GAVIN'S DIPLOMACY IS TESTED IN SMOOTHING A PARIS QUARREL

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80M01009A000100040008-7
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 23, 2013
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: May 4, 1961
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

AA A4
I Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/23: CIA-RDP80M01009A000100040008-7
Gavitn'slitplomacy Is Tested
In Smoothing a Paris Quarrel
Envoy, Honor Guest at Lunch,
Eases British-French Clash
on Rumors u About C.I.A.
Special to The New York Times.
PARIS, May 3?The diplo-
matic talents of James M.
Gavin, the United States Am-
bassador, were put to a test to-
day at a luncheon given in his
honor by the Anglo-American
Press Association of Paris.
What was supposed to be a
friendly affair was made tense
by questions put to the Ambas-
sador on the possible role of the
Central Intelligence Agency in
the four-day French military
mutiny in Algeria that eol-
lapsed last week.
The Ambassador denied Tu-
mors that the Central Intelli-
gence Agency had been involved
in any way in the military coup.
But when a British correspond-
ent, Sam White of The Evening
Standard of London, suggested
? that the French Foreign Min-
istry had contributed to the ru-
mor campaign, the Ministry's
spokesman, Pierre Baraduc a
Iluncheon guest, became
censed that he threaten
leave the room.
'Either he leaves or.?I
Baraduc said, looking .
White who sat acrosrt
table from him. .
Diplomat Still'A.
Ambassador Gavin
the French diplomat and
vailed upon him to remain. ar.
White made no move to leave.
Still aggravated, M. Baraduc
said afterward that he could,
not accept insinuations that the,
Frendh Government had in any,
way fostered the rumors.
General Gavin at first showed
reluctance to comment on the
rumors, which have been per-
sistent almost from the start
of the mutiny April 22. But
when pressed, he said there was
no foundation for them.
Mr. White's question reflected
an impression in Paris that the
French Government's position
on the matter has been at the
least equivocal. Officials have
made it clear that France con-
sidered it the United States'
task, not hers, to deal with the
rumors. ,
Cuban Landings Recalled
The same officials indicated
they were not satisfied with a
direct statement Monday from
Allen W. Dulles, director of the
Central Intelligence Agency,
saying the charges against his
organization were false. The
unsuccessful Cuban revolt,
which involved the agency, has
colored French thinking about
the United States intelligence
system, and Ambassador Gavin
acknowledged that this involve-
ment might have encouraged
41k of similar involvement in
Algeria.
The Ambassador was able to
strike a more positive note by
mentioning the letter he had de-
livered at the height of the
rench crisis to Presidtnt de
Gaulle from President Kennedy,
in'which 'full 'United States sup-
port was offered.
The Ambassbllor rejected any
ea that the rumors about the
entral? Intelligence Agency
tm
re creating a bad -a...Aosphere
the state visit that Mr.
Kennedy is to make to France
May 30 to Tune 2.
'There can be no question of
the closeness that has grown
out of the' exchange of messages
betweeit the two Presidents," he
I said.
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/23: CIA-RDP80M01009A000100040008-7