Roosevelt Papers
Draft Statement to the Press 1
Suggested Joint Statement by the President and the Prime Minister
The President and the Prime Minister met in northern Africa on January 14th. They were accompanied by or preceded by members of the Combined Staff.
Since then there have been daily conferences relating to the continuation and strengthening of the war effort.
The plans are progressing in every way, favorably.
They have received visits from Mr. Murphy and Mr. Macmillan, Generals Eisenhower, Clark and Spaatz of the American Expeditionary Force in North Africa, and also from General Alexander and Air Marshal Tedder from the British Eighth Army operating in Tripoli.
The President was accompanied by Mr. Hopkins, and the meeting was joined by Mr. Averell Harriman and Lord Leathers of the British Shipping Administration, who came from London.
General Giraud spent several days with the American and British representatives.
General de Gaulle was invited to come from London, but declined. General Giraud will proceed with the organization of a French army [Page 831] of several hundred thousand men coming from Algeria, Morocco, French West Africa and Tunis; and it is hoped that this Army, formed to assist in the liberation of France itself, will be joined by other French who find themselves in a position to cooperate. The equipping of this French army will come largely from American and British sources. General Giraud will be in command of all French forces and the civil administrations in North and West Africa will be responsible to him in order to forward as greatly as possible the attainment of the single objective—the liberation of France.
This arrangement, pending the establishment of a government chosen by the French people themselves, in no sense sets itself up as the government, or the provisional government, or the prospective government of France.
The meetings held during the past week in North Africa make clear the only great purpose which can be considered at this time—the winning of the war against the Axis powers, and, with it, the liberation of France.
The President and the Prime Minister have now completed the work of planning and cooperation necessary at this time. The meetings have been wholly successful.
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The text of this statement, the file copy of which is undated, was cabled by the Prime Minister to the British Deputy Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary on January 20, 1943, at 10:03 p.m., along with the following explanatory message:
↩- “1. The President has shown me the enclosed draft statement. I invite your comments upon I hear from you tomorrow, 21st.
- “2. We have been waiting all day for a further reply from de Gaulle or for some explanation by you. If de Gaulle does not come the President will make an arrangement very favourable for General Giraud which I shall not easily be able to resist. Giraud has made an excellent impression on everyone here, military and political alike.
- “3. The President proposes to raise the rate exchange from 75 francs to the dollar to 50 and he asks whether we will alter our rate in Madagascar and elsewhere in the reverse direction to have one unique rate of 50. On this point, I seek your advice.” (Hopkins Papers)
As subsequently revised and enlarged, this draft statement eventuated as the final conference communiqué; for the draft and the final text of the communiqué, see post, pp. 842 and 847. The preparation of such a statement was agreed upon at the meeting of the Combined Chiefs of Staff with Roosevelt and Churchill on January 18, ante, p. 635. Regarding the preparation of a more detailed statement to the press which included a declaration on unconditional surrender, see footnote 1, post, p. 833.