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In reply refer to I 11594

MEMORANDUM FOR MR. ROBERT CUTLER

SUBJECT: The Aircraft Carrier "Belleau Wood"

1. On the 23rd of May, 1953, France requested the loan of an additional aircraft carrier for use in the Indochina theatre. They asked that the ship be turned over to them on 1 OctobrtOctober [sic]. Accordingly, the President on 26 August, 1953, under the terms of P.L. 188, 83d Congress, approved the loan of the "Belleau Wood" to France effective on or about 5 September, 1953.

2. The US Navy actually transferred the ship to the French on 5 September, 1953, but, owing to France's delay in supplying a full crew, she did not arrive in France until about 24 December, approximately two and one-half months later than originally scheduled.

3. Latest reports indicate that the "Belleau Wood" was scheduled to sail from Toulon on 7 April, 1954, to begin her first tour in the Indochina theatre. Enroute she will deliver 32 French-built "Ouragon" jet aircraft to the Indian Air Force at Bombay. It is estimated that it will take her approximately one month to make the voyage from France to Indochina with a stop at Bombay to unload the jets. Furthermore, when she arrives in the Gulf of Tonkin she will relieve the carrier "Arromanche" which will return to France. MAAG Paris points out that if the Ouragon's were unloaded and replaced by one and possibly two available Corsair squadrons it would be possible to keep both the "Belleau Wood" and the "Arromanche" in the Indochina combat. There is no indication, however, that the French Navy is considering such action.

4. The French government's sale of French-built jets to India is particularly interesting. At the same time these jets were being built, we have been delivering, as a part of our military assistance program for France which at the end of FY 1953 had exceeded a total of 3.8 billion dollars, US jets to France in order to help them meet their NATO force goals. (We have already given them more than 700 jets.)

5. In view of the current crisis in Indochina, the repeated frantic French requests for additional US aircraft, and the recent proposal by Pleven Rh

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