881.00/1753: Telegram

The Chargé in France (Matthews) to the Secretary of State

432. Emmanuel Monick, former French Financial Attaché Liverpool, who occupied a similar post at London until recently, called to say goodby this morning. He has been appointed Secretary General of French Morocco and is leaving for his post tomorrow. He claims that he is being given a free hand in the administration of the territory as well as with respect to questions of policy. He talked at some length of the need for closer economic relations between French Morocco and the United States, particularly as the former close tie-up between the mother country and Morocco and the growing tendency toward French monopolization of Moroccan trade could under present circumstances no longer continue!

Obviously at the present time France is in no position to continue either as a principal supplier of Morocco or as its leading market. He also talked of the strong independent spirit in Morocco; its chagrin at the armistice and subsequent developments; of the excellent morale of the unbeaten colonial forces stationed there (and his statements in this respect have been fully confirmed to me by other observers including one of our own); and he hinted that British policy toward the Protectorate would, if his plans for the future materialize, be “cooperative”. How much of his rather ambitious program Monick will be able to carry out I have no means of telling. It seems worth bearing in mind.

Matthews