740.0011 European War 1939/3198: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 21—9:16 a.m.]
785. I was introduced to the new Secretary General of the French Foreign Office, François Charles Roux, this morning by Charvériat.1 In the course of the conversation which followed, Charvériat and Roux stated that the British Government believed that the present moment was an appropriate one to suggest to the Soviet Government that the German armies were overrunning Europe with such speed that it would not be long before they might be able to turn against the Soviet Government and that the Soviet Government in its own interest should diminish supplies to Germany.
They then asked me if the American Government might not get in contact with the Soviet Government and suggest that as two great neutral peoples who might some day be menaced by Germany, the American Government and the Soviet Government should withhold any supplies possible from Germany.
I expressed extreme skepticism as to the utility of any such démarche.
The new Secretary General and Charvériat nevertheless asked me if I would transmit this suggestion to my Government. I said that 1 would do so.
In my own opinion such a démarche would be worse than useless but I should be glad to have your opinion on this subject.
- Émile Charvériat, Director of Political and Commercial Affairs in the French Foreign Office.↩