Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Western Europe and Canada, Volume VI, Part 2

751.5 MSP/3–1353: Telegram

No. 570
The Ambassador in France (Dillon)¹ to the Department of State

secret
priority

Paris, March 13, 1953—6 p.m.

5055. Cotel. State pass MSA/Washington for Timmons.

1. Following is translation of a letter dated March 11 I have just received from Pleven concerning selection and purchase of items under budget-supporting OSP:

Begin translation. In a letter which he sent to the French Government last September² your predecessor indicated that a sum of $525 million was reserved for the aid to be allocated by the United States to France. According to information subsequently furnished by your services this sum comprised: $270 million-economic aid, $255 million off-shore procurement of the Lisbon type.

In order to permit the preparation of contracts corresponding to these I arranged to have sent to MAAG France on December 22, 1952 lists of material amounting to a substantially larger total in order to allow the appropriate American authorities the possibility of making a choice.

Two months and a half have elapsed and the officers responsible for preparing the contracts have not yet to my knowledge received instructions. The result is that the French Government is not able to gain the benefit of the dollar payments under this program before an indefinite delay, despite the hopes which it placed on the assurances contained in the letter of your predecessor. Moreover, the material delivered cannot be stored in the warehouses when it is destined for Indochina and should be shipped without delay; certain articles included in the lists will be gone from them and difficulties will arise when it comes to arriving at the agreed total.

Under the circumstances I request you, Mr. Ambassador, to be good enough to call the attention of your Government in the most urgent manner to the importance of speedily issuing instructions to the officers in charge of preparing the contracts without which the question remains at a standstill. End translation.

2. I strongly urge that the interested agencies act on this matter as promptly as possible so that contracts for some items can be concluded before Mayer’s visit to the United States. Country team elements and procurement officers here are also concerned about the administrative difficulties that will be caused by further delay. Would appreciate being informed how soon specific directives will be issued to the procurement headquarters in Europe.

Dillon

1. On Feb. 27, the U.S. Senate confirmed the President’s appointment of James C. Dunn as the new Ambassador in Spain and C. Douglas Dillon as his replacement as Ambassador in France. Dunn left his post in Paris on Mar. 2; Dillon presented his credentials on Mar. 13.
2. Presumably a reference to the letter to Pinay, which was given to him by Dunn on Oct. 6; for the text of this letter, sent to Paris in telegram 1955, see Document 542.