751.62/381: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Bullitt) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:34 p.m.]
1266. For Moore. I had a brief conversation with Delbos this morning when I presented to him personally our note with regard to the wireless stations referred to in your 523, December 15, 4 p.m.35 He promised to attend to this matter at once.
In the course of our conversation I had an opportunity to allude to my talk yesterday with Count von Welczeck, the German Ambassador, reported in my No. 1262, December 16, 11 p.m.
Delbos said that he was most grateful to me for having communicated to him the substance of my conversation with von Welczeck as both he and Blum were most anxious to initiate conversations directly with Germany. He added that both he and Blum had believed since 1919 that there could be no peace in Europe except on the basis of full reconciliation of France and Germany. He then said: “It is a horrible absurdity that at a [time?] like the present when I believe that Germany desires peace with France and France ardently desires peace with Germany, Europe should be plunging toward war because the two countries stand scowling at each other like dogs”.
[Page 383]I then asked him why he had not followed up the promising conversations initiated by the visit of Schacht. He replied that von Welczeck was largely correct in his assertion that Schacht’s visit had not been followed up by the French because of British opposition. The British had frowned because Schacht had mentioned colonies. Delbos said that both he and Blum had told Schacht that they were entirely prepared to discuss the problem of colonies and that this had disturbed the British.
He said that although France must be extremely careful to maintain her present good relations with England, the French Foreign Office would remain independent enough to indulge in direct conversations with Germany. He said that he would talk with Blum today or tomorrow and would then summon von Welczeck.
He then went on to say that he had asked me to call on him this morning because, among other things, he wished to talk about the possibility that Georges Bonnet might go as Ambassador to Washington.36 He wished to know unofficially whether or not Bonnet would receive our agrément. At this point our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the Rumanian Foreign Minister and Delbos asked me to see him again tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock.