861.00/7–2345
No. 1294
Memorandum by the Acting
Secretary of State
Memorandum of Conversation
Subject: … French desire to participate in war against Japan; …
| Participants: | French Ambassador, Mr. Henri Bonnet; |
| Acting Secretary, Mr. Grew |
The French Ambassador called on me this afternoon accompanied by Mr. Lacoste and took up with me the following matters:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(3) The Ambassador referred again to the talks which Mr. Bidault had had with the President and myself1 concerning the desire of France to participate in the war against Japan. He said that on Friday of last week (July 20) the French Military Mission in Washington had received from the Combined Chiefs of Staff a paper2 which explained with complete clarity the conditions under which such French participation could take place. The Ambassador merely noted the fact that the Combined Chiefs had stated that such participation would not be possible before the spring of 1946, and he raised the point that the war with Japan might possibly be finished before that time and the French Government would be very much disappointed not to be able actively to participate in the Pacific war. I said that as the Combined Chiefs had communicated this information through the French Military Mission, it was clear that the whole [Page 1349] matter was now in military channels. The Ambassador assented but observed that there were political and psychological aspects to the matter which he hoped would have our interest. He did not however press the matter or make any concrete requests or suggestions.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- In May 1945. See Department of State Bulletin, vol. vii, p. 927.↩
- See document No. 1289, footnote 3, and document No. 1291, footnote 4.↩