Triumph and Tragedy (The Second World War) (50 page)

The French are expected to arrive in Moscow towards
the end of this month. The French have not yet
specified the questions which they would wish to
discuss. In any case, after our conversations with
General de Gaulle I will let you know about it.

This raised the whole issue of the future organisation of Europe. There had been many rumours in the Press and elsewhere about forming a Western
bloc
when the war was over. Such a plan seemed to be particularly popular in Foreign Office circles, although it would burden us with heavy military commitments. I felt that the Cabinet should be consulted very soon, particularly as Franco-Soviet talks were approaching.

In consultation with Mr. Eden I now sent the following reply to Stalin:

Prime Minister to

25 Nov. 44

Marshal Stalin

Your message of November 20. I am glad de Gaulle
is coming to see you, and I hope you will talk over the
whole field together. There has been some talk in the
Press about a Western bloc. I have not yet considered
this. I trust first of all to our Treaty of Alliance and close
collaboration with the United States to form the
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307

mainstays of a World Organisation to ensure and
compel peace upon the tortured world. It is only after
and subordinate to any such world-structure that
European arrangements for better comradeship should
be set on foot, and in these matters we shall have no
secrets from you, being well assured that you will keep
us equally informed of what you feel and need.

2. The battle in the West is severe and the mud
frightful. The main collision is on the axis Aix-la-Chapelle-Cologne. This is by no means decided in our
favour yet, though Eisenhower still has substantial
reserves to throw in. To the northwest Montgomery’s
armies are facing north, holding back the Germans on
the line of the Dutch Maas. This river permits us an
economy of force on this front. To the east we are
making slow but steady progress and keeping the
enemy in continual battle. One must acclaim the
capture of Metz and the driving of the enemy back
towards the Rhine as a fine victory for the Americans.

In the south the French have had brilliant success,
particularly in reaching the Rhine on a broad front and
in taking Strasbourg, and these young French soldiers,
from eighteen to twenty-one years old, are showing
themselves worthy of their glorious chance to cleanse
the soil of France. I think highly of General de Lattre de
Tassigny. De Gaulle and I travelled there in order to
see the opening of this battle from a good viewpoint.

However, a foot of snow fell in the night and everything
was put off for three days.

3. In a week or ten days it should be possible to
estimate whether the German armies will be beaten
decisively west of the Rhine. If they are we can go on in
spite of the weather. Otherwise there may be some lull
during the severity of the winter, after which one more
major onslaught should break the organised German
resistance in the West.

4. Do you think it is going to be a hard winter, and
will this suit your strategy? We all greatly liked your last
speech. Please do not fail to let me know privately if
anything troublesome occurs, so that we can smooth it
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308

away and keep the closing grip on Nazidom at its most
tense degree.

General de Gaulle had meanwhile arrived in Moscow and conversations with the Russians had begun. Stalin lost no time in informing me of the general points.

Marshal

Stalin

to

2 Dec. 44

Prime Minister

There is every evidence that de Gaulle and his
French friends, having arrived in the Soviet Union, will
raise two questions:

1. The conclusion of a French-Soviet Pact of Mutual
Assistance similar to the Anglo-Soviet Pact.

We can hardly object. But I should like to know your
view on this subject. Please give your advice.

2. De Gaulle will probably raise the question of
changing France’s eastern frontier and extending the
French frontier to the left bank of the Rhine. It is also
common knowledge that there is a scheme for forming
a Rhenish-Westphalian province under international
control. Possibly French participation in this control is
also contemplated. Thus the proposal of the French to
transfer the boundary line to the Rhine will compete
with the scheme for creating a Rhine province under
international control.

Please give your advice on this question also.

I have sent a similar message to the President.

And again the following day:

Marshal

Stalin

to

3 Dec. 44

Prime Minister

The meeting with General de Gaulle has provided
an opportunity for a friendly exchange of views on
questions of Franco-Soviet relations. During the
conversations General de Gaulle persisted, as I had
expected, with two main questions: the frontier of
France on the Rhine and the conclusion of a Franco-Triumph and Tragedy

309

Soviet Pact of Mutual Assistance of the type of the
Anglo-Soviet Treaty.

As regards the frontier of France on the Rhine, I
expressed myself to the effect that it was impossible to
decide this question without the knowledge and
agreement of our chief Allies, whose armies are waging
a battle of liberation against the enemy on the territory
of France. I emphasised the complexity of a solution of
this question.

With regard to the proposal of a Franco-Soviet Pact
of Mutual Assistance, I pointed out the necessity of a
study of this question from all sides, and the necessity
for clarification of the juridical aspect of such a pact, in
particular of the question who would ratify such a pact
in France in present conditions.

Consequently the French still have to furnish a
number of explanations, which we have up till now not
received from them.

In sending you this information I shall be grateful for
a reply from you and for your comments on these
questions.

I have conveyed the same message to the President.

I send you my best wishes.

On December 4 the Cabinet met to survey the possibilities of a Western
bloc
and de Gaulle’s talks in Moscow. I read out to my colleagues the latest exchange of correspondence with Stalin, and the results of our deliberations were embodied in a message which I sent him in the early hours of December 5.

Prime

Minister

to

5 Dec. 44

Marshal Stalin

Your telegram about de Gaulle’s visit and the two
questions he will raise. We have no objection whatever
to a Franco-Soviet Pact of Mutual Assistance similar to
the Anglo-Soviet Pact. On the contrary, His Majesty’s
Government consider it desirable and an additional link
between us all. Indeed, it also occurs to us that it might
be best of all if we were to conclude a tripartite treaty
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310

between the three of us which would embody our
existing Anglo-Soviet Treaty, with any improvements. In
this way the obligations of each one of us would be
identical and linked together. Please let me know if this
idea appeals to you, as I hope it may. We should both
of course tell the United States.

2. The question of changing the eastern frontier of
France to the left bank of the Rhine, or alternatively of
forming a Rhenish-Westphalian province under
international control, together with other alternatives,
ought to await settlement at the peace table. There is
however no reason why when three heads of
Governments meet we should not come much closer to
conclusions about all this than we have done so far. As
you have seen, the President does not expect de
Gaulle to come to the meeting of the three. I would
hope that this could be modified to his coming in later
on, when decisions especially affecting France were
under discussion.

3. Meanwhile would it not be a good thing to let the
European Advisory Commission sitting in London, of
which France is a member, explore the topic for us all
without committing in any way the heads of Governments?

4. I am keeping the President informed.

Mr. Roosevelt also kept in close touch with me.

President

Roosevelt

6 Dec. 44

to Prime Minister

I have this date sent the following message to Uncle
Joe:

“Thank you for your two informative messages of
December 2 and December 3.

“In regard to a proposed Franco-Soviet Pact along
the lines of the Anglo-Soviet Pact of Mutual Assistance,
this Government would have no objection in principle if
you and General de Gaulle considered such a pact in
the interests of both your countries and European
security in general.

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311

“I am in complete agreement with your replies to
General de Gaulle with regard to the post-war frontier
of France. It appears to me at the present time that no
advantage to our common war effort would result from
an attempt to settle this quesion now and that its
settlement subsequent to the collapse of Germany is
preferable.”

And later:

President

Roosevelt

6 Dec. 44

to Prime Minister

You will have seen from my reply to Stalin on his
talks with de Gaulle that our views are identical on the
two questions which he raised.

I still adhere to my position that any attempt to
include de Gaulle in the meeting of the three of us
would merely introduce a complicating and undesirable
factor.

In regard to your suggestion to Uncle Joe that the
question of France’s post-war frontiers be referred to
the European Advisory Commission, I feel that since
the Commission is fully occupied with questions relating
to the surrender of Germany it would be a mistake to
attempt to bring up at this stage before it any questions
of post-war frontiers. It seems to me preferable to leave
this specific topic for further exploration between us.

I fully appreciate the advantages which you see in a
possible tripartite Anglo-Franco-Soviet Pact. I am
somewhat dubious, however, as to the effect of such
an arrangement on the question of an international
Security Organisation, to which, as you know, I attach
the very highest importance. I fear that a tripartite pact
might be interpreted by public opinion here as a
competitor to a future World Organisation, whereas a
bilateral arrangement between France and the Soviet
Union similar to the Soviet-British Pact would be more
understandable. I realise however that this is a subject
which is of primary concern to the three countries
involved.

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312

Stalin telegraphed next day:

Marshal

Stalin

to

7 Dec. 44

Prime Minister

I have received your reply to my message about a
Franco-Soviet Pact and about the frontier of France on
the Rhine. I thank you for your advice.

At the time of receiving your reply we had already
begun discussions with the French about the pact. Your
proposal in preference for a tripartite Anglo-Franco-Soviet Pact as an improvement in comparison with the
Anglo-Soviet Pact has been approved by myself and
my colleagues. We have made a proposal to de Gaulle
for the conclusion of such a tripartite pact, but we have
not yet had his reply.

I have delayed my reply to your other messages. I
hope to reply soon.

But events took a slightly different course. The French were determined for domestic reasons to come away from Moscow with a strictly Franco-Soviet pact. This was signed on December 10, and Stalin telegraphed the same day:
Marshal Stalin to