Memorandum from Acting Secretary of State Joseph Grew to President Harry S. Truman

DEPARTMENT OF STATE WASHINGTON May 17, 1945 MEMORANDUM TO THE PRESIDENT Subject: Criticism of U. S. Aid to France in French Left-Wing Press. The President may wish to say something to Mr. Bidault about American assistance to France during and since the libera- tion. The Department has been informed by the Embassy in Paris that a propaganda campaign,aimed against us and conducted by the illegal apparatus of the Communist Party, is gaining momentum in France. It is carried on principally by word of mouth in food lines and similar gatherings, but it is also supplemented by at- tacks in the press. The general "line" is to criticize the conduct of our troops and to refer to the alleged "failure" of our Govern- ment to help France to regain her prosperity. Mr. Bidault, who is a liberal Catholic, would perhaps welcome comments which might be useful in meeting this campaign within France. There are several facts to which the President might wish to refer, if he thinks well of the suggestion: (1) Under the Lend-Lease Agreement, the United States is making available to France credits in the amount of $1,600,000,000 which are available for the reconstruction of harbors and railroad facilities, as well as for certain forms of industrial reconstruction. These credits are available notwithstanding the termination of the war in Europe. It is not believed that the people of France have been adequately informed of this action by the American Government, nor is it believed that the French Government