France and the Nazi Threat: The Collapse of French Diplomacy 1932-1939 (88 page)

  
86
.
    
MAE, T. 180–182, Bodard, 12 December

  
87
.
    
MAE, T. 2, Laval to the French delegation at Geneva, 11 January 1935. Actually on 19 January, the Counsel decided to postpone the matter to a later date.

  
88
.
    
MAE, Laval to Rome, London-Geneva, 17 January 1935.

  
89
.
    
MAE, Note from the French delegation at Geneva, 11 January 1935.

  
90
.
    
Parker, quoted article, p. 300.

  
91
.
    
MAE, D. 203, Baelen, chargé d’affaires at Addis Ababa, 5 November 1934.

  
92
.
    
MAE, T. 196–200, Chambrun, 11 February 1935.

  
93
.
    
MAE, T. 238–240, Chambrun, 16 February 1935.

  
94
.
    
See what Parker writes regarding this British policy, quoted article,
passim
.

  
95
.
    
Regarding that meeting MAE, Note of 2 September 1935.

  
96
.
    
MAE, T. 180, Léger, Geneva, 19 September 1935, and MAE, T. 191–195, Laval, 19 September Sent to Rome with response from Chambrun, T. 1206–1212, 21 September following a two-and-one-half hour meeting with Mussolini.

  
97
.
    
MAE, T. 1204–1207, Corbin, 1 September 1935. See also T. 1212–1217, Corbin, 3 September following a visit to Hoare.

  
98
.
    
MAE, T. 1138–1143, Chambrun, 3 September 1935. See also regarding the meeting of the Council of the League of Nations, on 3 September T. 115–121, Massigli, Geneva 3 September 1935.

  
99
.
    
MAE, T. 1167–1172, Chambrun 11 September 1935.

100
.
    
MAE, T. 1298, Corbin, 18 September 1935.

101
.
    
MAE, T. 1206–1212, Chambrun, 21 September 1935.

102
.
    
See MAE, Notes taken during a conversation at the Hotel des Bergues on 11 and 12 September 1935. British historian Sir W. Deakin feels that at this meeting Laval had envisaged giving strong support to England in exchange for specific commitments by the British in central Europe and that the British government had refused the proposal on 24 September. See *
Relations franco-britanniques de 1935 à 1939
. 1975. The French summary of the conversations of 10 and 11 September doesn’t show Laval being so precise.

103
.
    
MAE, Note to the President of the Council of Ministers, n. d. (September 1935).

104
.
    
MAE, T. 240–244, Massigli, 5 October 1935.

105
.
    
MAE, T. 275, Massigli, 10 October 1935.

106
.
    
MAE, T. 279, Massigli, 12 October 1935.

107
.
    
MAE, T. 295, Massigli, 14 October 1935.

108
.
    
See MAE, T. 2390–2391, Laval to Corbin, 26 October 1935; T. 2195–2197, Léger to Chambrun, 26 October 1935.

109
.
    
MAE, T. 2210–2217, Laval to Chambrun, 29 October 1935.

110
.
    
SHA (sent to MAE), General Parisot.

111
.
    
See mostly *Reussner, M.A.,
Les conversations franco-britanniques d’État-Major (1935–1939)
, 1969, pp. 33–77.

112
.
    
Parker, quoted article, p. 310.

113
.
    
MAE, Notes taken during a conversation at the Hotel des Bergues, 1 November 1935. *Hoare, Sir Samuel does not pipe a word about it in his book
Neuf années de crises
. (French translation.) Furthermore he states—mistakenly—that only the issue of League of Nations mandates was being considered before that date.

114
.
    
See an interesting article (written without French documents) by *Braddick, Henderson B., “The Hoare-Laval Plan. A Study in International Politics,”
Review of Politics
, July 1962, pp. 342–364.

115
.
    
Hoare, op. cit., pp. 136–137, states that he went to Paris, “weakened” by overwork. He appears to forget that the two day negotiation was preceded by long preparation.

116
.
    
Hoare, op. cit., p. 142. according to Mallet A.,
Laval
, op. cit., p. 111, a Quai d’Orsay secretary handed a copy to François Quilici, of the Havas agency, who in turn sent it to Geneviève Tabouis, and Pertinax as well as
The Daily Telegraph
.

117
.
    
Unproven allegation by Allard, Paul,
Le Quai d’Orsay
, op. cit., p. 57.

118
.
    
DGFP, III, 910–912, 5 February 1935, quoted in Scott, op. cit., p. 235.

Chapter V

T
HE
R
HINELAND
T
RAGEDY

    
1
.
    
See specifically DDF, 2, I, no 67, Chambrun, 16 January 1936, quoting various accounts, as for example that of novelist Henri de Monfreid.

    
2
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 145, Lieutenant Colonel de la Forest-Divonne, military attaché in Berne, 5 February 1936.

    
3
.
    
See specifically DDF, 2, I, no. 9, Laboulaye to Laval, 4 January 1936.

    
4
.
    
See specifically DDF, 2, I, no 55, François-Poncet to Laval, 14 January 1936.

    
5
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 108, Chambrun, 28 January 1936.

    
6
.
    
JODP, Chambre, 1936, p. 134.

    
7
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 142, Note from the political section, 6 February 1936.

    
8
.
    
Politique française, 1919–1940
, op. cit., p. 188. See DDF, 2, I, no. 190, Bodard, 14 February 1936.

    
9
.
    
Politique française, 1919–1940
, op. cit., p. 189.

  
10
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 283, Flandin to Corbin, 5 March 1936, with an aide-mémoire dated 3 March as attachment. See the very vivid account of the conversation between Flandin and Eden in Eden, A.,
Facing the Dictators
, pp. 327–329.

  
11
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 46, Moscou, 14 January 1936.

  
12
.
    
Action française
, 19 January 1936.

  
13
.
    
Ibid., Manchette du 23 February 1936.

  
14
.
    
See for example article of 10 February.

  
15
.
    
Texte dans
Populaire
, 11 January 1936.

  
16
.
    
Populaire
, 8 February 1936.

  
17
.
    
François-Poncet, op. cit., pp. 245–246.

  
18
.
    
DDF, 1, IV, no. 175, Daladier to Paul-Boncour, 4 September 1933.

  
19
.
    
François-Poncet, op. cit., p. 245.

  
20
.
    
See DDF, 2, I, no. 37, Note from the European section, 11 January 1936.

  
21
.
    
DDF, 1, I, no. 30, François-Poncet, 10 January 1936.

  
22
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 37, Note from the European section.

  
23
.
    
DDF, no. 40, Corbin, 13 January 1936.

  
24
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 49, 14 January 1936.

  
25
.
    
See above all Dobler, DDF, 2, I, no. 75, 17 January 1936; no. 96, 22 January 1936; no. 126, 1 February 1936 (clearly more optimistic); no. 183, 14 February (even more optimistic).

  
26
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 122, Noël Henry, 31 January 1936; no. 188, 14 February 1936.

  
27
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 147, 7 February. 1936.

  
28
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 242.

  
29
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 286, 6 March 1936.

  
30
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 294.

  
31
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 294.

  
32
.
    
CEP, II, p. 469 sq.; see p. 503.

  
33
.
    
Ibid., p. 500.

  
34
.
    
Ibid., IX, p. 2669.

  
35
.
    
Bérard, op. cit., p. 154.

  
36
.
    
Stehlin, op. cit., p. 32.

  
37
.
    
*Blondel, Jules-François,
Au fil de la carrière, récit d’un diplomate, 1911–1938
, 1960, p. 366.

  
38
.
    
SHA, Renondeau to Fabry, D. 492.

  
39
.
    
Ibid., D. 937.

  
40
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 63, 15 January 1936.

  
41
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 277, 4 March 1936.

  
42
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 288, 25 February 1936.

  
43
.
    
Humanité
, 12 January 1936, “L’Hitlérisme et Locarno.”

  
44
.
    
Humanité
, 2 February 1936.

  
45
.
    
Œuvre
, 14 January 1936.

  
46
.
    
Œuvre
, 17 January 1936.

  
47
.
    
Œuvre
, 28 January 1936.

  
48
.
    
Œuvre
, 23 January 1936.

  
49
.
    
Œuvre
, 12 February 1936.

  
50
.
    
Œuvre
, 15 February 1936.

  
51
.
    
Œuvre
, 6 March 1936.

  
52
.
    
Action française
, Delebecque J., 19 January 1936.

  
53
.
    
Action française
, Maurras, 8 February 1936.

  
54
.
    
Action française
, 26 February 1936.

  
55
.
    
Jour
, 8 January 1936.

  
56
.
    
Jour
, 14 February 1936.

  
57
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 255, François-Poncet, 29 February 1936.

  
58
.
    
DDF, 2, I, no. 265, 2 March (account written immediately following the meeting by François-Poncet) and no. 349, 8 March (account written after the coup).

  
59
.
    
Regarding this issue besides the archives at the Quai d’Orsay and the
Services historiques militaries
, and the parliamentary commission of inquiry we can rely on four recent and excellent works. That of *Defrasne, Colonel “L’évènement du 7 March 1936…,” Les relations franco-allemandes, op. cit. p. 247-276. And three papers from the
Colloque franco-allemand
March 1977: *Michalon, Colonel Roger and Vernet, Jacques (battalion leader), “L’armée française et la crise de March 1936”; *Masson, Philippe, “La marine française et al crsie de March 1936”; *Christienne, General C., and Buffotot, P., “L’ armée de l’air française et la crise du 7 March 1936.”