740.0011 European War 1939/4557: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consul General at Beirut (Palmer)
38. Your no. 51, July 10, noon, last paragraph. Please endeavor to obtain further information regarding Weygand’s reported visit to Syria, several indications of which we have received. Lane reported [Page 899] from Belgrade on July 114 that the French Minister there had informed him that Weygand’s recent trip to Syria was to persuade Mittelhauser to remain loyal to the Pétain Government. This would seem to verify a report from Cairo, dated July 3,14 that Wavell’s visit to Syria “several days ago” had coincided with that of Weygand. A German official broadcast from Athens is said to have reported that Weygand was in Athens on June 30 en route to Syria.