Department of State TELEGRAM !"',)~ 646 P GE 01 BUCHAR 02655 241611Z s A I ON SS 30 I F O /030 W R 2 4 1¥ 20Z SEP 68 F 1 AMEMBASSV ' BUCHAREST DECLASSIFIED TO SECSTATE WASHDC 2934 INFO AMEMBASSY BONN A EMBASSY PARIS AME MBASSY PRAGUE E.O. 12958, ec. 3.5 State Dept. Guiel_ ' 1.. ; B;~.....___.,NARA, Da ie']J' \-o 1 _ > i 2 R [ 1f BUCHAREST 2 655 NO DI STR I BUT I ON O~TS I DE · DEPARTMENT EXDI S FOR ASST SECRETARY LEDDY ' REF 1 BONN 16667 SUBJECTa ALLEGED FRENCH MIL1TARY ' A~SISTANCE TO ROMANIA• AT SOCIAL OCCASION SEPT 14 IN CONVERSATION WITH GERMAN AMBASSADOR STRAETLING I REFERRED TO RUMORS CURRENT AT . T1ME DEG AULLE VISIT L~ST MAY RE ROMAN1AN INTEREST IN PURCHASE ~!RAGE AIRCRAFT AND ASKED ! WHETHER HE HAD ANY NEW INFORMATION• RES PONDING IN NEGATIVE STRAETL1NG RECALLED FRENCH AMBASSADOR PON S JUST A~TER DEGAULLES VISIT HAD ' DENIED TO HIS COLLEAGUES THE RE HAD BEEN ANY DIScUsSION OF' l DEAL ON MIRAGE AIRCRAFT (SEE PARA 2 BUCHAREST 1698) BUT ' L.ATER BONN HAD RECEIVED WORD FROM GERMAN EMBJ 5y · PARIS ALLEGEDLY BASED ON SOURCE IN QUA! THAT DISCUSSIONS HAD TAKEN PLACEo HOWEVER STRAETLING HAD NO DETAILS• FROM THIS I WOULD JUDGE GERMAN EMBASSY BUCHAREST WAS NOT SOURCE OF INF0 1 CONTAINED REFTEL. ON SEPT 23 I WAS ABLE SPEA~ PRIVATELY WITH . FRENCH AMBASSADOR PONS WHO FLATLY DENIED REPORT. PONS SAID ROMANIANS HAD RAISED QUESTION MIRAGEQPRQDUCING 1 F~CTORY IN ROMANIA DURING DEGAULLE'S VISIT IN MAY (SEE PARA 6 PARIS l4540) BUT •NO ANSWER HAD BEEN GIVEN• ACCORDING PO NS GENERAL DEG ULLE•S COMMENT WAS "THE~ Jil!CH2 r NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE AJTHORIZATION Of THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Department of State TELEGRA 9-:2_ PA GE 02 BUCHAR 02655 24161 lZ E VERY AMBITIOUS•" ALSO ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO : ROMAN I AN MI N FOREIGN TRADE HAD AG~IN BROAtHED 1 SUBJECT~ PONS CLEARLY IC~TED FRENCH THROUGH ROMANIAN INTEREST IN SUCH DEAL ' FOOLISH BOTM ECONOMIC AND POL~TICAL GROUNDS. rs NOT TO BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY