740.0011 European War 1939/37281/6: Telegram
The Ambassador in the United Kingdom (Kennedy) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 12—7:45 p.m.]
1622. Prime Minister to President Roosevelt. Following from Former Naval Person.98a
[Page 247]Personal and Secret. I spent last night and this morning at the French G Q G99 where the situation was explained to me in the grayest terms by Generals Weygand and Georges. You have no doubt received full particulars from Mr. Bullitt. The practical point is what will happen when and if the French front breaks, Paris is taken and General Weygand reports formally to his Government that France can no longer continue what he calls “coordinated war”. The aged Marshal Pétain who was none too good in April and July 1918 is I fear ready to lend his name and prestige to a treaty of peace for France. Reynaud on the other hand is for fighting on and he has a young General de Gaulle who believes much can be done. Admiral Darlan declares he will send the French fleet to Canada; it would be disastrous if the two big modern ships fell into bad hands. It seems to me that there must be many elements in France who will wish to continue the struggle, either in France or in the French colonies or in both. This, therefore, is the moment for you to strengthen Reynaud the utmost you can and try to tip the balance in favor of the best and longest possible French resistance. I venture to put this point before you although I know you must understand it as well as I do.
Of course I made it clear to the French that we shall continue whatever happened and that we thought Hitler could not win the war or the mastery of the world until he had disposed of us, which has not been found easy in the past and which perhaps will not be found easy now. I made it clear to the French that we had good hopes of victory and anyhow had no doubts whatever of what our duty was. If there is anything you can say publicly or privately to the French now is the time. [Former Naval Person.]
Before I left the Prime Minister he urged me strongly to present again his crying need for destroyers. They lost two more yesterday. With invasion threatened and the trade routes likely to be attacked with the help of Italian submarines he feels he is in a most precarious position and believes he needs destroyers more than anything else including planes. Replacements and repairs are by no means filling the gap.