France and the Nazi Threat: The Collapse of French Diplomacy 1932-1939 (103 page)

  
13
.
    
De Paul Reynaud
…, op. cit., Vol. VI, p. 424.

  
14
.
    
Sauvy, T. quoted, p. 93. On the resistance of some ministers such as Pomaret, see Rueff, op. cit., pp. 159–161.

  
15
.
    
Sauvy,
De Paul Reynaud
, op. cit., p. 78.

  
16
.
    
The best book is *Frank, Robert.
Le prix du réarmement français (1935–1939)
. Paris (Sorbonne).

  
17
.
    
Ibid., pp. 13–14, and Rueff, op. cit., p. 161.

  
18
.
    
Rueff, op. cit., p. 161. It is interesting to note the similarity of the conclusions of Jacques Rueff and Alfred Sauvy regarding those events.

  
19
.
    
See his book *Jacomet, Robert,
L’armement de la France 1936
–
1939
(1945), and his testimony to the parliamentary commission.

  
20
.
    
Ci-devant
, p. 103.

  
21
.
    
DDF
, 2, XII, no. 292, annex, General Lelong, military attaché, London, 8 November 1938.

  
22
.
    
MAE, D. 22, Paul Morand, 8 June 1939.

  
23
.
    
Monzie, op. cit., pp. 104–105.

  
24
.
    
MAE, Summary of the meeting of 9 February at the Petroleum Department. See the assessment by François-Poncet on Italian supplies, MAE, D. 358, 20 June 1939. See the one by Colonel Delhomme on German, Italian, Hungarian requirements in wartime. SHA, no. 117/S, Colonel Delhomme, Bucharest, 6 June 1939.

  
25
.
    
Below, § III.

  
26
.
    
In SHAA, documents AFC (J), nos. 5 and 11, “Questions économiques” and “protection du commerce maritime des Alliés.”

  
27
.
    
See The discussion of a report by Alfred Sauvy, committee of history of the Second World War, 15 December 1975. Regarding the insufficient supplies at the start of the war. See *Alphand, Hervé,
L’étonnement d’être. Journal 1939–1973
, Paris, 1977, p. 29 (11 December 1939). Alphand pointed out the difficulties to financing and the resistance coming from the ministry of agriculture.

  
28
.
    
MAE, D. 943, Bonnet to Guy La Chambre, 21 December 1938.

  
29
.
    
Numbers provided by *Truelle, General of Engineers, “La production aéronautique militaire française jusqu’en June 1940,”
RHDGM
, January 1969, pp. 3–42.

  
30
.
    
Stehlin, op. cit., pp. 86–93, and DDF, 2, X, no. 537, transcript of the mission of General Vuillemin to Germany, 2 September 1938.

  
31
.
    
DDF
, 2, XI, no. 377, Vuillemin to Guy La Chambre, 26 September 1938.

  
32
.
    
RHDGM
, January 1969, pp. 111–116.

  
33
.
    
Truelle, T. quoted, p. 98.

  
34
.
    
DDF
, 2, XII, no. 292, Colonel de Geffrier to Guy La Chambre, 9 November 1938. The numbers mentioned in the following paragraph are from note no 620 CM/2R of 26 August 1939. Guy La Chambre to Daladier.

  
35
.
    
DDF
, 2, XII, no. 463, Note, November 1938.

  
36
.
    
DDF
, 2, XII, no. 293, General Lelong, 8 November 1938.

  
37
.
    
DDF
, 2, XII, no. 463, Note from the
Deuxième Bureau
of the Air Force, November 1938.

  
38
.
    
DDF
, 2, XII, no. 360, 22 November 1938.

  
39
.
    
DDF
, 2, XII, no. 390, Franco-British conversations of 24 November 1938.

  
40
.
    
Truelle, T. quoted, p. 79.

  
41
.
    
MAE, December 1938 (excerpt from SHAA).

  
42
.
    
Stehlin, op. cit., pp. 129–132.

  
43
.
    
See MAE, weekly liaison, 1 June 1939. It must be noted that in January a Jeinkel 111 of the Spanish Nationalists crashed into French territory. The specialists were interested in the information they could find. MAE, Weekly liaison, 25 January 1939. Planes that had fallen into Republican hands and arrived in France were also noted. The Air force was only interested in the Dornier 18. See MAE, Weekly liaison, 1 March 1939.

  
44
.
    
Bullitt who was very friendly with Guy La Chambre and hoped that he would become ambassador to the United States, received him on 20 February. The Air Minister told him the story and asked how Roosevelt would react. See Bullitt, op. cit. pp. 312–314.

  
45
.
    
American Aid to France, 1938–1940
, New York, 1970.

  
46
.
    
Confirmed by very few documents in the ministry of foreign affairs and the conversations we had with Jean Monnet.

  
47
.
    
Transcript of the SHA, 5 December 1938. We found in the Daladier collection several letters from Jean Monnet (16 May, 19 May) addressed to Daladier and Reynaud and a report from the same dated 28 July. He was the one suggesting $300 million in cash. Roosevelt refused due to the embarrassment it might cause.

  
48
.
    
For example MAE, D. 281, a long dispatch from Saint-Quentin, 9 December 1938. Baruch asked for funding for 4,000 planes on 14 October. On Navy Day 27 October there was the announcement of a increase in the navy, 19 November building of 40 ships, etc., campaigns by Walter Lippman and Dorothy Thomson in favor of rearmament and “international responsibilities.” Ambassador de Saint-Quentin felt the Gallup polls to be very important. See MAE, D. 23, 8 February 1939; D. 80, 30 march 1939; T. 617–618, 10 April 1939. See MAE, T. 339–340. Saint-Quentin, 7 March 1939 on the voting of a program for 6,000 planes by the Senate by 77 in favor to 8 opposed.

  
49
.
    
See MAE, T. 349–352, Saint-Quentin, 8 March 1939; T. 612–615, Bonnet to Saint-Quentin, 8 May 1939.

  
50
.
    
Friedson, P. and Lecuir, Jean,
La France et la Grande-Bretagne face aux problèmes aériens (1935–May 1940)
, op. cit., p. 31.

  
51
.
    
31 January 1933–7 February 1934; then 6 June 1936–December 1937, or 29 months.

  
52
.
    
December 1937 to the war: 17 months.

  
53
.
    
Mysyrowicz, op. cit., pp. 190–191. Figures quoted in
JODP
, Chamber, 3 February 1930, p. 372. See Boussard, op. cit., p. 39. Added to this were 26 prototypes of civilian transport planes, 130 seaplanes, 371 engines.

  
54
.
    
Friedenson and Lecuir, op. cit., p. 42.

  
55
.
    
See Friedenson and Lecuir, op. cit., p. 44.

  
56
.
    
Excellently described in *Williamson, S.,
The Diplomacy of Grand Strategy
, 1969.

  
57
.
    
MAE, D. 36, Noël, 11 January 1939.

  
58
.
    
MAE, T. 553, Noël, 7 April 1939.

  
59
.
    
Through a note signed by Léger, MAE, D. 1282 to Daladier, EMA, 10 April 1939.

  
60
.
    
SHA, Minister’s Cabinet. Aid to Poland 18 April 1939.

  
61
.
    
SHAA, transcript of the meeting of 16 May 1939.

  
62
.
    
Le Goyet,
Gamelin
, op. cit., p. 188. SHA, D. 73/S, General Musse, Warsaw, 11 May 1939.

  
63
.
    
Noël, op. cit., p. 370; Monzie, op. cit., p. 108.

  
64
.
    
Noël, op. cit., p. 364.

  
65
.
    
SHA, Protocols of conversations 15–17 May 1939. See also Lukasziewicz, op. cit., pp. 210–223.

  
66
.
    
MAE, D. 545, DN, Daladier to Bonnet, 19 May 1939.

  
67
.
    
SHA, Letter from Gamelin, 20 may 1939. “Seen by the Minister.” Regarding the political negotiations Bonnet began with Polish Ambassador Lukasziewicz without the knowledge of Léon Noël (Noël, op. cit. p. 330), these dragged on for weeks. See MAE, Weekly liaison, 31 May 1939, and Lukasziewicz, op. cit. pp. 223–233.

  
68
.
    
There were on the other hand Anglo-Polish conversations in Warsaw (22–30 may) and British General Ironside went to Warsaw from 17 to 21 July (See SHA, D. 112/S, General Musse, 19 July 1939 and 138/S, 26 July 1939).

  
69
.
    
Noël, op. cit., p. 319.

  
70
.
    
SHA, D. 147/S, Musse, 10 August 1939.

  
71
.
    
SHA, DN, S. 1318, Gamelin to Daladier, 23 June 1939. See Rueff, op. cit., pp. 161–162 regarding Franco-British financial negotiations on Poland in July 1939. The Poles demanded gold and the agreement failed.

  
72
.
    
Many documents in MAE, D. 2567, Bonnet to Daladier, 14 June; D. 2585, Bonnet to Daladier, 15 June; D. 2631 Bonnet to Daladier, 17 June 1939. SHA, Minister’s Cabinet 19 June; SHA, D. 1318 DNS, Gamelin to Daladier, 23 June.

  
73
.
    
SHA, D. 147/S, Musse, 10 August 1939.

  
74
.
    
Le Goyet, op. cit., p. 1781.

  
75
.
    
See Noël, op. cit., p. 346; Monzie, op. cit., 4 July 1939, p. 125.

  
76
.
    
We have used a questionnaire with answers signed by Daladier coming from the general secretariat of National Defense. SHA, 443/DN 2, 7 March 1939 and an “analysis” by Gamelin dated 8 March: SHA “Analyse,” 8 March 1939.

  
77
.
    
The Japanese not only occupied the Chinese island of Hainan, over which France had some vague demands but also the Spratly islands and demanded in a sense the Paracels islands.

  
78
.
    
Friedenson and Lecuir, op. cit., pp. 124–128.

  
79
.
    
SHA, AFC (J) 29.

  
80
.
    
SHA, transcript …, 9 April 1939.

  
81
.
    
SHA, study of the strategic problem dated 10 April 1939, 15 April 1939.

  
82
.
    
Friedenson and Lecuir, op. cit., pp.132–141. In the pages that follow these authors examine all the practical decisions: British bomb supplies near Reims, placing of airfields for use by the British, etc.

  
83
.
    
Ironside does not mention it in his memoirs.

  
84
.
    
SHA, Information from the president, 8 May 1939. See also D. 110, Lelong to Gamelin, 15 May 1939.

  
85
.
    
SHAA, D. 792/S, Colonel Devèze, Air commander in Indochina, Saigon, 1 July 1939.

  
86
.
    
A complete study exists: *Reussner, A.,
Les conversations franco-britanniques d’État-Major (1935
–
1939), Service historique de la marine
, 1969.

  
87
.
    
SHM, Conference on 8 August on board the
Enchantress
.

  
88
.
    
Op. cit., p. 245.