NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
TOP SECRET
-2- 4383, May 14, 10 PM, from Paris
Finally, Maurice Schumann transmitted a request of Bidault's that U.S. do everything possible-in the next days to accelerate delivery of planes and equipment in the event that a cease fire should be negotiated at Geneva which would naturally bring to a halt such deliveries.
I then referred to question of location of negotiations and expressed Dept's views in favor of Paris. Schumann and Laniel agreed that Paris would be preferable to Washington and accordingly it can be accepted as agreed that negotiations along lines of RefTel will continue to take place in Paris.
I then outlined requirements listed in paragraphs 2 and 3 of RefTel. Laniel and Schumann listened very quietly and seriously and on the whole appeared well pleased with this clarification of U.S. position. They said that naturally they did not have any info regarding the views of other countries in the area and they would appreciate being kept informed by U.S. of progress toward fulfilling condition indicated in paragraph 2(b) which was beyond their control. They were particularly impressed and pleased by indication in that paragraph that actual participation by U.K. was no longer a prerequisite to U.S. action.
Laniel and Schumann had one serious objection to U.S. conditions. This, as expected, was to the condition that France publicly accord to Associated States right of withdrawal from French Union at any time. When I explained U.S. reasons for this position {is outlined in Deptel 4064, they said they could see how such a statement might be of some help with Nehru but that French public opinion would never understand why it was necessary to make such a statement when it had never been requested by any of the three Associated States. They then pointed out the fact that the Viet Minh armistice proposals, dishonest though they were, nevertheless looked toward the possibility of the Vietminh joining the French Union. (Comment: I am certain that unless we can find some way to get around this requirement, French will never ask for outside assistance.) After hearing strong statement on the subject by both Laniel and Schumann, I said that I hoped we could continue conversations on this subject in order to find a formula that would satisfy U.S. requirements and at the same time could be accepted by the French Parliament. Laniel and Schumann agreed that we should talk further on this subject.
Laniel and Schumann had one other question referring to subparagraph 2 (e) which states that forces from U.S. would be
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