Office of the Historian

751G.00/12–254

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Merchant)

confidential
[Washington,] December 2, 1954.

Participants:

  • The Secretary
  • Ambassador Bonnet
  • Minister de Juniac
  • Mr. Merchant

During the course of a call on another matter, the French Ambassador raised with the Secretary the importance the French attached to avoidance of any discrimination by the U.S. against individuals or [Page 2330] firms which during the armistice were continuing to operate in North Vietnam. He recalled that Mendes-France had raised this when he was in Washington and that Mr. Young had indicated that, as a result of talks with Treasury, the preliminary indications were that the answer would be favorable in principle. The Ambassador expressed the hope that they could have a definitive answer soon. The Secretary promised to look into the matter and see what could be done.