327. Memorandum of a Conversation, Department of State, Washington, October 25, 1957, 10:30 a.m.1
SUBJECT
- Algeria
[Here follows the same list of participants as Document 324.]
Mr. Selwyn Lloyd believed that Mollet was on the point of forming a Government and assumed that he would be successful in obtaining the approval of the National Assembly for the loi-cadre for Algeria.2 Loi-cadre would not be the solution to the Algerian problem since it was too vague and too indefinite.
Mr. Lloyd said that although the United Kingdom publicly supported France, privately it was trying to persuade France that it must do something big in respect to Algeria if France hoped to maintain good relations with Tunisia and Morocco.
The Secretary said that possibly coordinating US–UK pressure on France would be useful in producing a more liberal attitude toward Algeria, since France could not ignore the views of its two closest allies.
Mr. Lloyd indicated that the United Kingdom would probably vote with France on the Algerian issue in the General Assembly no matter what the French position might be. However, such action did [Page 830] not preclude UK efforts to influence France toward a more reasonable solution. Ambassador Caccia pointed out that France had not yet been informed of the UK decision to support France traditionally.
Mr. Lloyd believed that discussions between the United States and the United Kingdom on Algeria would be useful and had no objection to their taking place in Washington.
- Source: Department of State, Conference Files: Lot 62 D 181, CF 926. Confidential. Drafted by Dorman, approved by Dulles and Greene, and circulated to appropriate U.S. officials on October 25.↩
- The “framework law” retained Algeria as an integral part of France, but provided for regional elected assemblies with limited powers of self-government and for a federal executve in the future. Mollet formed a government which was defeated in the Assembly on October 29.↩