Joe, you could be right. Quoting Gershwin: "The opening gay section is followed by a rich 'blues' with a strongly rhythmic undercurrent. Our American friend, perhaps after strolling into a cafe and having a few drinks, has suddenly succumbed to a spasm of homesickness. The harmony here is both more intense and simple than in preceding pages. The 'blues' moves to a climax, followed by a coda in which the spirit of the music returns to the vivacity and bubbling exuberance of the opening part with its impressions of Paris. Apparently the homesick American, having left the cafe and reached the open air, has downed his spell of blues and once again is an alert spectator of Parisian life. At the conclusion the street noises and French atmosphere are triumphant."   Deena Rosenberg, who has done a biography of the Gershwins, George and Ira.

Another other statement, which you quote, was written for "Musical America" before he completed the piece; it was a work-in-progress: "The opening part will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six, though the themes are all original." His major themes in the completed piece certainly are original, but little snippets of material show the 'American's' provenance as he is exposed to Paris.