861.77 Chinese Eastern/531: Telegram
The Chargé in France (Armour) to the Secretary of State
541. Department’s 395, December 1, 6 p.m.,50 communicated to the Foreign Office. Regarding request contained in paragraph 2, Foreign Office will be glad to transmit the text on behalf of our Government to the Government of Afghanistan.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has requested me to inform you that he is in complete accord with the action you propose taking. Furthermore, to show how fully he approves of the text of your note to the Soviet and Chinese Governments he is adopting the identical text, translated of course, for his statements to the above Governments which were telegraphed urgent to Moscow and Peiping this morning, the former of course accompanied by our statement, both of which the French Ambassador at Moscow has been instructed to deliver simultaneously immediately upon their receipt. The French Minister at Peiping has also been instructed to communicate the French statement to the Chinese Government immediately upon its receipt and to endeavor to arrange for its delivery to be as nearly simultaneously as possible with that of your statement.
The Foreign Office is giving the text of their statement to the press for publication tomorrow. The Foreign Minister informs me that if you wish to do so you are at liberty to inform the American press, at the time you make the statement contained in the last paragraph of your circular telegram, of the action which the French Government is taking, as showing how closely our two Governments are cooperating to carry out the spirit of the pact which they together sponsored. The Foreign Office [Minister?] has also asked me to inform you that realizing to what an extent time is of the essence in this matter he abandoned his first intention to obtain from certain of the other original signatory powers their views before deciding upon the action his Government would take in the premises.