751.90D/80
The Chargé in France (Wilson) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 23.]
Sir: As the Department knows, Mardam Bey, the Syrian Prime Minister, came to Paris late in August of this year for the purpose of ironing out the difficulties in the way of ratification by the French Government of the Franco-Syrian treaty of December 22, 1936.
On November 14 “arrangements” were concluded between the Syrian Prime Minister and the French Minister of Foreign Affairs “completing the December 22, 1936, treaty”. These “arrangements” consist of a protocol, a joint declaration, and an agreement “regarding the relations between the French and Syrian armies”.
[Page 1029]The Foreign Office has supplied the Embassy, at its request, with the texts of the protocol and joint declaration, but not with the text of the military agreement. The texts of the protocol and the joint declaration are enclosed, with translations32 made by the Embassy, for the Department’s confidential information.
The protocol relates primarily to the exchange of notes of December 11, 1937,33 between the French and Syrian Governments, in which, according to a statement appearing in the April 1, 1938, issue of the Revue de Paris, the Syrian Government (1) confirms its “guarantee to individuals and to communities of the full exercise of their rights”; (2) assures a certain autonomy to the “Mohafazats”, and (3) provides for the employment of French “technical counselors” to assist the Syrian authorities. In other words, the exchange of notes of December 11, 1937, is understood not only to renew undertakings with respect to the rights of the minorities but also to give a double guaranty of those rights in the form of concessions to small local autonomous units and a commitment to employ French experts or advisors.
The joint declaration sets January 20, 1939, for the Syrian Parliament, and January 31, 1939, for the French Parliament, as the ultimate date limits for ratification of the treaty of December 22, 1936. In the event of such ratification the administrative functions still retained by the mandatory power will be transferred to the Syrian Government during the month of February 1939.
In conversation with a member of the Embassy staff several days after the signature of these “arrangements”, M. Lagarde expressed the opinion that the independence of Syria would be an accomplished fact soon after the beginning of the new year. Subsequently, the Embassy was advised, from a private source which has usually been very dependable with respect to Franco-Syrian matters, not to take M. Lagarde’s opinion on this point at its face value; that developments within the French Parliament were in the making which would shortly justify an entirely different estimate of the situation with respect to the full entry into force of the treaty of December 22, 1936.
These developments have apparently now materialized. Last night the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate, after having listened to a detailed exposition of the international situation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, issued an official communiqué which contained, inter alia, the statement that “with respect to the Franco-Syrian treaty, he [the Minister of Foreign Affairs]34 declared that the Government will not request, for the time being, consideration of the treaty’s ratification.”
[Page 1030]The explanation of this statement so obviously at variance with the provisions of the joint declaration of November 14, 1938, as obtained by the Embassy from a private source, is briefly as follows: Since the Munich accord, French opinion has become increasingly aware of “empire interests.” The desire to protect and to develop these interests has been strengthened by recent Italian maneuvers. The parties of the Center and the Right, particularly the Democratic Alliance and the Republican Federation, are determined in their opposition to any concessions at the expense of the French empire. The votes of these two parties were essential to the Government in the recent test of strength in the Chamber. Under these circumstances, M. Grat, Secretary of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber and a member of the Republican Federation, was sent to the Prime Minister as a representative of the Moderate parties in the Chamber to obtain a firm undertaking that ratification of the Franco-Syrian treaty would not be requested by the Daladier Government. According to the Embassy’s informant, this undertaking was given, which explains yesterday’s announcement in the communiqué of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
There has not yet been time to check the foregoing explanation, but the Embassy will attempt to do so within the next few days and will report its findings. In the meantime, however, there is enclosed, in substantiation of this explanation, a translation of an article35 on the subject of the Franco-Syrian treaty by M. Grat which appeared in the December 6 issue of Le Jour-Echo de Paris.
It is the Embassy’s understanding, based on articles in the press and on conversations with private persons and officials interested in the problem of the Franco-Syrian treaty, and on articles which have recently appeared in the press, that the arguments adduced against ratification are:
- (1)
- The loss of Damascus would presage the loss of Tunis, Algeria, and Morocco.
- (2)
- Naval and air bases in the eastern Mediterranean are essential to the protection of the French empire.
- (3)
- France must protect its 25 percent participation in the Mosul oil fields through control of the pipe line from those fields, and it must also keep its hand on Syrian petroleum in the Upper Jeziret.
- (4)
- French culture is on the decline in Palestine, Egypt, and Turkey—France must not lose its dominant position in Syria.
- (5)
- France cannot abandon the Christian minorities of Syria to a Moslem majority.
In view of the foregoing, it is difficult to express a categoric opinion with respect to the question raised in the Department’s instruction No. 1119 of October 13, 1938; namely, whether any useful purpose [Page 1031] would be served if the tentative drafts of treaties with Syria, which are envisaged by the Department, should be completed and forwarded to the Embassy to serve as the basis of informal conversations with the Foreign Office. At the present time it seems unlikely that the independence of Syria will become a reality in the very near future. On the other hand, during the past eighteen months progressive application has been given to the various provisions of the treaty. The Syrian Nationalist State, although not completed by full independence, is largely existent and functioning. The modalities of returning to the mandate are, therefore, difficult to envisage. Perhaps within the next week or so the Embassy will be able to submit a somewhat more definite opinion on this point.
Before terminating this despatch it should be recorded that during the course of the conversation between M. Lagarde and a member of the Embassy staff, the question of juridical safeguards for foreigners in Syria was touched upon. M. Lagarde admitted that this troublesome problem had not been solved in any detail by a written agreement with the Syrian Government, but that the general principle had been adopted that legal procedure in Syria with respect to foreigners resident in that area should follow the lines of the procedure envisaged for Morocco; i. e., that courts on which French judges sit would be available to foreigners in Syria. No expression of opinion on this point was vouchsafed by the representative of the Embassy.
Respectfully yours,