852.00/6401: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received 12:40 p.m.]
1257. Chautemps stated to me last night that the French Government had had no previous information whatsoever with regard to the Soviet protest to Italy. He felt that the moment was exceedingly ill-chosen for such a protest; but the Soviet Government apparently had an unassailable case. He was informed that members of the crew of the Timiryazev had been able to take photographs of the submarine which proved indisputably that it was Italian.
He did not yet know whether or not the Italians would attend the conference at Nyon. Yesterday afternoon the Italian Government had stated to the French Government that it would not be represented at the conference unless France and England could obtain categorical assurances from the Soviet Government that the Soviet Government would not bring up the cases of the Timiryazev and the Blagoev at the conference, and would refrain from accusations against Italy.
Chautemps was more pessimistic than ever with regard to the prospect of preserving peace in Europe. He repeated the phrase which one now hears daily: “Peace is at the mercy of an incident.” He went [Page 390] on to say that he believed it would be impossible to preserve peace unless the United States should take the position that it would give all possible aid of an economic and financial nature to any country attacked. I replied that he must know as well as I did that it was out of the question for the United States to take such a position. I had told him and Delbos countless times that the people of the United States as well as the Government were 100 percent against any action which might involve the United States in another European war. The terms of the Neutrality Act were an expression of the unanimous desire of Americans to stay out of war. He could be sure that the United States would make every effort to remain aloof from European conflict. I added that he must have had the same information from his Embassy in Washington. Chautemps answered that he knew this was the attitude of the United States at the present time; but he felt that if the war should be prolonged, and it might go on for years, there would be such complications that the United States would be dragged in. I replied that at any rate he could count on the United States to struggle to stay out of war no matter how long the war might be.