Office of the Historian

840.48 Refugees/1707: Telegram

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

Paris, July 1, 1939—noon.
[Received 3:25 p.m.]

1235. From Pell. After a week of conversations here, Baerwald with the private group and I with Bérenger and the Foreign Office, the French have concluded neither to approve nor to oppose the Foundation until it is seen what takes place at the Committee meetings in July. The French group was ready to go ahead in at least a “symbolic” participation in the Foundation. The Foreign Office, although not enthusiastic, was not opposed. Bérenger, however, contrary to the assurances which he gave through Coulon61 took a vigorous line against the Foundation, was critical of Mr. Taylor and Mr. Rublee and the German discussions generally and threatened to resign if the private group joined the Foundation or continued the conversation.

After I made it clear to him that although the American and British groups would very much regret not to have the French in the Foundation on the ground floor, even though the French participation would be merely “symbolical”, they would have to go ahead with their plans without the French group Bérenger revised his attitude somewhat and has agreed to a continuation of the conversations of the French group with the American and British groups on condition that no final decision is taken until the meeting on July 19.

Accordingly Stern will come over to London next week and he has asked Baerwald between now and then to obtain a letter from Hirsch or Israel or other German Jewish leaders indicating that they favor, [Page 130] as they do, the “Rublee plan”. This he will show to Daladier62 before Bérenger goes to London in the hope of inducing the Government to take a less negative attitude. Parenthetically Bérenger will now spend only the day of the 19th in London so I have agreed with him and Winterton that he will arrive late on the night of the 18th and confer with Mr. Taylor. The officers will meet on the morning of the 19th. The full meeting will take place on the afternoon of the 19th.

I am returning to London tonight. [Pell.]

Bullitt
  1. Georges Coulon, member of the French delegation on the Intergovernmental Committee.↩
  2. Edouard Daladier, President of the French Council of Ministers.↩