Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Indochina, Volume XIII, Part 1

751G.00/2–1853

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Counselor (MaCArthur)¹

secret

[Washington,] February 19, 1953.

Subject:

• Proposed working group to examine situation with respect to Indochina.

Participants:

• The Secretary
• Douglas MacArthur II
• The French Ambassador, M. Bonnet

During Ambassador Bonnet’s call on the Secretary this morning he made reference to a memo which his Embassy had left at the Department yesterday (original is attached and a copy has gone to Mr. Allison).² The memo in question refers to an agreement undertaken by Mr. Acheson on December 18, 1952 to have a US working group meet with French representatives either in Paris or Saigon to examine the situation with respect to Indochina, and particularly the French needs and requirements there. Ambassador Bonnet said that the French governmental crisis and then the change in US administration had both worked to prevent such a meeting. The French Government was most desirous that such a meeting occur prior to Mr. Mayer and Mr. Bidault’s visit to Washington late in March so that when the French ministers met with the top people in the US Government in Washington their talks can be fruitful.

The Secretary inquired whether the French envisaged such a meeting taking place in Saigon or Paris. Ambassador Bonnet replied that originally they had envisaged Saigon but in view of the time element and the distance, Paris would perhaps be most suitable. In reply to a specific question from the Secretary, Mr. Bonnet said that the French were prepared to undertake these conversations whenever the US could get its working group over to Paris. The French, he said, understand that the working group will be composed of representatives of the State Department, MSA and Defense Department.

The Secretary said that he knew this question was being studied and that he hoped to be able to inform Ambassador Bonnet in the next two or three days as to our views on the proposed meeting.³

1. The substance of this memorandum was transmitted to Paris as telegram 4589 (telegram 1731 to Saigon), Feb. 25. (751G.5/2–2553)
2. The memorandum, which requested that a U.S. working group be sent to Paris or Saigon prior to Premier Mayer’s visit to Washington in late March, is not printed. (751G.00/2–1853)
3. In telegram 4652 to Paris, Feb. 27 (repeated to Saigon for information as telegram 1751), the Department of State indicated that the working group would proceed to Paris on about Mar. 7. The French Embassy in Washington was being kept advised. The Department also stated that the initial working group discussions were viewed as a purely technical, factfinding exercise with policy questions to be deferred to a later date. (751G.5/2–2653)