Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

NLT/NAWA AIDE) 414 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE the DECLASSIFIED WASHINGTON State DE72 Dept. Guidelines, NLT, Date 3-402 9-10-8 E.O. 12065, Sec. March 6, 1982 October 22, 1952 By TOP SECRET SECURITY INF ORMATION SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS FRANCE Our Ambassador to France has been reassured by Prime Minister Pinay that the attitude of his Government has not changed in any way from a firm determina- tion to bring the European Defense Community treaty before Parliament for ratification and to insist on its approval, in spite of the recent attack on it by Herriot, Daladier and others. The Prime Minister said, however, that our assistance was essential in helping him meet one point of attack by opponents of ratifica- tion, namely, that because of the heavy drain on French resources and manpower in Indochina, France would be entering the EDC in such weakened state that it would be unable to maintain its position as one of the leading nations in that community. The French leader said this raised the question of the amount of assistance to French defense arrangements, both in France and Indochina. The three great difficulties Pinay has to face in the Parliamentary session now reopening are EDC, the military budget and Indochina. In his view, all three are tied together and if American aid is reduced below the $650 million figure he feared it would strengthen the case of those who oppose an "inferior" France going into EDC. The Prime Minister, who was seconded by Minister of Defense Plevan, said granting the full amount of US aid contemplated and already in the budget estimates could make an overwhelming case for France being able to carry on effectively in Indochina, to build up the force goals for 1953 projected by NATO, and even more particularly, to strengthen the case regarding France's position in EDC. He hoped that after careful consideration of all the facts we would realize the strong advisability of not allowing a comparatively small reduction in aid to bring about the failure of the French Government to accomplish the objective for European peace in which we are all so vitally interested. TOP SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION