611.5131/990

Memorandum by the Second Secretary of Embassy in France (Williamson)23

M. de la Baume, Director of the Commercial Section of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, today availed of the occasion of my call upon him to bring up the question of the renewal of negotiations for the conclusion of a commercial treaty between the United States and France. He asked me if it might be expected that conversations between the two Governments would be resumed next month. I replied that according [Page 176] to the Embassy’s information, such was not the intention of the American Government. Responding to his further request relative to when the resumption of negotiations was contemplated, I said that no date has yet been fixed; that my Government plans to negotiate with a number of other countries prior to discussions with France and that in my personal opinion Washington would probably not be ready to negotiate with France before spring.

M. de la Baume was also interested to learn of the “set-up” established in the United States for the study and conclusion of commercial engagements, the geographic sub-committees being of particular interest to him.

M. de la Baume remarked that regardless of the lapse of time before negotiations might be commenced, his Government would adhere to the plan which had already been made to initiate, during the month of September, an interdepartmental study of commercial problems with the United States. The reason given for the preparation next month of the background for active negotiations was that the presence in Paris of M. Garreau-Dombasle, French Commercial Attaché in Washington, should be taken advantage of. The Director of the Commercial Section added that there were a large number of problems which France desired to include in the treaty conversations and that he would keep the Embassy informed of developments.

While on this subject I felt it a good opportunity informally to talk to M. de la Baume of the apparent attitude of the Department of State, as expressed in the personal letter24 from Mr. Paul Culbertson25 addressed to Mr. Williamson S. Howell, Jr.,26 on July 25, 1934, to the effect that padded rates and padded bargaining positions, developed by foreign countries within the fairly immediate past, would not be acceptable as concessions to the United States in exchange for rate reductions by it. The Foreign Office official expressed himself as understanding this point of view and said that France had no desire nor intention of building up an artificial bargaining position in advance.

H[arold] L. W[illiamson]

  1. Transmitted to the Department by the Chargé in France in his despatch No. 1157, August 21; received August 29.
  2. Not found in Department files.
  3. Assistant Chief, Division of Western European Affairs.
  4. First Secretary of Embassy.