Foreign Relations of the United States, The Conferences at Washington, 1941–1942, and Casablanca, 1943

Hopkins Papers

The President’s Special Assistant (Hopkins) to the President

[Extract]¹

Washington, December 29, 1941.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

St. Pierre & Miquelon

The Prime Minister just phoned me at 6:45,² reading me a cable from the Foreign Office to him, in which they indicate the most strenuous objection to the ousting of the Free French from Miquelon.³

They claim de Gaulle will not issue the orders to throw his commander out.

The burden of the message was that the whole business would kick up an unbelievable row, for which we could give no good public explanation. In spite of the fact that de Gaulle acted in bad faith, the British don’t see how he can be forced out and think that the use of force would be very bad.

H. L. H.

1. The omitted paragraphs of this memorandum refer to the Joint Declaration of Allied unity; see post, p. 373.
2. Churchill was in Ottawa on December 29–30 and the morning of December 31, returning to Washington late that evening.
3. See the editorial note on the Churchill-Hull conversation on December 28, ante, p. 131.