244. Telegram From the Embassy in France to the Department of State1

366. Savary sent for me today to give me French Government views on possible US economic aid programs for Tunisia and Morocco. As a result of Bourguiba’s indication of possible interest in broad economic aid program which I had reported to Savary, French Government has considered this matter at government level and Savary said he was glad to report that government shared his personal views as reported in Embassy telegram 1262 (not repeated to Rabat). In other words, French Government has no objection to Tunisia and Morocco receiving economic aid from friendly countries other than France. However, French feel very strongly that such aid should not be accorded until the economic negotiations between French and these two countries are further advanced. I asked Savary whether this meant that French desired the US to hold up economic aid programs until such time as over-all interdependence agreements had been signed and ratified. Savary said that this was by no means what he meant as in their mutual interest France and both Tunisia and Morocco might prefer to let the question of defense agreement hang for quite some time, which would delay the ratification of the over-all interdependence agreements. Savary said that what the French Government had in mind was that if either Tunisia or Morocco approached US for a broad-scale economic aid program French Government would have no objection even today to US Government listening to request and then initiating the studies that would obviously be necessary before any aid program was finalized. They feel strongly that no indication of any figures regarding the size of a possible aid program should be given to Moroccans or Tunisians until their financial negotiations are further along and [Page 654] until we have discussed matter of friendly basis with French and obtained their over-all views.

Dillon
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 772.5–MSP/7–2056. Confidential. Repeated to Tunis and Rabat.
  2. Telegram 126, July 9, summarized Dillon’s conversation with Savary on that date on the issue of aid to Tunisia. Three days earlier, Bourguiba had requested surplus wheat assistance due to crop failures. Savary noted that France had encouraged Tunisia to seek such emergency aid, but he thought it best that such an offer not be made until the conclusion of Franco-Tunisian economic discussions. (Ibid., 411.7241/7–956) Tunisia, following a breakdown in negotiations with France, insisted that the United States, in order to affirm Tunisian freedom from French control, not coordinate relief efforts with the French. (Telegram 41 from Tunis, August 1; ibid., 872.49/8–156) The International Cooperation Administration announced a gift of 45,000 tons of wheat to Tunisia under Title II of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act (P.L. 480) on September 19.