Editorial Note

No United States record of the conversation has been found. The information set forth above with respect to the meeting and the participants is derived from Pickersgill, pp. 320–321, which reproduces excerpts from Mackenzie King’s diary notes on the conversation. From Mackenzie King’s notes it appears that the principal subject of conversation was the problem of St. Pierre and Miquelon. According to this source, Hull indicated that the South American republics would feel that the United States Government was not sincere in preventing the forcible transfer of territories in the Western Hemisphere if the Free French were allowed to retain St. Pierre and Miquelon. Hull proposed that a commission of experts be appointed to supervise the operation of the radio station on St. Pierre and that Churchill might induce the Free French to withdraw and thus restore the status quo ante. Mackenzie King noted in his diary:

“I told him it would not do to have the Governor restored, as he was pro-Axis, and his wife a German. I also mentioned that while we had nothing to do with the matter, Canadian feeling was relieved and pleased with the de Gaulle accomplishment. There was a feeling against me for keeping the French Minister in Ottawa, as leaning too much towards Vichy. We would have to be careful to see that whatever was done would not appear that we were sacrificing the Free French. I said to Mr. Hull I would try to get Mr. Churchill to view the matter in this way. Mr. Hull and I then went over to the White House, where we joined the President and Mr. Churchill in the Oval Room at tea…”

For background on the seizure by Free French forces of the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, see the memorandum of December 26 (post, p. 383) and Foreign Relations, 1941, vol. ii, p. 540.