Accra Consulate files, lot 59 F 7, “350–Political Affairs”
The First Secretary of the Embassy at Paris (Moore) to the Consul at Accra (Cole)
official–informal
Dear Mr. Cole: Some days ago one of the officials in the Central and South African Section of Afrique-Levant in the Foreign Office asked me to call on him on a problem relating to your recent trip to Lomé in French Togo.1
It appears that the French authorities in Lomé had reported that while in Lomé you met, in a “semi-clandestine manner”, with Mr. Sylvanus Olympio, one of the leaders of the Comité de l’Unité Togolaise. The Foreign Office official commented that we undoubtedly appreciated that meetings of this nature, irrespective of how worthy the motive and sincere the intention, almost invariably assumed, in the eyes of the natives, a significance out of all proportion to reality. Hence, he wished, not officially but as a friend, to call our attention to the circumspection which is necessary in contacts between our consular officers and native leaders in such backward areas. He also felt that [Page 236] the Department should treat with a certain reserve any report you may have written on French Togo, since you were in contact with only one of the local parties there (although admittedly the most important) and thus your observations might tend to be one-sided.
I made no particular comment other than to say that I knew that it was not your intention to stir up idle speculation on the part of the native population and that I presumed your interest was in informing yourself of varying viewpoints on local problems; I was sure that our consular officers in that area recognize the problems created by contact with local leaders and that they make every effort to maintain a proper relationship with them.
I plan to make no further reply to the Foreign Office official other than to indicate that I have passed along his comments to appropriate officials. I would, however, appreciate your sending to me a copy of any report which you may have written on your trip to Lomé and your conversation with Mr. Olympio, together with any other comments you may wish to make.2
The Foreign Office official’s attitude was entirely friendly and he seemed motivated by the desire to eliminate possible sources of friction between our two countries. He appeared fully to recognize that contact between our consular officers and local leaders was inevitable and I surmise that he felt it would be useful to refer to this particular case as a reminder that caution should be exercised in our relationship with the native population.
Sincerely yours,
- Cole made this trip between May 25 and 27, 1952. For further documentation on the subject of French Togoland and as well the issue of Ewe unification, see vol. iii, pp. 1075 ff.↩
- Cole replied on Sept. 11 that he had not met with Olympio or any other nationalist leader in the course of his trip. Moreover, he noted that “The administration in French Togoland seems almost psychopathic in their concern about nationalist trends in the area”. (Accra Consulate files, lot 59 F 7, “350–Political Affairs”)↩