The conference is to be held at the historic Hôtel de Brienne in Paris. The French delegation is led by Monsieur Pierre Messmer, Minister of the Armed Forces of the French Fifth Republic. Othet delegates include Army General Gaston Lavaud, Chief of Defense Staff; Amiral Georges Cabanier, Chief of Staff fo the French Navy; and lead engineers from Aerospatiale, Hotchkiss Group, the General Wireless Telegraph Company, and ECAN Ruelle.
Pierre Messmer Minister of the Armed Forces
The French Fifth Republic
Secretary Macnamara, it is with great honor that I welcome you to Paris. Firsr, allow me to extend the gratitude of President De Gaulle. He is most pleased with your agreement to meet with us in person.
While these discussions have begun through private channels, we are in agreement that a full conference is necessary. The individuals gathered here represent the military leadership of France, and key industrial experts who will be in charge of enacting the plans made here.
A brief reminder of our topics for today. We wish to discuss the integration of American defensive anti air armament on French ships, and the licenses of the equipment needed. We also wish to discuss modifications of the Vought F-8 Crusader to meet the needs of the French Navy. Next on the list is the licensing of certain fire control systems for main battle tanks, and access to modern tanks once they become available. Finally, we wish to discuss the order for aircraft already agreed upon, plus an expansion of the order.
Robert S. McNamara Secretary of Defense United States of America
Monsieur Messmer,
Thank you for the warm welcome, I am hopeful for a constructive conversation with our allies in France and for it to end in a mutually beneficial arrangement.
I am prepared to discuss all the matters you wish to address, but believe that we should start with the Vought F-8 Crusader. The proposed changes for the F-8 for the purposes of meeting the needs of the French Navy are acceptable. The United States would be willing to modify the aircraft’s radar and internal systems (including fire control) to better suit the French Navy’s needs, as well. If the French government is willing to provide some funding to the project for these developments, we would be prepared to begin development for the French Navy and have Vought build a facility in France for the purpose of providing spare parts and systems for a French order of the Crusader.
Pierre Messmer Minister of the Armed Forces
The French Fifth Republic
The French government is willing to provide funding for the modifications to the aircraft. We are also willing to commit to purchasing 36 of the fighters within two years, to serve as our principle carrier based air defense fighters.
As we are on the topic of aircraft, we wish to add to this discussion an expansion of our order. In addition to the C-1 Trader that we had discussed, we also wish to order C-130 cargo aircraft, as well as numerous anti-aircraft missile batteries. Is the below list acceptable to the United States?
Robert S. McNamara Secretary of Defense United States of America
With that amount of aircraft to be purchased, the price per aircraft being set to $1,500,000 will see a total cost of $54,000,000 for the Crusaders, with estimated deliveries potentially as early as Q4 1962.
The remaining order is acceptable - the total cost would break down as such:
12 C-1 Trader at $1,325,000 per aircraft would total $15,900,000
24 C-130 Hercules at $1,700,000 per aircraft would total $40,800,000
18 MIM-14 Nike Hercules batteries would total $14,130,000
10 MIM-23 Hawk batteries would total $24,000,000
The total cost of these orders, in addition to the F-8 Crusader order, would cost the French government $148,830,000. When it comes to the cost of this order, does France intend to pay for the cost this year and deliveries to follow, or is France seeking a financing package for this order while deliveries are over an extended period of time?
Pierre Messmer Minister of the Armed Forces
The French Fifth Republic
These costs are considered acceptable to the French government, and we will be paying upfront for the purchase. We thank the United States for their willingness to modify these aircraft for our needs.
I believe that with that portion of the conversation closed, we should move to the next section. The French government is seeking to integrate the US Mark 10 and Mark 13 guided missile launch systems into French vessels both currently in service and those planned for the future. Along with the missile launch systems themselves, we are interested in the TARTAR fire control system, and of course the RIM-24C Tartar and the RIM-2D Terrier missiles–as well as the option to seek more advanced missiles for these launchers if they become available.
The French government, as a part of this integration, is interested in sending a Cruiser and Destroyer to the United States for integration of these systems. After this, we would like to purchase several complete systems, and licensing to produce the systems and associated components–including the missiles. Is the United States willing to discuss this level of integration?
Robert S. McNamara Secretary of Defense United States of America
With the request for these types of missiles, missile launch systems, and fire control systems, I believe an arrangement can be made. For the aforementioned systems and missiles, the United States can offer a combined package at the cost of $130,000 per unit. Over time, as technology progresses, we can add a stipulation that the price and equipment can be renegotiated at a set number of years going forward.
Finally, the United States is glad to see that France is proposing such integration of systems on French vessels happen in the United States. This was going to be a stipulation that we would have requested for ease of the integration. In terms of licensing, what would France be seeking for licensing, specifically? Would the aforementioned package be one that France would seek, or is there something else that the French government would like to license in this case?
Pierre Messmer Minister of the Armed Forces
The French Fifth Republic
The government of France wishes to be able to conduct such integration in France. Simply put, we intend for these systems to modify numerous of our existing hulls and serve as our primary air defense system for the next generation of French ships being put into service. It is our intention to perform the first installations of such vessels in the United States, to have an example and come up with integration strategies. We are also seeking the ability to produce these systems in France, before integrating them into our ships. Is this something the United States deems as a possibility?
Robert S. McNamara Secretary of Defense United States of America
I think there may have been a misunderstanding in the translation. When we talk about the integration of systems happening in the United States, we are specifically referring to the initial modifications. Future modifications would be able to happen in France, as at that point the vessels are not only French, but the systems may also be licensed to France at that point, as well.
Pierre Messmer Minister of the Armed Forces
The French Fifth Republic
It would seem there was a slight mistranslation. I am glad we are on the same page in this instance. Are there any requirements the United States has for French firms prior to the licensing of this equipment? In addition, what costs will the United States charge?
Pierre Messmer Minister of the Armed Forces
The French Fifth Republic
Monsieur McNamara,
We agree to these terms. I have requested my staff to provide this draft agreement between our nations. As a slight deviation, we do seek the ability to produce the missiles themselves in country–we would like to ensure a ready supply in case of a conflict. We have however outlined a preliminary method of maintaining accountability for these companies.
Robert S. McNamara Secretary of Defense United States of America
The United States would be willing to accept missile assembly in France under the condition that was noted previously, that key sensitive technologies and parts are produced in the United States. The draft agreement is otherwise acceptable for the United States government.
