“The Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations does not endorse or recommend the utilisation of E-mail, including E-mails wrongly sent on its behalf, for the purpose of supporting a campaign against war in Iraq.”

This is the message that greets visitors to the Web site of France’s U.N. mission. It seems to have been prompted by an e-mail that is circulating through anti-war circles. The version of it that we got had been forwarded several times, but at the root was a message that said, “Dear Friends, I just spoke with France’s U.N. office. They are BEGGING us to flood their offices and the other U.N. offices with emails to STOP the WAR. France needs to know that Americans are with them on this. PLEASE forward this to everyone you can. The UN email addresses are below for the Security Council. This could really make a difference, we can help the world stand together for peace. This email is making the rounds all over the nation, send your emails and faxes today! Thank you.”

A devious ploy by the pro-war camp to clog the e-mail box of France’s U.N. mission? A misstep by a rogue employee at the French mission? Typical French two-facedness?

“I don’t know anything about the factual base of this,” said Eric Darton, a New York-based author who says he got the email message and passed it along to a friend, but did not e-mail the U.N. missions.

Still, the idea that the French were seeking support did spur some Americans to action. Daniel Pope, a professor of history at the University of Oregon, told us that he actually tried to e-mail the U.N. missions listed. And another University of Oregon professor, Gordon Lafer, said, “I did send something to the French consulate. Worst come to worst, I wasted 20 seconds.”

An official at the French U.N. mission didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.

We find the whole episode illuminating, if only for the way it shows how responsive some of the anti-war crowd is to the perceived requests — true or not — of France.

In the realm of contacts between the American anti-war activists and foreign governments, these e-mails and any underlying reality to the original “BEGGING” probably rank as among the most innocuous. But the anti-war protesters will probably do better in the end if they focus their efforts on swaying the American government rather than on trying to undermine its position with foreign countries.