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Memorandum of Conversation, by the Adviser on Political Relations (Dunn)
Dr. Thomsen91 came in this afternoon at his own request. He stated that Mr. Beam92 had taken up with the Embassy here the difficulties [Page 450] we are encountering in obtaining permission for Mr. MacArthur to return from Vichy to our Embassy in Paris. Dr. Thomsen said that he had taken this matter up with his Government, and had been informed that the German Government did not consider that any of the officers of the Embassy who left Paris before the occupation to accompany the French Government now formed a part of our establishment in Paris, and therefore declined to permit any such officers to return to the occupied zone for the purpose of resuming their duties at the Paris Embassy.
Dr. Thomsen then referred to another subject Mr. Beam had brought up with him, that is, the difficulties we are having in obtaining permission for the establishment of a direct courier service from Paris to Lisbon. The German Chargé d’Affaires stated that he had also taken this matter up with his Government, and had been informed that in view of the military operations now proceeding in the occupied zone of France, the German Government could not see its way clear to permitting the functioning of such a direct courier service through this territory. Dr. Thomsen went on to say that this refusal was not to be considered an unfriendly act, as the same principle was being applied to all countries, and further, the German Government hoped that this situation would be only of a temporary nature and that at some time in the future it would be possible to permit the functioning of such courier service.