751G.00/8–1054: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Dillon) to the Department of State
priority
576. Eyes only Secretary. At my direction, Joyce saw Margerie today and conveyed to him substance of first two paragraphs of Deptel 501.1 He also told Margerie that he felt it was obvious that there had been a complete misunderstanding by Bidault, possibly based on language difficulties.
Margerie said that he fully agreed that there must have been such a misunderstanding. He added that he remembered April 23 very well because on that day Bidault had been ill, jittery, overwrought, and at his very worst. Margerie added that on that day Bidault had been “incoherent” to members of his own top staff. Therefore, he very readily understood how such a misunderstanding could have come about on that particular day.
Margerie said that he was very grateful that this subject had been cleared up and hoped that knowledge of this misunderstanding would be kept strictly limited. He said that he would undertake to see Bidault personally and straighten him out on this subject.
I remember Bidault’s condition on that day very well myself and I am sure that it is the complete explanation for his otherwise incomprehensible misunderstanding.
I hope to be able to show statement to Schumann tomorrow. I will emphasize to him that this is being done merely as a courtesy.
In view of tense parliamentary situation here, I thoroughly agree [Page 1934] with Parodi and Margerie that publication of statement should be postponed until after EDC debate.2