852.00/6750: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:40 p.m.]
1501. I discussed with Delbos also the question of Spain. He said that he still was not sure that the apparent agreement of day before [Page 434] yesterday in London was a real agreement and telephoned Corbin, French Ambassador in London, while I was in his office to hear the latest news. Corbin gave him the news which the Department unquestionably has from other sources that the Soviet representative had refused to accept the British plan for the work of the committees in Spain and that Grandi had immediately started to leave the meeting and that his departure had been prevented only with the greatest difficulty. Delbos ordered Corbin to come to Paris tomorrow for instructions and said that he hoped the matter could be settled satisfactorily on Monday.
I asked Delbos if he interpreted the acceptance of the British project by the Italians as an indication that the Italians felt certain that Franco would soon win the war. In contradistinction to Chautemps, he said that he did not believe this. He felt that the Italians were in difficulties in Spain as the war in Spain had become unpopular in Italy. He did not believe that the Valencia Government was about to collapse and did not believe that Franco could attack successfully either Madrid or Teruel. In my discussion with Blum later he expressed the same opinion as Delbos.
I asked Delbos whether the British had agreed to establish a permanent patrol around Minorca. He said that they had not and that he would be unwilling to establish a French patrol unless the British should participate.
Both Blum and Delbos were much more optimistic with regard to the position of the Barcelona Government than was Chautemps.
I was informed yesterday (and both Blum and Delbos by eloquent silence in reply to my questions seemed to confirm the information) that whereas when I left France 3 weeks ago there was no passage of supplies across the French frontier to Barcelona and Valencia at the present time the frontier was at least partially open.