France and the Nazi Threat: The Collapse of French Diplomacy 1932-1939 (93 page)

Chapter IX

T
HE
D
IPLOMATIC
M
ACHINE

    
1
.
    
*Baillou, Jean, ed.,
Les Affaires étrangères et le corps diplomatique français
. Vol. II, 1870–1980, Paris, CNRS, 1984, a monumental work of diplomats, archivists and historians; *Dischler, Ludwig,
Der auswärtige Diesnt Frankreichs
, Hamburg, 1952, 2 vols., offset.

    
2
.
    
Regarding the
Annuaire
of 1935 one finds 3 Bérard, 3 Billecoq, 2 Bradier, 2 Cambon, 2 Caluzel, 2 Guermonprez, 2 Gueyraud, 2 Hauchecorne, 2 Maugras, 2 Pineton de Chambrun, 2 Puaux, 2 Vacher-Corbière. Many other such as Roland Jacquin de Margerie and François Seydoux de Calusonne, Jacques Fouques-Duparc were the sons of very high-level diplomats.

    
3
.
    
*Zay, J.,
Souvenirs et solitude
, p. 75.

    
4
.
    
A careful reading of the index of the book by Eugen Weber on
l’Action française
is very revealing in this case.

    
5
.
    
See my article *“Les ambassadeurs français,”
Relations internationales
, 7, 1976, pp. 283–292.

    
6
.
    
Chauvel, op. cit., p. 46.

    
7
.
    
Ibid., pp. 46–47.

    
8
.
    
Bérard, Armand, op. cit., p. 327.

    
9
.
    
The same problem always reappears. Who was responsible for a number of decisions during the war of 1914–1918? Was it Pierre de Margerie or Philippe Berthelot? See Auffray, Bernard,
Pierre de Margerie
, op. cit.

  
10
.
    
See Chauvel’s reminiscence, quoted in this Introduction.

  
11
.
    
Léger Papers. Éthiopia.

  
12
.
    
Bérard, op. cit., p. 91.

  
13
.
    
See Spears,
Prelude to Dunkirk
, I, p. 25.

  
14
.
    
For example when he states that Sir John Simon’s policies were “most disastrous.” Léger Papers. Confidential Note from Corbin, 27 March 1935.

  
15
.
    
Papiers Léger, letter of 11 March 1938.

  
16
.
    
Facing the Dictators
, p. 407.

  
17
.
    
Léger Papers letter from Naggiar, 14 May 1938.

  
18
.
    
Commentaires
, I, p. 59.

  
19
.
    
Op. cit., p. 480 sq.

  
20
.
    
Commentaires
, I, pp. 323 and 339.

  
21
.
    
Below, chap. XII.

  
22
.
    
Témoignages pour l’Histoire
, op. cit., pp. 119–120.

  
23
.
    
*Coulondre, Robert,
De Staline à Hitler
, 1950, p. 186.

  
24
.
    
Stehlin, op. cit., p. 123.

  
25
.
    
Coulondre,
De Staline à Hitler
, op. cit., pp. 198–201.

  
26
.
    
Noël,
L’agression allemande
, op. cit., pp. 345–346.

  
27
.
    
Szembek,
Journal
, p. 100 (June 1935).

  
28
.
    
See below, chap. XII.

  
29
.
    
Ci-devant
, p. 108.

  
30
.
    
He was a secretary general of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers under Flandin, from January to May 1935. Laval and Flandin spoke well of him. See
Les illusions de Stresa
, p. 45 and 61.

  
31
.
    
“A mediocre, well-intentioned man, but without any peronsality,” said Noël referring to Delbos, ibid., p. 112.

  
32
.
    
Ibid., p. 119.

  
33
.
    
Noel,
Les illusions de Stresa
, op. cit., p. 48.

  
34
.
    
Rueff, J.
Autobiographie
, Chapter VIII (“Trois ans à l’ambassade de France à Londres. Mai 1930 à décembre 1933”) and Chapter XI “La vie d’un attaché financier de France à Londres.” See also Mönick, Emmanuel, op. cit. especially Chapters I and VI.

  
35
.
    
On this issue I used an excellent master’s thesis which I directed by *Carré, Capitan Claude,
Les attachés militaries français 1920-1945. Rôle et influence
. 1976. There are few memoirs published by military attaches, for our period: *Albord,
Pouquoi cela est-il arrivé, 1949
. *Béthouard, General,
Des héctombes glorieuses au désastre, 1914–1940.;
*Mast, General,
Histoire d’une rebellion
, 1969, and most of all Stehlin, Paul,
Témoignage pour l’histore
, 1964. We have consulted an unpublished work: *Catoire, Colonel,
Journal de ma mission à Rome, 1934–1937
, which is very interesting, as well as hundreds of reports from military attaches in the SHA.

  
36
.
    
To which Captain Carré dedicates a long passage of his study.

  
37
.
    
We have seen that based on Swiss informants he was completely mistaken regarding 6 March 1936.

  
38
.
    
Below, chap. XIV.

  
39
.
    
See Spears, op. cit., Vol. I, p. 143.

  
40
.
    
Below, chap. XIV.

  
41
.
    
Carré, op. cit., p. 202.

  
42
.
    
Unpublished diary quoted by Carré, op. cit., p. 202.

  
43
.
    
Above, chapter V.

  
44
.
    
Op. cit., p. 97.

  
45
.
    
Stehlin, op. cit., p. 97.

  
46
.
    
Gauché, General, op. cit., p. 97.

  
47
.
    
SHA, D. 122/V, 10 March 1939.

  
48
.
    
SHA, D. 148/V, 31 March 1939; D. 275/V, 27 June; D. 294/V, 10 July; D. 329/V, 1 August.

  
49
.
    
SHA, D. 232/V, 24 May 1939.

  
50
.
    
SHA, dispatches by squad leader de Kerhué (Buenos Aires, Montivideo), of General de Chadebec de Lavalade (Rio de Janeiro).

  
51
.
    
SHM, Ministry of Marine to EMA, 5 January 1939.

  
52
.
    
SHA, many dispatches from Guillermaz. General Lelong, military attaché in London, received large quantities of information from the British regarding the Far East. See SHA, D. 140/S, 18 May 1939.

  
53
.
    
We are using below, chapter XIII, a number of his dispatches (SHA).

  
54
.
    
See below, chap. XIII and XV, dispatches (SHA).

  
55
.
    
SHA, D. 3/S, 11 January 1939.

  
56
.
    
SHA, D. 29/39, Moscow, 22 February 1939. These were the results of a conversation with American air force attaché.

  
57
.
    
SHA, D. 458/S, 16 April 1938 and Coulondre, D. 121, 15 April 1938.

  
58
.
    
SHA, D. 586/S, 13 June 1939.

Chapter X

T
HE
P
OPULAR
F
RONT

    
1
.
    
Bonnefous, op. cit., V, p. 419.

    
2
.
    
Renouvin (Pierre), “La politique extérieure du premier gouvernement Léon Blum,” in
Léon Blum chef de gouvernement
, 1967, pp. 329–353, see p. 329.

    
3
.
    
Renouvin, ibid., p. 329.

    
4
.
    
Léon Blum
, quoted work, p. 37.

    
5
.
    
Ibid., p. 213.

    
6
.
    
Comments by Mendès–France (Pierre), ibid., p. 233.

    
7
.
    
Ibid., p. 240.

    
8
.
    
Ibid., p. 37.

    
9
.
    
Blumel, ibid., p. 37 sq.

  
10
.
    
Julien, ibid., p. 40.

  
11
.
    
Also contains the general report by German historian *Ziebura, Gilbert, author of the excellent book
Léon Blum et le parti socialiste, 1872–1934
, 1967.

  
12
.
    
See *Dreifort, John E.,
Yvon Delbos at the Quai d’Orsay
, Chapter II, pp. 21–29.

  
13
.
    
Bérard, op. cit., p. 326.

  
14
.
    
Noël,
Les illusions de Stresa
, op. cit., p. 112.

  
15
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, no. 244, Corbin, 26 May 1936.

  
16
.
    
See above, chap. II. See Stehlin, op. cit., pp. 42–45.

  
17
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, no. 271, Note from the political directorate. Orientation of Italian policy, and no. 278, François-Poncet, 6 June.

  
18
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, no. 234, Puaux, 23 May 1936.

  
19
.
    
DDF, 2, II, no. 275, Departmental note (Massigli), 5 June 1936. The Nazis viewed France as “sick and dangerous.” See no 317, François-Poncet, 18 June 1936. Regarding French public opinion see a master’s thesis which I directed: *Normand, Gilles,
L’opinion française et l’axe Rome-Berlin
, 1970.

  
20
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, no. 282, Note from the Minister. Conversation with the English ambassador (Sir George Clerk), 8 June 1936.

  
21
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, no. 312, Personal letter from Corbin to Léger. Actually Eden was speaking without having consulted France. See no. 328, Delbos to Corbin, 20 June 1936.

  
22
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, no. 325, François-Poncet, 20 June 1936.

  
23
.
    
See Noël,
Les illusions de Stresa
, op. cit., p. 108–109.

  
24
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, no. 357, Gamelin to Daladier, 25 June 1936.

  
25
.
    
DDF, 2, II, no. 217. Transcript of the Franco-Belgian meeting of 15 May 1936. See also no. 480, Transcript of the mission of General Schweisguth to Brussels, 18 July 1936. Schweisguth felt that “The High Command as it is now made up is totally in agreement with a very close collaboration with the French army.”

  
26
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, no. 369, Transcript of 26 June 1936.

  
27
.
    
Reprinted in
DDF
, 2, II, no. 375, meeting of 1 July 1936.

  
28
.
    
DDF
, 2, II, 372, note from the director of Political Affairs, 30 June 1936. See also on this issue
DDF
, 2, II, no. 419. Note of the EMA, “Obligations d’assistance mutuelle pouvant incomber à la France,” 9 July 1936.