851B.01/12½
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)
The French Ambassador called to see me this afternoon at my request. I told the Ambassador that I had discussed the Martinique problem fully with the President and that the President had authorized me to say to the Ambassador that a friendly agreement between the French Government and the United States comprised of the following points would be satisfactory to this Government.
[Page 511]- 1.
- The French Government will request the German Government to modify the armistice terms so that the French warships now at Martinique and Guadeloupe need not return to continental France.
- 2.
- The French Government will officially assure the Government of the United States that the French warships at the two French islands will not leave the ports where they are now at anchor.
- 3.
- In the event that the French commander-in-chief should at any time consider it imperative for reasons of internal order that the ships in question undertake any movements, the Government of the United States will first be informed through the French Embassy in Washington.
- 4.
- A high ranking naval officer of the United States will be attached to the American Consulate in Martinique for the purpose of supervising the carrying out of this agreement and will be accorded every facility by the French commander-in-chief to fulfill his mission. The officer in question will be accorded full diplomatic privileges involving particularly complete freedom of radio communication with his government in Washington. He will be accorded every opportunity to inspect the French vessels in question.
- 5.
- The French Government will immediately return to the factories from which they came, all of the airplanes of American origin on the French airplane carrier in Martinique with the exception of the five airplanes purchased by the Belgian Government. When the airplanes are returned to the private manufacturers in the United States, payments will be made therefor to the French Government in liquid funds with the understanding, however, that the sum so obtained by the French Government will be utilized solely for expenditures within the United States.
The French Ambassador stated that all of the points above enumerated were satisfactory to him with the exception of point 5 and that while in principle he was entirely in accord that point 5 should be complied with, he feared that his Government would state that it was counter to the provision in the armistice signed with Germany which provided that the French Government would agree not to sell or transfer outside of French territory any armaments of any kind or description.
I stated to the Ambassador that however this might be, I must firmly insist that this point was essential and that my Government attributed the greatest importance to it.
The Ambassador said he would immediately communicate this proposal to his Government by telegram and would advise me as soon as a reply was received.