851.00/11–1546: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State
[Received November 15—6 p.m.]
5653. As I have reported, the Communist[s] continue to attack United States and are trying hard to convince the French people [Page 471] that we are pursuing policy of economic enslavement of the world in general and France in particular. Typical of this campaign is an article in Humanité this morning (text forwarded in immediately following telegram75) criticizing the Blum-Byrnes economic agreement.
From the Communist viewpoint this article serves two useful purposes:
- (1)
- It casts discredit upon the United States.
- (2)
- It discredits Blum, who from the Communist viewpoint is Socialist enemy number one, because he has fought Communist–Socialist unity and is the leader of the anti-Communist group of the Socialist Party.
In connection with this anti-American campaign, the October issue of Cahiers du Communisme (the monthly organ of the Communist Central Committee and required reading for all party militants) attacks bitterly not only American foreign policy (particularly our German policy) but also the Secretary in person as “a reactionary in his own country, imperialist, and one of the principal promoters of the anti-Soviet bloc at the Paris Peace Conference”.
Sent Department 5653; repeated Moscow 397.
- Not printed.↩