Ho.138 /net HO The Right Honourable BRITISH EMBASSY, w*SHIWCm>H, D»C. i*ebruaFjr 3rd 199* # X»ord, As X had the honour to inform Tour Lordship Id my telegram So.44 of tho 27th January, a very considerable sensation has boon create* bare by tho news that the Government mora facilitating the aale of military aircraft to Franoe. It mould seam that a Preach mission to investigate tho possibility of purchasing American aircraft tamo been in thio country for some little time and has, with the assistance of tho United States authorities, boon actively pursuing its enquiries. Tho presence of thio mission was, however, kept secrot and it was only duo to an accident * a Douglas bomber underpins tests crashed in California with a member of the French mission on board - that the nevs leaked out about ten day* ago. 2. This sudden cbanco discevery of tho existence of tho French mission caused a great stir not only In tho newspapers but also 1b Congress. Tho Senate Military Affairs Committee mot at once to investigate the position and interrogated several senior officers of tho Army and Navy as well as tho Secretary to the Treasury and tho Secretory for War. Tho meetings of the Committee would so mm at kisses to hove been quite stormy and the newspapers were full of rumours. Allegations were made that tho French Mission had been unduly flavoured and given access to aircraft and accessories still/ Tho Viscount Halifax, |ft etc.,'to.,etc. atitt en tte monI Uot, tho* th» Amy outhoritioa had boon oppoatd to giving tho niaolon auoh ostonolvo facllitioo fcat hod beoa owrriddon b? the 1»oainry# ant that ttat ontira roopeaalbUity for tho wtaolo affair Mated With tho frooidsnt hlnoolf» who had b#s oonvlaatd by Mr. Bullitt, vhoo tho lattor was recently U thio country, of the necaeeity of doing eoaethiag to eaaiet the flrettoh Qovoranent ts roconetltute their air force. MM raonbore of tho fuiMtltoo wro roper ted as regarding the agitation oo exa&^erated, ohilo ethere, oaeh u senator >y§» doelared that "any deal vheroby tho ft-eneh aarernraent would bo penal tt ad to bay on indefinite a>a«bor of planeo in tho United States constitutes in my opinion o etllitary 3* the situation «ae clarified to o certain omtont by tho wooldoot ot bio proae conference on Jmoy 97th* fie doolorort thot tho French oovoroatnt* a reqneet fe» feellitieo to buy eircraft in this country ted boon dlaeucoed by tho whole Cabinet* *be Cabioot beta felt that the Preach reejueot* tf grant**, would in no ooy interfere with tho production of aircraft for tho United stat*e Qoftivomat theooelveo* on tho contrary eevoral of tho loading aircraft oaaufac torero in thio country wore abort of work ot tho noaant and it would nolco it cooler tor thoao firao to hoodie tho eventual United 5 totoo g»werna*at order* if thoir factories could bo bopt buoy in tho aeontbat* yttrtberroore tbo proposal woe in no way royqgnont to tbo terrae of tho neutrality Act and there ma no roaoon why if Hie Majaaty'e Oovomr^ont iwa bee* permitted to toty aircraft in thio country tbo French •eeemaenl/ WW Government should not be given the sama privilege. 4. The President's explanations did not, however, satisfy his critics, either in Congress or ill the EPS as. The Senate Military Affain* Committee held another steamy meeting on January 28th but decided, despite the protests of several members, that the matters udder discussion were so confidential that the proceedings should be kept secret* It was clear by this timd that the opponents of the Administration intended to make use of the incident to launch a frontal attack on the President's foreign policy. The isolationists, of course, asm In the aff air a splendid opportunity of accusing the President of having committed the United States to take sides with Fran#9 i& the event of a European war, while even those persons who wore not out of sympathy with the President's aims and shared hie views about the Neutrality legislation regretted the seoreey with which the arrangements for the French mission had been surrounded and emphasised the dangers of a policy of drift and the desirability of taking sons definite decision in the very near future on the line to be taken by the United States Government in its dealings with Europe* As the "Hew Yoric Herald Tribune" in an article headed 'Stumbling into war* put it "There will be no quarrel in the nation with respect to the Kngliah ev French purchase of planes in this country. Rather will there be applause that our laws permit this collaboration of American skill with the needs of these old allies of/ HI of ours. But there should be In our Judgment u increased l»BlBteoeQ upon a realistic view-point with reapeet to this collaboration and to the emergency in which the democracies of the world find thornsj^hres. Isolated cooperation is not enou^i In such a oriels. There must be a general exploration of wo VIE and methods and a searching effort to develop not only unity of military plans but a tfnlty of pejley throughout the democratic world". 5* Xt was to check such criticism that, as X reported in my telegram No* 54 ©J? February 1st, the President si i aw Wiled the members of the Senate Military Affairs Committee to a secret meeting on January Slst. At this Meting Mr# Roosevelt is alleged to have declared that this country should be prepared to render assistance to Great Britain and Prance in the event of a war in Suropej to have said that in the event of such a war "the frontiers of the united states would be in Preeee", and to have indicated that the United States should be prepared to help the democracies against the Re—wlerlin-Tokyo axis by furnishing them with everything they wanted* provided they paid for it* Whetfeer er net the President actually went as far ae this there can be little doubt that, as Mr* Arthur Krock says in the "Hew York Times" of February 2nd. he Intended the meeting to "serve an unofficial but authoritative notice to Hitler, Bussolini and the ruling party la Japan that In the event of aggressive war abroad, the President/ President will do everything in hia power - and under the constitution it is very greet • to circumvent whatever eo-oalled Neutrality Laws may be on this nation*a statute book* and lend every aid short of force to the democratic powers** 6* The effect of thh President's remarks OB the Opposition woo what might hove boom expected* In a broadcast on IfcbrueJTy lot ex-President Hoover, besides claiming that *our foreign policies must bo determined by the American people end the Congress, net by the President alone'* warned the country that the President was trying to load the United States to forsake its traditional policy of isolation and detachment in favour of one of intervention* The new policy* he declared, could only be enforced if the United States Government were prepared to embark on "embargoes, boycotts and other economic sanctions" and such measures in the last resort could only be made effective by armed force. "Those who think in terns of economic sanctions should also think in terse of war*. The new policy would involve the United States "determining who arotfre aggressors in the world", would expose the United States to reprisals and would necessitate the maintenance by the United States of armed forces far beyond those required for the defence of the Western Hemisphere* Sow much more effective, ho claimed, would It be for the United states to revert to their t aditional policy* "Our country standing apart own make a contribution of transcendent service In holding aloft the banner of moral relationships** When it cans/ AS ~6» cam* to explaining how this contribution was to ba effected lb*. Hoover, taowevaTf apparently flotsld do no more than suggest that "the American people should express unhesitatingly their indignation against wrong and persecution and should aid the suffering"* 7. Mr- Heaver** tentlstente were ehared by some speakers In a debate in the senate on February 1st on the subject of the French Kleslon* All the beat known isolationist! are in full cry and much will be heard of the President9* seerst diplomacy and attempt to entangle the nation in the affairs of Europe• In general, however, the criticism in Gongreae so far has b een directed not eo much against the principle of supplying aircraft to Franca as against the secrecy with which the whole affair had been conducted. Various subsidiary points ware raised such as the wisdom of allowing aecret information to be given to foreign ate foveas, and the effect of any French orders on the United States rearmament programme* Senator Lodge, too, started a new bare by calling for an assurance that no part of the 2000 million dollar stabilizati fund had been need to provide credits for the French government to facilitate their purchasse of aircraft* The bwden of criticism, both on the Republican and the Democratic aide was, however, directed primarily at the secrecy with which the President was conducting fate*whole foreign policy* As Senator Hiram Johnson said "The fundamental question le shall WW be eased into war and our people never know it? 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