NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
TELEGRAM
1954 JUN 16 PM 8
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SENT TO: Amconsul GENEVA TEDUL 208 PRIORITY
RPTD INFO: Amembassy PARIS 4624 PRIORITY
FOR UNDER SECRETARY AND AMBASSADOR
Bonnet has just left after reading a long message from Bidault, the substance of which was that the French no longer felt that US was committed to intervention on the conditions stated in our May 11 basic cable to Paris and that this left them in a very difficult negotiating position at Geneva.
I said that it was quite true that the French could not have a continuing option to call US into war at some future undetermined date and under conditions which could not now be foreseen. On the other hand if and when there was a French Government which had the confidence of the Assembly and if it should then decide that it could not conclude an honorable armistice and that it was thus necessary to continue the struggle, the US would be prepared promptly to respond and that response would probably be along the lines of our May 11 telegram unless in the meantime the situation had further deteriorated to a point where the making of a stand in Indochina had become impracticable or so burdensome as to be out of proportion to the results
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