751G.00/3–2354
Memorandum by the Director of the Office of Western European Affairs (Jones) to the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs (Merchant)1
Subject:
- Conversations between JCS and General Ely
We were informed at the Pentagon yesterday that General Ely in his discussions with the JCS has stuck very close to specific military problems. Officers of the JCS have come to the conclusion that General Ely has very narrow terms of reference from the French Government which permit him to talk only about certain specific military requirements and do not permit him to touch on broad political questions. Specifically, he has apparently dodged all questions on US troop participation in Indochina and on French plans in the event that peace is not obtained at Geneva.
[Page 1145]According to the JCS representatives, General Ely, as reported in the Washington Post this morning, has stressed the lack of spare parts for aircraft as the most urgent requirement in the Indochina theatre. He has presented the JCS with a list of specific shortages. He has stated that this shortage is even more critical than the need for additional aircraft, while the personnel situation is now well in hand. According to people in the Pentagon a few of these items have not been shipped in sufficient quantity and prompt remedial steps will be taken. In other cases our figures simply do not jibe with those of the French and our people strongly maintain that sufficient stocks have in fact been sent. In any event Admiral Radford has ordered a thorough investigation made into this problem on an urgent basis.
In addition General Ely has of course made a strong plea not only for the additional squadron of B–26’s but for another squadron of F–8–F’s (Navy fighters). A third requirement is said to be additional C–47’s at a later date. However this requirement is said not to be nearly so urgent as that for the B–26’s and F–8–F’s. In addition General Ely has presented a request for 4000-pound fragmentation bombs. According to the JCS representative the French have never asked for this item before and our people hardly see how they could use them. Nevertheless, a study will be made of this problem too.
According to the JCS representatives, Admiral Radford discussed with General Ely the possibility of assigning certain US officers to Indochina to assist in training Vietnamese troops in order to release French field grade officers for field commands, and to relieve this critical French shortage. Apparently General Ely replied that the French Government was aware of this shortage of field grade officers and that an additional unspecified number had very recently been sent from France. Accordingly he did not believe that the carrying out of the US suggestion was necessary.
- Drafted by Robert H. McBride, the Officer in Charge of French-Iberian Affairs.↩