Telegram from Jefferson Caffery to Secrertary of State Edward Stettinius

DEPARTMENT INCOMING DIVISION OF OF CENTRAL SERVICES STATE TELEGRAM TELEGRAPH SECTION MF-386 Paris This telegram must be closely paraphrased be- Dated June 3, 1945 fore being communicated to anyone. (SECRET) Rec'd 4:20 p.m. St Secretary of State Washington B DECLASSIFIED E.O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and 5(D) or (E) US URGENT Dept. of State letter, Aug. 10, 1972 BYLLITING NARS Date 7.25.25 3269, June 3, 2 p.m. The opening statement of De Gaulle's press conference yesterday to effect that Syrian crisis is not an isolated Middle Eastern incident but an international crisis appears to be the key to what De Gaulle has in mind. There are of course obvious reasons for him to take this line. There is little doubt that De Gaulle feels that the Syrian crisis and the manner in which the BRIT intervened has seriously damaged his prestige in France and abroad. This is reflected in the bitterly anti-BRIT tone of his statements. The fact that he was placed in position of having to accept what he felt practically amounted to a BRIT ultimatum has not only infuriated and humiliated him but has let him to try to find some way to save French face gain support for the French position and embarrass the BRIT. His formula of suggesting a conference between the US Britain France and Soviet Russia to discuss all problems of the Middle East is obviously calculated not only to embarrass Britain the = SERVICET