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PRIORITY

SENT DEPARTMENT SECTO 8, REPEATED INFORMATION PRIORITY SAIGON 716.

FOLLOWING IS SUMMARY CONVERSATIONS ON INDOCHINA HELD WITH BRITISH AND FRENCH THIS AFTERNOON. FRENCH DELEGATION HEADED BY PRIME MINISTER FAURE, BRITISH BY FONNIN MACMILLAN AND US BY SECRETARY. DURING FIRST PART OF CONVERSATIONS BRITISH WHERE ABSENT, JOINING LATER AS NOTED.

FAURE OPENED CONVERSATIONS BY REFERRING TO RATIFICATION PARIS AGREEMENTS AND DIFFICULTIES FRENCH GOVT HAD ENCOUNTERED IN PROCESS. HE OBSERVED THAT PUBLIC OPINION MUST NOW BE SATISFIED WITH EARLY FOUR-POWER TALKS. HE AGREED THAT WE WOULD NOW BE TALKING FROM STRENGTH AND THAT PROSPECTS FOR SUCCESS WERE THEREBY INCREASED. HE REFERRED TO CHINA AND TO FACT THAT FRANCE WAS NOW IGNORING GOVT WHICH HAD IN HANDS FATE OF HUNDREDS OF MILLION OF PEOPLE BECAUSE OF HER RECOGNITION OF FACT THAT US VIEWS MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. HE REMARKED THERE ARE NOW TWO AREAS OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO FRANCE. THEY ARE NORTH AFRICA AND VIETNAM. HE WOULD CALL UPON LAFOREST, MINISTER OF ASSOCIATED STATES, TO GIVE OUTLINE FRENCH POSITION ON LATTER.

SECRETARY REPLIED BY STATING THAT US RECOGNIZED COURAGEOUS STEP FRANCE HAD TAKEN IN RATIFYING PARIS AGREEMENTS. BOTH HE AND PRESIDENT APPRECIATED MAGNITUDE OF POLITICAL TASK. THEY FELT STEP, HOWEVER, WAS IN FRANCE'S OWN INTEREST AS WELL. SECRETARY EXPRESSED OPINION THAT IN RATIFYING FRANCE HAD REAFFIRMED HER POSITION AS "ONE OF GREAT NATIONS OF WORLD".

LAFOREST THEN OPENED INDOCHINA DISCUSSION. HE STATED THAT GENEVA ACCORDS HAD POSED SEVERAL QUESTIONS INCLUDING THAT OF HOW TORh