Memorandum of Conversation with Secretary of State Dean Acheson, Ambassador of France Henri Bonnet, George W. Perkins, and Edwin Martin

S-the sirtly DEPARTMENT OF STATE SECURITY INFORMATION 0259 Memorandum of Conversation cytomA 1rs DATE: July 21, 1952 514 V. S. Procurement in France SUBJECT: conf Ambassador Bormot PARTICIPANTS: S - The Secretary 233 EUR - Mr. Porlins - Mr. Hartin COPIES TO: B EUR RA Embassy Paris -1493 Ambassador Bormot described the convorsations he had had during his recent visit to Paris, emphasizing the strong feoling he found everywhere in the Government that production in Franco of those âtens contained in the lists submitted by Pleven to us May 6th must go forward. He indicated that our reply, offering to placo contracts for about (100 million from a total request of about $625 million, had resulted in great disappointment and concern on the part of the Fronch Govorment. Bonnot, Pleven and Schuman did not soe any alternativo but to report to their Parliament that they had triod to work out a defense program to moet their NATO commitments, rolying on U.S. help in doing so; that help had not been fortheoming and therefore the program could not be carried aut, and the Parliment would prosumably wish to select another government to take thoir place. Ambassador Bonnet emphasized that the groat effort undertaken by the Fronch at Lisbon had only boen agrood to on the assumption that the U.S. was in a position to piok up the contracts which the Fropoh Government could not finance in viow of the size of forces thay had to raise. lie believed thore has beon a great aisunderstanding botween the two governments on this point, as the U.S. roply represented less than a third of the amount the Fronch Government noeded. In addition, Ambassador Bormet complained about the way in which the nogotiations had beon conducted. It had been undoratood there would be a caroful working out of the program bilaterally with the U.S. Embasay and in DECLASSIFIED particular E. O. 11652, Sec. 3(E) and S(D) Dept. of State letter, 10-267 By NLT HC NARS Date 11-28-76 SECRET SECURITY INFORMATION