751G.00/6–1052: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Dunn) to the Department of State
secret
Paris, June 10, 1952—5
p.m.
7701. Rptd info Saigon 439, London unn. Letourneau made fol comments to Achilles during luncheon yesterday:
- 1.
- He hopes tripartite pol talks can be held when the Secy returns Eur in late June, either in London or Paris.
- 2.
- He suggests some continuing tripartite body, presumably informal, to discuss pol aspects IC.
- 3.
- He suggests establishment some form of tripartite mil body on IC, perhaps in Honolulu, Singapore, Saigon or one of three capitals.
- 4.
- Since neither Fr nor US “cld send another man” to fight on ground in IC, he wonders whether Australia cld not be persuaded send troops.
- 5.
- Sitn has improved materially during past year, both psychologically and militarily. “A year ago Viet were afraid we wld stay; now they are afraid we will go.”
- 6.
- In reply to comment that much thinking seemed to be in negative terms of holding on in IC rather than of winning war, we [he] replied without any elaboration, “best we can hope for is to hold on until general internal sitn has improved sufficiently for us to negot settlement.”
Emb comment: While Letourneau did not elaborate on point in para nbr 6, presumably he had in mind possibility inclusion IC in any [Page 180] overall FE settlement. We believe this question and general question possibility negots Ho Chi-Minh shld be discussed with Letourneau in Wash talks with view obtaining definite expose Fr attitude re this problem.
Dunn