711.5112 France/15: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Herrick) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 2—6:30 p.m.]
231. Briand told me this afternoon that this morning his Government authorized him to inquire whether the American Government would be willing to enter upon diplomatic conversations respecting a possible agreement of the nature proposed in his personal statement made on April 6. The favorable reception accorded both in France and the United States to Briand’s proposal is the reason for this overture by the French Government. Briand told me that he had noted, however, that possible texts for such an agreement as proposed were beginning to be discussed by various persons and that in order to avoid complications from this source it appeared to him that it might be wise to start conversations between our two Governments if you [Page 614] entirely concurred. Briand, however, repeated that he did not want to do anything in the matter which would not be entirely agreeable to President Coolidge.