Memorandum, State Department Summary of Telegrams

NLT (NAVAL AIDE) 418 OFFICE OF DECLASSIFIED THE SECRETARY OF STATE 12065, Sec. 3-402 WASHINGTON State By Dept. PEB NLT, Date 9-10-85 E.O. Guidelines, March 6, 1982 October 27, 1952 TOP SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION SUMMARY OF TELEGRAMS FRANCE In an analysis of his conversations with Prime Minister Pinay and other French officials re- garding French ratification of the European Defense Community treaty, Ambassador Dunn reports that while there are significant problems in addition to the level of United States defense aid, this is the only argument of the opponents of EDC which the United States can do very much to overcome. He believes Pinay and Schuman are correct in stating that the most powerful argument of the opponents of EDC is that France cannot match Germany's defense contribution because of the drain on French resources in Indochina. Our Ambassador believes that one of Pinay's principal problems, even if he were not faced with EDC ratifica- tion this year, is how to provide an adequate defense contribution in Europe while continuing the war in Indochina. He believes that the dangers in this situation from the United States point of view (the question of EDC ratification apart) are that French public opinion, and hence the principal politiçal and parliamentary leaders, who are largely ignorant of our end item aid to Indochina, will associate what they call a "reduction" in the United States aid figure as directly applicable to French efforts in the hot war in Indochina, and that it is but one step further to associate possible reverses in Indochina with the "reduction in United States aid.' Our Ambassador believes that it is becoming in- creasingly important that we end as soon as possible the present situation in which everyone, from Pinay and the government to important leaders of opinion and opponents of the government, is blaming the United States "reduction" of defense aid for all their ills. For this reason, he recommends that we place the discussion on the volume of aid in relation to the French military budget in such a state that we can publicly relate our assistance directly to the heavy drain on French resources in connection with Indochina. He requests authorization to inform Pinay that we are desirous of entering at once into technical conversations with the French on this subject. TOP SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION