France Restored: Cold War Diplomacy and the Quest for Leadership in Europe, 1944-1954 (62 page)

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Authors: William I. Hitchcock

Tags: #History, #Europe, #France, #Western, #Modern, #20th Century, #Political Science, #Security (National & International), #test

BOOK: France Restored: Cold War Diplomacy and the Quest for Leadership in Europe, 1944-1954
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Page 229
nitely easier to deal with on Germany than de Gaulle, should the latter come to power. In particular the Socialists and the MRP group of the Bidault-Teitgen tendency are less rigid and more realistic in their thinking and desire to reach a satisfactory agreement with U.S." (Caffery to State, November 5, 1947,
FRUS, 1947,
2: 699700).
47.
Conversations franco-américaines relatives au, régime futur de la Ruhr,
in New York, September 29, 1947, and
Note,
October 8, 1947, MAE, Y-Internationale 194449, vol. 399; Memorandum of Conversation, Marshall and Bidault, September 18 and October 8, 1947,
FRUS, 1947,
2: 68084; French Proposal, October 8, 1947, ibid., 68485. Jean Chauvel, the political director of the Quai, took up the same issues with British representatives in London in late October. See Memorandum of Conversation by Jacob Beam, October 30, 1947, ibid., 69294.
48. See, for example, the reasoned analysis of the French position prepared by the staff of the French political counselor in Berlin, Francois Seydoux, September 16, 1947, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 399. It argued that the new American determination to supersede the inefficient British management of the Ruhr would be a threat unless France secured an agreement on the distribution and control of Ruhr resources. On changing French attitudes, see Memorandum of Conversation, Marshall and Bonnet, November 18, 1947,
FRUS, 1947,
2: 72022; and Caffery to State, November 6, 1947, ibid., 702.
49. Koenig to Paris, November 12, 1947, Bidault Papers, AN, 457 AP, box 15. Judging from indiscreet remarks Bidault made to Lewis Douglas in London regarding Koenig's links to de Gaulle, it appears Bidault was just as averse to the maintenance of the veto as the Americans would have been, had they ever been informed of Koenig's ideas. See Memorandum of Conversation, Bidault and Douglas, December 17, 1947,
FRUS, 1947,
2: 81113.
50.
Fusion de la zone francaise et la bizone,
General Jean Humbert, October 18, 1947, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 380.
51. Massigli to Bidault, November 22, 1947, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 380.
52. Minister of Finance to Secretary of State for German and Austrian affairs, December 10, 1947, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 380. See also the note, initialled J. M. (presumably Monnet), which supported fusion on the same grounds,
Comparaison de la fusion et du statu quo au point de vue financier,
December 6, 1947, Bidault Papers, AN, 457 AP, box 15.
53. Memorandum, European Office, Central Europe Bureau, November 1947, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 380.
54. Bidault signaled a complete break with his earlier tactics when he insisted that there be no split at the CFM "with the Russians and French on one side and the British and the Americans on the other." Bidault also told Marshall that he would avoid any serious discussion of the Ruhr issue. See Memorandum of Conversation, Marshall and Bidault, November 28, 1947,
FRUS, 1947,
2: 73739.
55. The French minutes of this meeting make this fairly clear: December 17, 1947, Bidault Papers, AN, 457 AP, box 15. Bonnet to Marshall, December 22, 1947,
FRUS, 1947,
2: 82930, recapitulated the discussion of the 17th, making it
 
Page 230
clear that the zonal commanders would discuss certain technical questions with French representatives, but that fusion and political questions would await a larger discussion in London in January.
56. See the four telegrams from Murphy to State: January 3, 1946,
FRUS, 1948,
2: 14; two dated January 7, 1946, ibid., 410; and January 8, 1946, ibid., 1011. Even the German president of the Economic Council expressed surprise at the breadth of the measures.
57. See the memoranda from Saint-Hardouin, French political adviser in Germany, to Paris, December 29 and 30, 1947, MAE, Y-Internationale 194449, vol. 382. Koenig had in fact already received instructions from the Quai for these talks, and they were quite conciliatory and constructive. This only underscores the unfortunate timing of the Clay-Robertson announcement. Bidault to Koenig, January 4, 1948, Bidault papers, AN, 457 AP, box 15,
58. Chauvel to Bonnet, January 9, 1048, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 382.
59. Massigli to Paris, January 10, 1948; Bonnet to Marshall, January 11, 1948, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 382.
60. Bidault to London and Washington embassies, January 13, 1948, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 382. In the cabinet, Bidault again reiterated that he had understood Marshall to be willing to discuss the whole range of German issues in the upcoming London conference and would not prejudge those talks by hastening bizonal reforms (January 14, 1948, Auriol,
Journal du Septennat,
2: 3435).
61. Memorandum from the European Office, January 12, 1948, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 382. Another memorandum, undated and unsigned but filed in the same dossier with the above memo, took the same view: without French participation in zonal affairs, "we will find ourselves, through a constant series of faits accomplis, before a German settlement in which we have not participated."
62. Memorandum, January 24, 1948, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 380. See also de Leusse's memoranda of January 19 and 20, vol. 382, in which he detailed his objections to the plan on the grounds that it would lead toward the reestablishment of the centralized bureaucracy that the Allies had ostensibly opposed in their occupation policy. President Auriol shared these preoccupations that the plan would help divide Europe and provoke the Soviets (Auriol,
Journal du Septennat,
2. 39, 6668, 73).
63. Telegram to London, Washington, Berlin, and Baden-Baden. January 27, 1948, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 382. Bidault had made a similar point in an earlier telegram to the same posts, January 22, 1948, Bidault Papers, AN, 457 AP, box 15.
64. Article III of the bizonal ordinance of February 9, 1948, issued by both U.S. and U.K. authorities, in Royal Institute of International Affairs,
Documents,
269.
65. Technical adviser Georges Parisot, January 30, 1948, MAE, Y-Intemationale 194449, vol. 399. The memo was forwarded to Paris by Saint-Hardouin, who clearly agreed with its arguments.

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