711.00 Statement July 16, 1937/29: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received July 24—11:30 a.m.]
1038. I had a long talk with Delbos yesterday afternoon in the course of which he commented on each sentence of your statement to the press of July 16, 1937. He expressed whole-hearted agreement with your views. With regard to two sentences however he said that while he was in complete agreement in principle he had certain reservations.
First, France could not make a public statement in the words of your sentence beginning “Upholding the principle of the sanctity, et cetera.” Such a statement by France at the present time would lead Germany at once to demand an alteration of the status quo of Austria and Czechoslovakia. In point of fact France was ready to agree to any alterations within reason which might serve to preserve peace. He had indicated to Schacht23 that France was ready to discuss the return of colonies taken from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles24 and the world would be surprised by the economic sacrifices that France was ready to make for peace. France would make such sacrifices however only if there seemed to be a great chance to establish genuine peace. If there should seem to be no such chance France would not give up one inch, one cent or one right.
Second, the second sentence with regard to which Delbos expressed reservation was that reading “We believe in limitation and reduction of armament.” Any reduction or limitation must of course be mutual. [Page 712] Moreover on behalf of France’s friend, Great Britain, he felt obliged to express the reservation that it would not be fair now to stop British rearmament. Great Britain had refrained from rearming for a long time and should not be penalized therefor. Moreover he had doubts with regard to the possibility of controlling limitation of armaments in Germany. He felt however that a formula could be found which would give scope for Great Britain’s legitimate desire to rearm and would cover control of limitation.
Delbos went on to say that France had no intention now of proposing any scheme for general world settlement.
- Hjalmar Schacht, German Minister of Economic Affairs and President of the Reischsbank.↩
- Signed June 28, 1919, Foreign Relations, The Paris Peace Conference, 1919, vol. xiii, p. 55.↩