FRANCE AFTER DEVALUATION: PRESENT ECONOMIC POLICIES AND PROSPECTS

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CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4
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20
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December 22, 2016
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October 20, 2011
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22
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February 1, 1970
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Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 ~oirFidentrl DIRECTORATE OF INTELLIGENCE Intelligence Memorandum France After Devaluation: Present Economic Policies And Prospects ER IM 70-22 February 1970 Copy No. 49 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31 : CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 WARNING This document contains information affecting the national defense of the United States, within the meaning of Title 13, sections 793 and 794, of the US Code, as amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents to or re- ceipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited by law. OROUP I U XCL17DRD TIIUM AU TUMATIC UOWN1111ADINf A II UV1:I.ANSIPII ATIUN Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFII)EN1'IAL CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY Directorate of Intelligence February 1970 France After Devaluation: Present Economic Policies And Prospects Introduction During his forthcoming visit to the United States, French President Pompidou will leave behind an economy in which his own policies play a cru- cial -- but still not fully tested -- role in achieving a viable balance between internal and ex- ternal economic forces. Faced after his election with an overheated domestic economy and a steadily deteriorating international economic position, Pom- pidou devalued the franc by 11.1% (i.e., a 12.5% increase in the cost of dollar exchange to French importers of foreign goods) on 10 August 1969 and followed up this move with wide-ranging policies designed to cool the domestic boom and bring the international accounts into balance within a rela- tively short time. This memorandum assesses the French government's present economic policies and their prospects for success. Events Leading to the Devaluation* 1. Following the student-labor crisis of May- June 1968, the French economy staged a remarkable recovery, marked by the relative lack of government Note: This memorandum was produced solely by CIA. It was prepared by the Office of Economic Research and was coordinated with the Office of Current In- telligence and the office of National Estimates. CONFIDENTIAL 25X1 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFIDENTIAL intervention. Imbalances in France's external financial accounts soon developed, however, caused both by trade deficits and by speculative outflows of capital, which probably totaled about $1 billion during the year. During the last half of 1968, an- ticipation of further price increases, a sharply rising government budget deficit, rapidly rising wages, and speculation on a franc devaluation all combined to produce a rapid expansion in consumer outlays and private investment expenditures. During this period the rate of increase of consumption exceeded that of disposable income. 2. When the speculative outflow of capital, which peaked during the international monetary crisis of November 1968, threatened the parity of the franc, the government shifted to a more restrictive economic policy. Price surveillance was intensified and stricter fiscal and monetary measures were adopted. 3. These measures were instrumental in slowing the growth of domestic economic activity during the first half of 1969, but inflation accelerated. Industrial production, which by December 1968 had rissn almost 10% above the pre-strike level, grew only slowly in the course of 1969, as shown in Table 1. This slowdown was due partly to the attain- ment of near-capacity production levels and partly to a slower growth of domestic demand. Real wages, which had increased about 10% from June to December 1968, rose only slowly through most of 1969, as the cost of living climbed steadily. Investment expendi- tures, although considerably less dynamic than in the last half of 1968, continued to rise. In general, both excess demand and cost-push conditions persisted, although to a reduced extent. 4. While domestic production slowed, imports continued to boom, particularly in the second quarter of 1969, as shown in Table 2. Unlike the increase in imports in the second half of 1968 which reflected a sharp revival of economic activity after the May- June riots, the renewed spurt in imports in the second quarter of 1969 appears to reflect to some extent the existence of excess demand but mainly speculative buy' anticipation of a devaluation of the franc. the rate of inventory accumulation was high as business accelerated its purchases of investment and consumer goods. As speculative fever grew, foreigners tended CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFIDENTIAL 1963 = 100 Industrial / Real Retail Wholesale c/ 1968 Production Wages Wages b/ Prices Prices January 125 130.9 113.8 115.0 103.1 February 126 115.1 10 3.7 March 128 115.2 101.6 April 128 132.6 114.8 115.5 100.9 May 89 115.8 101.0 June 104 116.2 101.9 July 130 146.7 125.8 116.6 102.4 August 130 117.2 102.9 September 131 117.9 104.0 October 137 149.9 125.8 119.2 104.8 November 139 119.6 105.1 December 141 119.9 108.9 January 140 152.0 125.4 121.2 109.6 February 137 121.6 109.9 March 137 122.1 110.4 April 142 155.0 126.3 122.7 111.5 May 143 123.3 111.8 June 140 123.7 112.7 July 141 158.6 127.7 124.2 113.1 August 141 124.5 114.5 September 142 125.2 115.6 October 146 162.1 128.7 126.0 117.4 November 126.5 118.1 December 126.8 a. Seasonally adjusted. b. Hourly rates for manufacturing workers. c. Intermediate products. CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFIDENTIAL France: Imports of Industrial Equipment and Manufactured Consumer Goods, Quarterly Data a/ Million US $ 1967 Industrial Equipment Manufactured Consumer Goods lst quarter 519 406 2d quarter 516 407 3d quarter 419 350 4th quarter 499 436 1st quarter 528 471 2d quarter 520 454 3d quarter 535 453 4th quarter 674 660 lst quarter 637 680 2d quarter 757 755 3d quarter 709 683 a. Francs were converted to dollars at the par value rate of exchange of 5.55419 francs to US $1. CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFIDENTIAL to postpone their purchases from France in antici- pation of lower prices. As a result, exports declined slightly in the two months preceding the devaluation. 5. The boom in imports and the slowing down of exports increased the trade deficit. The gap be- tween imports actually entering the country and exports actually leaving it, however, accounts for only a part of the massive deficit in the French balance of payments, which totaled almost $1.9 billion in the first half of 1969 (see Table 3). The deficit was smaller than the $2.4 billion in the second half of 1968 because of the elimination of a net outflow of about $1 billion on capital account by means of tight exchange controls. Exchange controls, however, were unable to prevent a heavy loss of foreign exchange through changes in the timing of payments on commodity transactions. 6. Anticipating higher import prices following a devaluation, French importers sought to prepay their foreign purchases to the extent possible. At the same time, foreign buyers of French goods attempted to postpone payment until after the de- valuation. The French government instituted con- trols to curtail forward transactions in foreign currencies, but these controls were not effective. Payments for imports exceeded receipts for exports by $0.5 billion in the second half of 1968 and by $1.3 billion in the first half of 1969. However, the trade deficit as recorded by French customs -- that is, the value of imports actually entering the country less the value of exports leaving it -- was only $0.1 billion and $0.3 billion, respectively, in the same periods on the basis of comparable valuations (see Table 4). The difference between these two measures of the deficit on commodity transactions ($0.4 billion in the second half of 1968 and $1 billion in the first half of 1969) is, in effect, a capital outflow due in large part to speculative leads and lags in payments. During this period the Bank of France recorded steady losses of reserves, with the exception of a few months following the temporary resolution of the November 1968 monetary crisis. From 31 March 1968 to 31 July 1969, gross reserves (including the IMF gold tranche) declined $3.3 billion, and an addi- tional $1.5 billion in swap credits was used up. CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Table 3 France: Summary Balance of Payments Outside Franc Zone a/ Million US First Half Second Half Total First Half 1968 1968 - 1968 1969 -128 -904 -1,032 -1,603 Merchandise trade balance (f.o.b./f.o.b.) -79 -537 -616 -1,318 Services -49 -367 -416 -285 Transportation -69 -93 -162 -131 C Travel 35 -179 -144 -16 Z Other -15 -95 -110 -138 T1 Unilateral transfers -216 -279 -495 -313 d 0 z Current account balance Long-term capital -344 -276 -1,183 -435 -1,527 -711 -1,916 165 Basic balance -620 -1,618 -2,238 -1,751 Short-term capital -456 -543 -999 -121 Other b/ 168 -209 -41 14 Total -908 -2,370 -3,278 -1,858 a. Because of rounding, components may not add to the totals shown. b. Includes (1) Merchandise Transactions Abroad, (2) Multilateral Settlements, and (3) Errors and Omissions. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 0 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 France: Commodity Trade Flows and Payments Million US $ Payments Basis Customs Basis Adjusted Customs Exports Imports Exports Imports Balance (f.o.b.) (f.o.b.) Balance (f.o.b.) (C.i.f.) Balance (f.o.b./f.o.b.) 1968 First half Second half Total 11,195 1969 First half Second half Total -79 5,116 5,735 -619 -46 -537 5,899 6,675 -776 -108 11,811 -616 11,015 12, 410 -1,395 -154 -1,318 6,569 7,648 -1,079 -314 7,115 8,308 -1,193 -362 13,684 15,956 -2,272 -676 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFIDENTIAL On 8 August 1969, gross reserves, which had totaled $6.9 billion on 31 March 1968, had dwindled to $3.6 billion (see Table 5). During the same period, the liabilities of the Bank of France increased from zero to $2.4 billion. Economic Policies After the Devaluation 7. Immediately following the devaluation on 10 August, the Pompidou government initiated a comprehensive stabilization program designed to aid in accomplishing three linked objectives: (a) to balance the central government cash budget by January 1970 and keep it balanced throughout the year; (b) to curb excess consumer and invest- ment demand in the economy as a whole by March 1970; and (c) to balance France's foreign trade account by July 1970. 8. As part of its deflationary fiscal program, the government reduced the anticipated 1969 budget deficit from $1.2 billion to $650 million. This was accomplished essentially through acceleration of corporate income tax payments, increased col- lection of customs duties resulting from a higher- than-planned level of imports, a freeze on certain government expenditures (for example, new govern- ment hiring), and cancellation of the 1969 special tax credit for inves ;.:rent goods purchased after 3 September 1969. r:he 1970 budget bill, approved in late November, projects a small surplus, pri- marily from a reduction in the rate of growth of expenditures. Government expenditures in 1970 are to increase 6.2% over those of 1969, substantially less than the average annual increase of 12.1% in the three years 1967-69 and the 1969 increase of 16.1%. Because of prior commitments in several major areas of current spending (for example, edu- cation), a major part of the expenditure cuts has fallen on government capital expenditures. Funds authorized for public works are slated to decrease by 7% from the 1969 authorization. The existence of "optional credits," however, allows the govern- ment to inject additional funds into the economy on short notice if this should seem desirable. If optional credits are included in the 1970 budget, capital expenditures could increase by as much as 4% rather than decreasing by 7%. CONFIDENTIAL. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 French Gross Reserves, Quarterly Data Million US $ 1968 Gold Foreign Exchange IMF/GAB Gross Reserves Change of Gross Reserves 31 March 5,235 788 883 6,906 30 June 4,739 778 -- 5,517 -1,389 30 September 4,166 208 -- 4,374 -1,143 31 December 3,877 323 1 4,201 -173 31 March 3,827 159 1 3,987 -214 30 June 3,552 58 1 3,611 -376 31 July 3,551 43 1 3,595 -16 Total -3,311 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFIDENTIAL 9. In monetary policy, aside from extending credit controls to mid-1970, the principal innova- tions were to close the many loopholes in existing controls and to force the banking system to observe the credit quotas imposed by the monetary author- ities. The French government now has in effect probably the stiffest credit controls of any West- ern country. The discount rate, raised by the Bank of France to 8% in October, is, with the exception of Denmark's 9%, the highest in Western Europe. The Bank also increased minimum reserve requirements, tightened the criteria for rediscounting medium- term loans for investment, and included previously exempted operations within the credit quotas. Con- sumer credit also was tightened. Minimum downpay- ment requirements were increased from 30% to 50% for autos and to 40% for most other consumer durables, and maximum repayment periods typically were reduced from 18 to 15 months. The government also introduced a variety of incentives designed to increase personal savings. These include higher interest rates on savings accounts, special premiums for those depositors who leave their funds in such accounts for extended periods, and increased tax exemptions for bond interest and life insurance pre- miums. 10. Still, the total package of policy measures in the government's stabilization plan does not represent a severe austerity program. Fearful that too strong deflationary measures would cause a recession, as well as political unrest, the Pompidou government is trying to achieve a slowing of infla- tion and a balance in its foreign trade accounts by mid-1970 without absolute price freezes, declines in production, or large increases in unemployment. For political as well as economic reasons the government is unwilling to curb demand drastically by increasing taxes. Furthermore, the reductions in government expenditures in 1969 and in the budget planned for 1970 will inevitably take time to have a significant impact on the level of economic activ- ity. The effects on economic activity are planned to be moderate -- a 4% growth of GNP in real terms and a 4% rate of inflation are expected in 1970. This would preserve most of the competitive edge gained from the August devaluation and, by reducing the pressure of domestic demand on productive capac- ity, would facilitate the expansion of exports. CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 I CONFIDEN'iiAL The Economy Since Devaluation 11. Trends since the August devaluation in both domestic economic activity and foreign trade and payments are encouraging. The tightening of mone- tary policy has already brought about a decline in credit creation, and the resulting high interest rates have contributed to a substantial increase in domestic savings. In November the rate of growth of private savings was the highest ever recorded. Although figures are not available for total sav- ings, net deposits in savings banks, which had totaled only $3U0 million during the first half of 1969, had reached $1.7 billion by the end of Decem- ber. At the end of 1969 the money supply was in- creasing at an annual rate of less than 6% -- half the rate prevailing in December 1968. 12. Tighter money and more restrictive credit policies appear to be affecting consumer expendi- tures. Although little data are yet available, a November study of retail merchants' opinions indi- cates that a slackening of consumer demand is expected. In December, automobile and appliance sales reportedly fell sharply from normally high seasonal levels. Inflation showed some signs of slowing as retail prices rose only 2.5% in the second half of 1969 compared with 3.2% in the first half, in spite of the increase in prices of imported goods as a result of devaluation. 13. France's trade balance has improved. The French government had predicted in October that stabilization policies would result in a balance in foreign trade by mid-1970. ("Balance" in this context is defined as a ratio of exports (f.o.b.) to imports (c.i.f.) equal to 93%.*) Substantial increases in exports during September-December and a decline in imports after October (see Table 6) brought a balance far ahead of the government's original schedule (see Table 7). The government is now projecting a small surplus by mid-1970. * The French government uses the trade balance based on monthly customs data, and thus the 93% benchmark, as a proxy for more complete data on trade and current account payments because of the delay in collecting and publishing balance-of-pay- ments figures . CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFIDENTIAL French Trade Outside Franc Zone Seasonally Adjusted Million US $ Exports (f.o.b.) Imports (c.i.f.) Trade Balance January 811 855 -44 February 814 866 -52 .March 829 869 -40 April 804 878 -74 May 616 624 -8 June 591 858 -267 July 982 1,028 -46 August 870 957 -87 September 842 976 -134 October 914 1,036 -122 November 887 1,042 -155 December' 876 1,077 -201 January 949 1,081 -132 February 926 1,059 -133 March 890 1,046 -156 April 993 1,195 -202 May 978 1,226 -248 June 1,022 1,234 -212 July 1,012 1,289 -277 August 955 1,260 -305 September 1,075 1,349 -274 October 1,183 1,397 -214 November 1,130 1,227 -97 December 1,198 1,290 -92 a. Francs were converted to dollars at the par value rate of exchange of 5.55419 francs to US $1. CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONFIDENTIAL Exports as a Percentage of Imports in Trade Outs&.de Franc Zone 1968 1969 January 0.95 0.88 February 0.94 0.87 March 0.95 0.85 April 0.92 0.83 May 0.99 0.80 June 0.69 0.3 July 0.96 0.79 August 0.91 0.76 September 0.86 0.80 October 0.88 0.85 November 0.85 0.92 December 0.81 0.93 14. Devaluation does not appear to have stemmed the outflow of capital until after Germany revalued the Deutschemark on 26 October 1969. Until that time, French capital continued to flow to Germany, and official French reserves continued to decline, necessitating a $500 million drawing on the $985 million standby credit granted by the IMF. Follow- ing the German revaluation, however, substantial reflows of capital from West Germany enabled the French government to reduce its short-term foreign indebtedness, thereby increasing its net moi,etary reserves by $200 million in November and $250 mil- lion in December. As a result of further reflows of capital, the reversal of leads and lags in pay- ments, and the allocation of $165 million in Special Drawing Rights (SDR's), net monetary reserves rose almost $400 million in January 1970. As of 31 Jan- uary 1970, they were estimated at $2.1 billion, up from $1.2 billion on the eve of devaluation. Prospects for 1970 15. Prospects are for a large improvement in France's balance of payments during the first half of 1970. Basically, the improvement will reflect a CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CONI 1I)EN'1'IAL, reversal of the speculative transactions in goods and currencies which were responsible for most of the deficit in 1969. Inventory accumulation of imported goods, which was large before the devalua- tion, should be reduced.. The reversal of leads and lags in France's foreign trade payments should have an even larger effect. Some of this improve- ment will appear in the balance of payments for the last half of 1969, but most of it will be registered in 1970 balance-of-payments data. It is impossible, however, to predict the magnitude of the reflex of speculative funds into France. The amount of French funds being held outside France is still very large. Probably some two-thirds of the cumulative balance-of-payments deficit of over $5 billion during 1968 and the first half of 1969 was due to one or another form of speculation or capital flight. With the franc devaluation and the Deutsche- mark revaluation accomplished and the gold market depressed, much capital could return to France. On the other hand, confidence in the franc and in France's economic and political stability clearly is not as yet strong, and many people may await develop- ments in France before bringing th.iir money home. 16. Much will depend, therefore, on the ability of the Pompidou government to slow inflation, while avoiding serious labor unrest. There appears to be a fair chance of slowing inflation. Although business investment plans as of November indicate further expansion of investment expenditures, largely due to c.)ntinued strong foreign demand for French industrial goods, the rate of increase is expected to decline somewhat. Consumer demand appears to be slackening. The government estimates that productive capacity in industry will increase faster than industrial output. However, upward pressure on prices and an inflation psychology persist. Although the devaluation of the franc has not led to any acceleration in the rise of prices so far: it will no doubt be instrumental in at least maintaining some cost-push inflationary pressure in early 1970 despite the gradual slackening of home demand. The November survey of French business opinion mentioned earlier suggests 1970 price in- creases in the order of 5%, somewhat higher than the government's forecast of 4% for 1970. 17. The government must also obtain the coopera- tion of workers and trade unions in moderating their demands for large wage increases. The governn:ant CONFIDENTIAL Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 eclassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 CON I11) V, N'I'I A I. thus tar has been able to maintain the rif fensivo in labor relations with the more militant unions. Within the pant few months, Pompidou and Chaban- Delmas have announced sever. al innovat i.onti , .includ- ing a participation plan for workers in the nationalized Renault plant and a minimum salary schedule based on cost of living and production indexes. Four major unions in the n.;ttona].ized gas and electricity ty industry (EGF) -- but not the Com- munist-dominated General Cori federation of Labor (CGT), which represents more than half: of all IGI' workers -- have signed a now two-year labor contract providing, effective 1 January, for wage increases based on the increase of gross domestic product, worker productivity, and other economic i.ndicator.s. In 1970 the new formula should permit a 7% increase in wages in these industries. The contract also provides for a three-month period of negotiations following a union',; announcement of its intention to strike and prohibits work stoppages during the negotiation period. The government recommended this agreement as a model for general wage and labor negotiations next spring. The CGT rejected the contract in a referendum hold on 14 January, but it is unlikely that the Cr;T will strike at this time as there appears to be widespread popular sup- port for the government's negotiating position. A compromise agreement must now be reached, probably with a modification of the no-strike clause. 18. The Pompidou government appears to be solidly installed in power, and is working effec- tively. Public suppoi.t is probably as positive as can be expected in a period of forced economic slowdown al.;o charactv, i zed by r i s; i ng price-;. The government thus far has been generally successful in containing labor union unrest. There are two major reasons for this public relations, 5uccet:s;. First, the rehabilitation package contains a sur- prisingly high number of measures; in favor of the underprivileged classes:. These measures do not represent much of a fi:;cal cost even in c';mbination, but do create the Impression of concern with, and concrete steps toward, io .~:.:is~ ~~ijiivvi.iiR?lil on the part of the regime. Second, the brunt of the direct burden of eliminating the budget del ici t is. made to appear to fall on "big bu sines:;" al though ulti- mately the consumer will pay. I CONI' II)F.NTIAI. Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/10/31: CIA-RDP85T00875R001600030022-4 (;ONV11)F'N'Iii\I, 19. It in likr-ly that thn Porn},Idou tlr)vnr.nrnnnt:. will cont_i.nun tin prnnont: oconomlc policion throutlh mid-1970, the t.artlot date for the and of the yovor.n- mont'n nhnr.t-run ntabl.1.1 zatt, ion 1)rorlr.am. At that timr?, n n1.iclht cooI nrl of -I of the done'nti_r r,c~onr)rny, cou})lnt1 with i.rn})rc)vnrnnnt. 1.n the })aymnntrj balanc.r?, nhnuld tkl.low thr rlov(,rnmt,nt: c;rrontrrr lrnway in innti t:ut i nil economic p)]. icy rr+fOrmn. 11ownv(1r, tho trannition period may hn t)rolr)nrlnd by thn pr.oInct:nd tilowdown in wor.ldwi de Oconomi c act i vi ty, r?npr?ci ral ly .in Wont (r rnrany and the Un I t!d Stilton, in the ?locoed half ()f 1970. Thn anticIp.itnd nl()wnr economic (growth in thn,,;e two countrir+n, which toynthnr account for morv than 30% of total Franch trade may for. co the rlovr?rnmont to Continun s to rontricti vo ncon()mle policinn beyond mid-1971). .).0. 1n the, lc)nrlrr too r) and i f domnr.ti r. })cal i ti cal ntabi l i t_y 1)rnva i It;, Lho out lttnk fc,r the l"rnnc:h oconorny nnnmr: taVr)J'abin. :;})ncui.ativn force!: anirlri, France iprobably not very far from nttui 1 ihri um in stn halancr' of paymontn. A ha!;ic imbalance dnvrl(,)})nd dur. i ny 1')68 an 1'rnnch pri cn!: and Cnr?.tn incroa!jed a groat coal morn than tho:e in moat other induntri.il countr.inn. Thin wc)rr:nnincl of Yranrn't, cr)mpnt.itive pon i t inn , hownvOI , ha!; })rob ably boon of f not by the franc (lnvalua! iron and ihri Detjtnchr?mar'k? rr`valuntion, tho of 1oct n of both of which on trade wi 1 l not hr- fully fnlt for many m()nth!:. 1 ranch nX3)ort- n have c(,)ntinuet-I to rlrn rapidly and nhould hold their own in the fut.urn. Thi!: in turn nh(ould }pr-rmt t .a nu`- fiCir-nt uzrowth in import n tr) a J'r,q}>r-r'Lal,lr+ r.-.to of ncc n,-mi c 'gro'wth . '-h" (1r-va iuat .'';) of t,'zn franc and the- ro- valua i l.'n of th? Ir'tjtc1jn:'ar/ hour- In, 1 ar Sr- part rr!mr)Vc-d the rtpnculaIt i f j ?tj - Juno 19b8 7:jd Au';--;':t 1969, had ?cr-atr-d a hu+1r, l'ronch 2 a l?ancr--i): },ay:-.r?ntn and a rabid I'^i Ri rln Qx c:anr7n rnfj f*?'i Arj, Mont of the 1'.-!:~: n ronor?:en r.urinrl that =r-rind wan the ro':ult of a lar?Y, o y'on(idr`nCo i;. ?t franc (rnflectnd in 1aruuo-ncaln anti('3})at