Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, Eastern Europe; Soviet Union; Eastern Mediterranean, Volume VIII

123 Kennan, George F.: Telegram

No. 529
The Ambassador in France (Dunn) to the Department of State¹

secret

Paris, October 6, 1952—7 p.m.

2107. We asked De Margerie² today about French thinking on Kennan affair. He replied French Embassy Moscow had from beginning taken view that Soviet reaction would go beyond Pravda article.³ He thought Kennan was being made victim of new Soviet effort to divide western allies, particularly US from others. Russians had recently made obvious efforts in Moscow to be pleasant to French and British while increasing their rudeness to US. French even believed diplomats in Moscow other than American might possibly expect slightly better treatment in near future.

He believes effort to divide west, particularly now that it had been highlighted by Stalin in Bolshevik article, would be Kremlin’s top priority objective for some time and would be manifested in many ways. Jettisoning of militant Marty and Tillon⁴ and adoption of more “bland” Communist line in France was one manifestation. Recent Wehner allegations of secret Franco-Soviet conversations,⁵ which Schuman categorically denied yesterday (Embtel 2090, Oct 6⁶), were another. (Incidentally he commented that allegations of such conversations had come not only from Wehner but from various other ex-Communists whose abnormally acute suspicions rendered them in this and perhaps other cases vulnerable to ideas planted by their Communist sources.)

According to De Margerie, Kremlin increasingly impressed by west’s strength and unity. Notwithstanding this impression, Kremlin was nevertheless comforted by dogma of eventual capitalist collapse, and could therefore take very long-term view.

French believe that Kremlin has long felt best chance of breaking west would be through [garble] and Middle East rather than Red Army. It was now adding to these pressures, which were locally profitable but only comparatively long-range in their effect on west, efforts to promote confusion by steadily increasing de-emphasis on its own peaceful intentions plus more vigorous efforts to undermine western unity.⁷

Dunn

1. Repeated for information to London, Moscow, and Bonn for Kennan.
2. Roland Jacquin de Margerie, Assistant Director General for Political and Economic Affairs, French Foreign Ministry.
3. See footnote 2, Document 524.
4. Reference is presumably to the removal from positions in the Secretariat of the French Communist Party of André Marty and Charles Tillon. In December 1952, they were removed from their positions on the Politburo of the French Communist Party.
5. Reported in telegram 1505 from Bonn, Oct. 4. (641.61/10–452)
6. Not printed.
7. Telegram 2048 from London. Oct. 8, reported that Sir Paul Mason, British Assistant Under Secretary of State in charge of the Northern Department, had expressed British Foreign Office thinking on the Kennan affair along lines closely parallel to Jacquin de Margerie’s views summarized here. (123 Kennan, George F.)