662.6331/70
Memorandum by the Secretary of State of a Conversation With the French Ambassador (Claudel)
During the call of the French Ambassador today he brought up the question of the customs union between France [Austria] and Germany. I told him I had not yet received officially the text of it and was therefore making no comment. He asked me whether I had formed any opinion of the effect of the customs union upon the most-favored-nation treaties. I told him that that question seemed to be so delicate and so important that there were differences of views even in my own Department, and I therefore had not even yet formed my own opinion and certainly not said anything about it. He said he appreciated the propriety of this attitude. He then stressed the importance of coolness and good temper in dealing with the matter and made a very temperate statement pointing out that there could be very well understood reasons for such actions on the part of Germany and Austria; that such a customs union was economic and not political and therefore Germany would have good reason for seeking in the present situation for economic improvement. Mr. Claudel said he felt sure that M. Briand was handling the matter in this temperate and friendly way. As he expressed it, “Briand is a fisherman who is used to letting his line go out first before he reels in.” He told me he was much abused [amused?] however; that he had just received a letter from his colleague in Berlin who commented on the relations between Austria and Germany, saying that there was not now the slightest danger of any anschluss, and he had had another similar letter from his colleague in Czechoslovakia showing likewise complete ignorance of the imminence of any such thing. I laughed and told him that I had had similar evidence that our ministers were in complete ignorance of the pendency of any such program, mentioning our Minister in Austria.