851.4061 Motion Pictures/95: Telegram
The Chargé in France (Armour) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 11—5:07 p.m.]
277. Your 192, June 10, 11 a.m. Petit Parisien, Journal and Matin in Sunday editions made short inside page comment on your Saturday statement. While it is true that they colored the matter in the sense of the first sentence of your telegram, the brevity of and inconspicuous place given to these items would seem to render them fairly innocuous.
[Paraphrase.] The press has been full of polemics on the film question for so long that even statements which are designed to rectify inaccuracies and to present the plain facts are now likely to arouse fresh attacks extending beyond the field of moving picture films, and to confuse issues rather than to clarify them. As regards the press, the situation is rendered even more delicate by the fact that the newspapers controlled by Pierre Coty (which in this matter may be followed by others) have seized upon this occasion to attack the group of newspapers which is opposed to them.
For that reason I feel that were the Embassy to give out statement contained in your telegram No. 192, even if it should be specified to come from you, it would only add new fuel to the fire and would be assailed by press hostile to us on this question as an unusual, if not an [Page 1018] improper, method of procedure while a decision on the part of the Government is pending; and this attack might well be delivered in such wise as to necessitate consideration of advisability of making a further reply in the press. It is of course possible, furthermore, that the local American press would handle statement in such a way as further to complicate and intensify the controversy.
I find myself the more confirmed in this view inasmuch as the decision is now entirely in hands of the French Government, which is fully cognizant of the facts in the case. No statement on our part would affect it beneficially no matter how straightforward the statement is and how plainly it appears to clear up misunderstandings.
The foregoing is submitted as my considered opinion. If it should not meet with your approval, however, of course I shall at once give statement to press, both French and local American, through the usual channels. [End paraphrase.]35
- In telegram No. 197, June 13, the Chargé was instructed that, in view of the circumstances, the Department expected him to use his discretion regarding the release of the statement.↩