851.001/5–2945
The French Ambassador ( Bonnet ) to President Truman
Mr. President: General De Gaulle, Chief of the Provisional Government of the French Republic, has directed me to transmit to you a personal message.
I have the honour to give you hereunder the text of that message:
“Mr. President, The Foreign Minister of the Provisional Government of the French Republic, Mr. Georges Bidault, has informed me of his conversations with you. He has told me, particularly, that you had kindly expressed your wish to meet me and that he had answered that I myself had a keen desire that such a meeting should take place.
I am certain that much good would come out of it for the future of relations between our two countries, in the interest of everybody. I do not know if your intention is to come to Europe soon. In case you should have such a plan, I hope you will come to Paris or to any other town in France that would suit you. It would be an excellent opportunity for me to see you and I can assure you that the French Government and people would, like myself, highly welcome the occasion. If, on the contrary, you are not contemplating an absence from the United States at the present time, I should be very pleased to pay you a visit there at the time you would mention.
The periods in the near future during which, as much as I can foresee, I shall probably find it possible to leave France, would fall between June 4th and 14th or between June 25th and July 5th, except if some important incident abroad should eventually preclude it.
I feel, however, that our meeting, either here or in the United States, in order to yield all its good effects and, particularly, to be welcomed in my country with full confidence and joy, should not take place immediately before or after a gathering arranged between yourself, Marshal Stalin and Mr. Churchill. I am certain that you will understand the reasons which induce me to set forth this impression.
I beg you, Mr. President, to accept my sincerely devoted regards”.
General De Gaulle
I beg [etc.]