740.00112 European War 1939/2815½
The French Ambassador (Henry-Haye) to the Secretary of State
Mr. Secretary of State: Referring to the memorandum initialed at Algiers February 26, 1941, by General Weygand and Mr. Robert Murphy, as well as to the letter sent by Admiral Darlan on March 10, 1941, to Admiral Leahy, I have the honor to confirm to Your Excellency that the guarantees formulated in those documents will apply to the goods listed in the attached program,49a which concerns the needs of French North Africa in import products of first urgency.
Accordingly, the French Government undertakes not to build up excessive stocks of the said goods in French North Africa and to take all pertinent measures with a view to assuring that these products and like products will be consumed in French North Africa and will not be reexported therefrom in any form.
The performance of these undertakings will be checked upon by the representatives that the American Government shall have designated for this purpose. The latter will receive all facilities with a view to the carrying out of their mission, the practical forms of the [Page 240] control could, moreover form the subject of a subsequent understanding, if such is necessary, between our two Governments.
French vessels, stationed in ports of America, which are or shall be assigned to transportation of goods as a result of this agreement, shall be returned to their port of departure in America in case they should cease to be used for such transportation. The return voyage of each vessel to America must be made within the shortest possible space of time after the discharging of its cargo in North African ports.
Moreover, it is understood that the United States is disposed to give all possible facilities for the continuance of this traffic and that it will use its good offices to obtain from the British Government the assurance that no vessel actually employed in this traffic will be seized or held by the action of the British authorities.
Failing such guarantee, the French Government would find itself in the impossibility of carrying out the obligations contracted in these agreements.
The French vessels used for direct transportation of goods between the United States and French North Africa shall not take on board any passenger except with the previous approval of the American Government. They shall not transport any letter or correspondence, of any nature whatever.
A complete list of the cargo of each vessel leaving a North African port shall be communicated, three days before its sailing, to the representative of the United States nearest to the port of departure. Vessels sailing for ports of the United States or other territories of America shall go directly to their destination and they may take on only natural or manufactured products of French North Africa, unless it be with the approval of the American Government, which has been sought in the course of numerous recent conversations.
The settlement for the sums due by American importers shall be made to the credit of the special N. A. account opened in the name of the French Government by the French American Banking Corporation in New York. This account may not be used except in conformity with agreements entered into or to be entered into by the United States Treasury and this Embassy.
The requests made by the Department of State concerning, on the one hand the exportation of a certain quantity of olive oil from North Africa to the United States, and on the other the undertaking not to export ores of cobalt and Molybdenum from Morocco, are now the subject of careful examination on the part of the French Government. I hope to be in a position soon to communicate to Your Excellency my Government’s reply on these two points.
In conclusion, I think I must call your attention to the fact that the attached program applies only to the most urgent needs of French [Page 241] North Africa. It would be highly desirable that a definitive agreement be entered into as soon as possible between our two Governments in order to give to the supply of French North Africa the indispensable scope and regularity and all the value which is attributed to it by the French Government.
I should be grateful if Your Excellency would be good enough to confirm to me your agreement with the terms of this letter.
Please accept [etc.]
- Not attached to file copy.↩