772.00/9–1852: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Dunn) to the Department of State1
1711. When I raised Tunis question with Robert Schuman last night he said that yesterday’s Cabinet meeting had not discussed the matter so that the views he was expressing were purely his own personal opinions and might not be shared by all of his colleagues in the govt. Now that the Bey has rejected the Fr reform program Schuman believes that France must go ahead and implement as much of the program as can be done without Tunisian approval particularly by bringing young Tunisians into govt services. Fr will also continue show conciliatory attitude as exemplified by their releasing all those imprisoned except persons whose action bordered on the criminal.
Regarding the attitude of the Fr delegation to the UNGA he said he did not think the Cabinet would take a position until shortly before the delegation leaves Paris. He made a particular point of asking that his views on the possible Fr position be brought to the Secy’s personal attention. Schuman intends to avoid actively opposing inscription of the Tunisian item on the agenda in the belief that such action would charge the atmosphere in NY at an early moment and would establish target for the Arab-Asian bloc. Assuming that the item is placed on the agenda there would be at least a month before it comes up for debate. During this interval he plans to be in NY and hopes to discuss with the Secy his plans for handling the debate. His personal thinking in this connection is that the Fr delegation should present a complete and detailed statement regarding the action Fr has taken in Tunisia [Page 812] and present to the Assembly all the facts in the case. This would be presented to the Assembly not as a basis for passing judgement on France’s position but rather to show the Assembly France’s good faith and liberal intentions. Thus he hopes this presentation would enable the Secy to support him which wld he believes preclude any UN action condemning France or establishing an investigatory body. He emphasized that these were his personal views and that he would, of course have to challenge the UN’s competence to act in this matter but that he hopes the govt would permit him to take the broader line rather than to narrow his presentation to one of UN competence alone.
- This telegram was repeated to London and Tunis.↩