882.20/466: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Minister in Liberia (Walton)
27. Your 42, June 9, 5 p.m. Ambassador Bullitt has forwarded to us a copy of a despatch prepared by the Liberian Minister in Paris after a conversation with the French Minister of Colonies, the contents of which you probably are aware of by now, which indicates [Page 596] that the French Government is again pressing for acceptance of its original proposal to garrison Liberia with a battalion of French West African troops pending the establishment of a native army. Moreover, the latest French plan apparently regards 5000 men as “a strict minimum”, and contemplates sending to Liberia 12 commissioned officers instead of the non-commissioned staff which, it is understood, Liberia suggested as a compromise for the proposal to station French troops within its borders.
Despite the assurances mentioned by the Minister of Colonies relative to the eventual withdrawal of French troops from Liberian territory, we consider that the renewed insistence of the French Government on the matter of armed forces serves only to emphasize the objections outlined in our telegram no. 23, June 5, 7 p.m. In addition to the reasons already enumerated, our War and Navy officials point out that the presence on Liberian soil of French troops, or French-trained troops, might actually attract the attention of an aggressor nation and thus constitute an objective for attack. The officials we have consulted, including the chief of the Army War Plans Division, are of the opinion that in case of such attack a force of 5000 natives would serve no purpose except as a target to draw the enemy’s fire.
We note that the French aide-mémoire of May 8 invites counterproposals on the part of Liberia. Since it is obvious that in protecting Liberia, France and Great Britain would be defending their own vital interests in West Africa as well, it seems to us that the Liberian Government, rather than accept the French plan of a territorial defense force, should continue to endeavor to persuade the appropriate French and British authorities to work out some sort of joint understanding on the subject of assistance to Liberia, or at least to give the Liberian Government informal assurances that they would be prepared to render such aid as might be considered necessary or feasible in case of emergency. With respect to the participation of Great Britain in such measures of assistance, we have been surprised to note in the despatch of the Liberian Minister at Paris the statements of the Minister of Colonies that he had no information concerning the attitude of Great Britain and that he had had no contacts with British authorities in his study of the problem. It was our understanding that the discussions initiated by the Liberian Government on April 12 were entered into simultaneously, although separately, with the British, as well as the French, representative in Monrovia, while from your telegram no. 25 of April 19, 4 p.m., it appeared that the French Chargé d’Affaires had informed the Liberian Government that France had accepted the proposal for an agreement with Great Britain under which air and naval assistance would be rendered to Liberia in the event of hostilities and that conversations in respect thereto had been opened by Paris with London.
[Page 597]Whether or not such a commitment on the part of Great Britain or France is forthcoming, however, it is the opinion of our War and Navy Departments that neither of those two Powers could permit the establishment of a hostile base on Liberian territory and that they would inevitably be compelled to take steps to prevent this should the occasion arise. In the last analysis, therefore, it would appear to be immaterial whether a formal agreement on the subject is entered into, the main problem for Liberia at the moment being that of internal defense.
In the latter connection you may inform President Barclay in strict confidence that the War Department is exploring the possibility of having American manufacturers make available to the Liberian Government at cost the suggested machine gun equipment together with a reasonable amount of ammunition. As you were previously informed, we are also instructing the American Ambassador at Paris to make known to the French Government our general views on the subject of defensive assistance for Liberia.
Should the Liberian Government have further fears as to the danger of attack from within, you might suggest that it give consideration to the possibility of restricting the immigration of aliens whose purpose in entering the country could not be satisfactorily explained or whose increasing numbers might develop into a minority likely to threaten the best interests of Liberia.