740.5/12–2454: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Dillon) to the Department of State
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2694. Limit distribution. During talk with Jebb and me, Mendes after delivering message in Embtel 26931 philosophized on general situation, he said that France today was clearly the main battlefront of the cold war and that US and UK had not given his government enough support. Crucial moment according to Mendes was failure of either US or UK to support his arms pool proposal at London against attacks by Beyen. He felt that if arms pool had been accepted, it would have meant at least fifty additional votes. Finally he said that neither US or UK had given him vitally needed help on Saar last week or on distribution of US military aid.
He then said that he had not called us in to give us such a speech as bygones were bygones and all that mattered was the present but that he could not help letting us personally know his feelings. He said that he was not asking us to report this part of his conversation to our governments. He mentioned that he had already talked to Secretary along these lines.
Mendes then said that his right wing opponents were ashamed of their nights work. He said that in a fit of anger he had told Reynaud as session broke up that Reynaud had put in a good night’s work for Moscow and that Reynaud instead of getting angry had accepted the rebuke rather shamefacedly. Mendes said that personally he was not going to make any further public statements but was going to confine his work to lobbying with individual deputies which he described as dirty business. His weekly broadcast will take place tonight and will be a Christmas message with no mention of Paris Accords or other political matters.