500.A15a4/183
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the French Ambassador (Claudel)
During the French Ambassador’s call today, he asked about the Disarmament Conference—whether I understood it would still be held in February. I said I had heard nothing to the contrary, and assumed it was still set for that date. He said, speaking personally, he feared they were not ready. I reminded him that my own position [Page 501] had been stated to him last winter, when I pointed out there were certain European problems of great importance which, in my opinion, must be settled before there was much chance of a successful conference.
The Ambassador said there was one piece of good news—the reappointment of Briand as Foreign Minister. I told him I heartily agreed with that; that he knew my opinion of Briand. I said Briand was the great hope of the advocates of peace in Europe, and I mentioned too that I thought Chancellor Bruening had done a very difficult piece of work in Germany during the past winter in holding his Government and in preventing a financial collapse thus far. The Ambassador agreed and said he thought Bruening was a wonderful man; that he only wished Bruening had not brought forward the Customs Union at the time he had, as it not only interrupted the Franco-Italian negotiations, but was not good for Germany’s finances.