396.1 GE/5–554: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Dillon) to the Department of State
4220. Sent Geneva 176, Saigon 498. During meeting with Maurice Schumann devoted primarily to Saar, I raised subject of Secto 781 [Page 700] and Schumann said that the thoughts expressed in the Secretary’s letter to Bidault were excellent. The only difficulty with letter was that it had not been made public and so did not have any effect on the Chinese. Schumann was depressed regarding the prospects for a negotiated settlement at Geneva. He said that Bidault had been deprived of all his cards and that therefore he, Schumann, did not have much hope that Viet Minh or Chinese would accept a reasonable settlement. While he did not say so directly, it was clear that he fears that the French Government may eventually be forced to accept pretty much any settlement put forward by the Viet Minh and the Chinese Communists.
- See footnote 1, p. 698.↩