels. These doubts were nevertheless overcome, and the Brussels decisions were finally received with considerable satisfaction in France. In part this was due [Page 1455] to the recommendation for the appointment of General Eisenhower as Supreme Commander, but in part also to relief over the prospect of HICOM negotiations with the Adenauer Government on the question of German rearmament, negotiations which Frenchmen were inclined to think would be a lengthy undertaking and so would at least maintain priority in U.S. aid for France’s own rearmament.
The issue of German rearmament also colored the French attitude toward a possible meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers, as proposed by the USSR. The French were in full agreement with their Western partners that the basis of discussion put forward by Moscow was unacceptable, but they did tend to clutch at the straw that a CFM meeting might—despite their skepticism over Russian policy—lay the basis for an agreement that would preclude the necessity of rearming Germany. French Communist propaganda concentrated more and more heavily through the month on attempts to arouse popular hostility against German rearmament, using both an emotional appeal by recalling the horrors of the Nazi occupation and the legal argument that such rearmament would be contrary to the 1944 Franco-Soviet alliance treaty. Although the French Government was preparing at the close of the month a note rejecting the official Soviet thesis on this point, there was considerable feeling in Government circles that the West must avoid any action that could be considered “provocative” while the balance of military forces in Europe was so heavily weighted in favor of the East.
There was no parliamentary threat to the stability of the Government coalition during December. On the first day of the month, Pleven got an especially good vote of confidence following the near-crisis over Moch (see November summary),3 and on the last day he got the four votes of confidence on the military budget. General de Gaulle shifted his tactics by declaring his readiness to enter a national coalition Government at once, leaving elections to approve a national anti-Communist union rather than be the first step toward the triumph of his own party, on which the RPF leader has hitherto counted. De Gaulle did not, however, lay down his conditions, and the Pleven Government, secure in its parliamentary majority, showed no inclination to step down from office.
[Here follow sections on general economic developments, industrial capacity for defense production, scarce materials, machine tool procurement, material received, end-use and training, additional military production, public affairs, mutual aid, and technical assistance.]
Deputy Special Assistant for MDAP
- This despatch, which referred to despatch 1609 of December 15, 1950, not printed, was sent by air pouch to the office of the Director, International Security Affairs, which had been established in the Department of State on January 8, 1951, as successor to the office of the Director, Mutual Defense Assistance.↩
- For accounts of speeches by former President Hoover on October 19 and December 20 and by former Ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy on December 12, see the New York Times, October 20, December 21, and December 13, respectively.↩
- Not printed, but see the similar material in despatch 1585 from Paris, December 13, p. 1439.↩