751G.5/8–853
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State1
Subject:
- Transfer of French Battalion from Korea to Indochina
Participants:
- Minister Daridan, French Embassy
- General Smith, Acting Secretary
- U. Alexis Johnson, Acting Assistant Secretary, FE
Mr. Daridan stated that he had received a telephone call last night from Maurice Schumann, Acting Foreign Minister, asking the Embassy informally to determine our views with regard to transfer of most of the French battalion from Korea to form cadres in Indochina and to replace French troops being transferred from Germany to [Page 721] Indochina. He stated they desired to make this informal inquiry in order not to embarrass us as they knew our attitude with regard to the maintenance of strength of the UN forces in Korea.
General Smith replied that if the battalion in Korea was transferred to Indochina so as to increase from 9 to 10 the number of additional French battalions being furnished to Navarre and thus come that much closer to Navarre’s request for 12 battalions, we not only would have no objection but would be strongly in favor of such a move. However, we would like sufficient formal notification so as to permit us to obtain a replacement battalion which we thought might be done from one of the other UN countries supplying forces in Korea. General Smith indicated the great interest of this government in doing everything possible to assist the French in bringing the war in Indochina to a successful conclusion and our favorable impression of the energy with which General Navarre was attacking the situation.
In response to a question from Mr. Daridan in which he indicated the French were considering leaving a token force in Korea in order to preserve their position for the Korean political conference, General Smith stated that from our standpoint this would not be necessary. As France would be withdrawing troops solely for the purpose of putting them into the already active fight in Indochina their position would be quite different from that of any other country which might withdraw forces and we felt that the matter could and should be presented in a manner that would be favorable to France. However, General Smith stressed that our views on this were based on the assumption that the battalion from Korea would be additional to the 9 battalions which France already planned to furnish to General Navarre.
Mr. Daridan thanked General Smith for the information and indicated he would immediately transmit it to Paris.2
- Drafted by U. Alexis Johnson, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs.↩
- In Note No. 494 of Aug. 20, the French Embassy formally advised the Department of State of the intention of France to transfer the battalion from Korea to Indochina. The Department responded in a note of Aug. 22 that the United States was in full agreement with the French decision. (FE files, lot 55 D 388, “Indochina”)↩