851.48/327
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Acting Secretary of State
The French Ambassador called to see me this afternoon.
The Ambassador stated that he had now received an official reply to the inquiry I had made of him some days ago as to the attitude which the French Government would take with regard to certain points in which this Government was vitally interested in the event that some arrangement could be worked out with the agreement of the British Government for the purchase by the Vichy Government of food supplies for unoccupied France in the United States. The Ambassador gave me the following official assurances:
- 1.
- Complete supervision and control of distribution covering all such food supplies, both in unoccupied France and in North Africa, by American citizens designated by the American Government.
- 2.
- Any French ships utilized for the taking of such food supplies from the United States to ports of unoccupied France or of North Africa to be returned immediately to American waters. In this connection the French Government expressed the hope that should French ships now in ports of unoccupied France or of North Africa be utilized for this purpose in addition to the French ships now in United States ports, the Government of the United States would agree that these additional French ships would not be immobilized should they come to United States ports.
- 3.
- The French Government gives its positive assurance that under no conditions will it agree to take any action which can be of benefit or assistance, direct or indirect, to the German Government over and above the obligations encumbered upon the French Government as a result of the armistice signed with Germany.
- 4.
- The French Government officially informs the Government of the United States that at this moment there are exactly 62 German officials in North Africa including privates and non-commissioned officers, The French Government declares to this Government that it [Page 133] will firmly oppose as it has in the past any increase by Germany of this number of German officials in North Africa and will under no conditions agree to any increase in the membership of the so-called Armistice Commission.
I told the Ambassador that I was very glad to receive these assurances and that the information he had given me, and the additional questions involved in the purchase of food supplies by France in the United States would be taken up for discussion by me with the British Ambassador in the near future. I said that of course the Ambassador must realize that no final decision could be reached in the matter until we had seen the results of the experiment involved in the sending of the two gift cargoes in French vessels to unoccupied France. I said that both his Government and he would, of course, realize that should the distribution of these gift cargoes be carried out to our entire satisfaction and in accordance with the assurances given in that regard, public opinion in this country and in Great Britain would be far better satisfied to make further experiments than if additional steps in this sense were taken immediately.
The Ambassador again impressed upon me the urgent need for additional food supplies in unoccupied France and how desirable it was that further shipments be arranged for.
I stated that the attitude of this Government in that regard was as I had set forth above.