762A.0221/10–2551
The Chief of the Political Affairs Division of the Berlin Element of HICOG (Wellington ) to the Director of the Office of German Political Affairs (Laukhuff)
Dear Perry: I think you and Arch1 will be glad to hear of one encouraging note in our local problems. Yesterday Bruno de Leusse, the French Political Adviser in Berlin, asked if he might have a private and confidential talk with me. He said that he had dined the evening before in Bonn with Messieurs François-Poncet and Bérard, both of whom had expressed considerable concern over the apparently bad relations existing between the Allies in Berlin and the seeming impossibility of their reaching agreed decisions here. Although Bruno did not say so directly, it was obvious that the French realized their attitude in recent months was largely to blame for the situation. He said that François-Poncet particularly regretted the departure of Lefort since he understood we had gotten along well with Lefort and had confidence in him. Bruno was now under instructions, he said, to do all he could to remedy the situation, and he hoped that I might help him. He asked whether, at any time any difficulties between the French and ourselves exist or appear to be imminent, I would let him come and talk to me to see if we could not find a satisfactory way out before the disagreements reached a higher level. He was sure, he said, that in the long run there would be few difficulties we could not solve in this way, since he was prepared to do everything possible to meet our views which, he believed, were “not fundamentally different from those of the French”. It might require a good deal of consultation between us, he thought, but if I were willing to see him he would be only too glad to come to me at my convenience whenever it appeared necessary.
Needless to say, I told Bruno that I welcomed the proposal and would do anything at all that I could to help improve our relations, which had been a considerable source of worry to all of us, too. I said that quite frankly I thought the present state of affairs unfortunate not only as they affected Allied relations but also as they affected our relations with the Germans, and particularly Franco-German relations.
It remains to be seen what will result from these overtures but I am rather optimistic. Bruno, although personally a good friend, has been—or appeared to be—one of the most obstructionist elements among the French here. Perhaps he was merely acting on orders from General Carolet (the French Commandant and a very difficult man, to put it mildly), since I had the definite impression, in my conversation with him yesterday, that what he was really trying to tell me [Page 1958] was that if we could work matters out short of the Commandants’ level, it would be easier to obtain French agreement.
In any case, I think it is a very hopeful sign that the French, too, are worried and feel it essential to try to remedy the situation—on our side, we will obviously do all we can to help them in this.
Yours,
- John Archibald Calhoun.↩