IN SEARCH OF AN ALLY: FRENCH ATTITUDES TOWARD AMERICA, 1919-192

The deterioration of French-American relations in the past twenty years has prompted a search for the source of current expressions of anti-Americanism. Most point to the 1920s as the period which had the greatest influence in shaping the contemporary French image of the United States. In view of the scarcity of materials regarding French-American relations, there is a need for a study which ascertains more precisely how the French felt about the United States during the decade after World War I.;This study goes beyond the tradition of the Marquis de la Fayette to determine how the French felt about Americans in the post-war period. In spite of successful cooperation during the Great War, the period of 1919-1929 proved to be exceedingly trying and turbulent for both nations. The theme of this study is that the celebrated friendship between the United States and France has been at once an historical myth and a reality.;This study focuses on both public opinion and the attitudes of French diplomats and politicians. The official documents covering this period, housed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Quai d'Orsay, were only recently opened for research purposes. These documents were thoroughly examined to discover the attitudes expressed by the French government. A wide range of French newspapers has been consulted to uncover the viewpoints of the journalists and politicians. A balance has been achieved between official diplomatic relations and the role of public opinion in determining the actual attitudes of the French toward the Americans.;French expectations of peace and security, based upon promises inherent in Wilsonianism, made it difficult for France to accept the new structure of world power and her dependence on the United States. Having been weakened by the war, France was forced to recognize the new status of the United States as a world power. When the United States refused to guarantee French security, the French felt they were the victims of compromise and trickery. However, despite their disappointment, the French never abandoned the hope that the United States would prove to be a friend. France continued her effort to extract from the United States a commitment to guarantee French security.;France saw her security and position among world powers being threatened. Furthermore, as the French became financially dependent upon the United States, the consequent resentment and frustration led to increased expressions of disappointment and bitterness toward Americans. That much of the bitterness was so easily overcome by the signing of the Kellogg-Briand Pact, Lindbergh's flight, and the visit of the American Legionnaires to France suggests that the basis for friendship continued to exist between the two nations; the numerous conflicts of national interest notwithstanding.;Despite the paucity of French efforts to influence American opinion, France always desired American friendship and hoped to be the beneficiary of American financial and military power. In the midst of all the expressions of anti-Americanism, it was always understood that the United States would remain a friend to France. The mystique of the Marquis de la Fayette was still alive at the end of the decade. Recent French anti-Americanism was not predetermined by the frustration of the 1920s, for most in both nations anticipated a bright future for French-American relations.