511.4 A 2/58: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Herrick) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:20 a.m.]
271. On carrying out instructions contained in your 153, May 13, 5 p.m., I was informed by Péan, who has charge of these matters at the Foreign Office, that the French proposals were now ready and would be submitted as soon as possible to the different governments so as to give the latter time to examine them before the next preparatory meeting at The Hague.
The French experts are apparently of the opinion that it would be very difficult if not impossible to limit the production of raw opium throughout the world. They seem to think that if the powers principally interested agree on a limitation of production it will merely incite other countries not parties to the agreement to increase their production. The French proposals are therefore presumably designed to overcome this objection.
I had already on May 2 after a conversation with Neville discussed the French attitude with Péan and obtained assurances then [Page 98] that we could continue to count on French support. He renewed these assurances yesterday saying that there was every reliance desired on the part of the French Government to cooperate with the other powers. Copy to European Information Center.80
- An office established Apr. 1, 1924, at the Embassy in Paris, to which copies of telegrams and despatches from the chiefs of missions in Europe to the Department were sent for distribution to other interested missions.↩