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Document identity
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207523150
label
Memorandum Regarding France
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
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1
Source metadata
id
207523150
contentType
document
title
Memorandum Regarding France
citationUrl
collections
President's Secretary's Files (Truman Administration)
Subject Files
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207523150
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item
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ca.
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1952-01-01
year
1952
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nara-archive
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1
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photo
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e6b21de67bc9e475
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FRANCE
The superficial appe arance of France is good. There is plenty
of food and all the French people appear to be well-fed, well-clothed,
happy, and busy. Their cheerfulness and optimism is in sharp
contrast to the querulousness and pessimism which characterized the
French people in the years immediately before World War II. The
present Government is steadily gaining in strength and has driven
the franc down from 530 to the dollar to 320 to the dollar in a
period of six months. Parliament recesses this week and will not
meet again until the coming winter. Barring external influences
the present Government should be stronger in January than it is now.
Communists are very quiet at the moment. It is generally
believed that this is due to their desire to further weaken DeGaulle,
whose popularity is largely based upon opposition to Communist
activity. The size of the Communist Party in France apparently is
dwindling but there can be no doubt that the French Communists are
very well organized and adequately armed. In the event of war
between Russia and France, they could and undoubtedly would initiate
a brisk and troublesome- though probably nort--civil war. It is
not conceivable that in the foreseeable future they will become
a major contender for political power, although under the French
system, they will wield a political power entirely disproportionate
to the smallness of their membership.
It is generally believed in France that the United States is
on the brink of a serious economic depression. So effective has
the Communist propaganda been on this point that even the leading
American businessmen in France believe a serious American depression
cannot be avoided. They were astounded to learn that the amount of
outstanding savings bonds today is $5 billion greater than at the
end of the war.
Curiously enough although they have swallowed the Communist
propaganda on an American depression, they do not believe that such
an event would be of appreciable help to the Communist cause in
France. One and all agree that the large number of small property
holders in France constitute an effective guarantee against Communist
success.
Although the development of French industry and properties is
undoubtedly being delayed and hampered by long range planning which
has not yet crystallized and by restrictions upon building which
will probably continue until long range plans are completed, the
tempo of industry and business is good and probably will improve.