Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1932, The British Commonwealth, Europe, Near East and Africa, Volume II

611.5131/922: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Edge) to the Secretary of State

Paris, December 10, 1932—10 a.m.
[Received December 10—9:30 a.m.]

705. Your 422, December 3, noon.⁷² I agree thoroughly with you that our willingness to sign the French counterproposal for a commercial treaty should be withheld until their final decision on the December 15 debt payment.⁷³ Nevertheless, as I explained to you I feel very strongly in the final analysis that it would be a great mistake if we did not take advantage of the opportunity to put squarely up to the French Government a possible refusal on their part to stand by their own proposition. Should they reverse their position or even delay it would add one more grievance to their procrastination over ratifying the double taxation treaty⁷⁴ and their stalling with the copper reclassification, all of which may be useful to us in even more important future negotiations.

The treaty as proposed⁷⁵ guarantees United States exporters the French minimum tariff covering 96 percent of their 1931 turnover to France. Without the treaty they have no such protection. On the other hand we grant no concession of importance to France. My understanding of the differences in other articles of the proposed treaty are mostly of interpretation and not of sufficient moment under the circumstances to justify the loss of advantages to us already clearly gained. The completion of the treaty on this basis would salvage these concessions for consideration by the incoming Senate. If the matter is left open or dropped it is reasonable to assume that it will be very difficult under present French policy to secure the protection this treaty guarantees. You will recall I advised you that in my conference with the President along these lines he expressed as his judgment that the treaty should be signed.

Edge

72. Not printed.
73. See vol. i, p. 727.
74. See pp. 262 ff.
75. The reference apparently is to the draft treaty transmitted by the Department to the Ambassador in France under covering letter No. 1238, August 8, 1932, as amended by various French and American counterproposals. Original draft and counterproposals not printed.