740.0011 European War 1930/9610
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Alling)
M. Guérin came in yesterday afternoon and, after referring to the discussion which had been held in Mr. Murray’s office earlier in the day, said there was one further fundamental matter about which he wished to talk. He said that I would recall he had told me informally and confidentially a day or two ago that he thought it would be possible for the French Ambassador here to furnish the Department, on behalf of the French Government, with assurances that no further German agents would be permitted to enter North Africa. He added that the Embassy had sent a telegram to Vichy about four days ago requesting authority to give such an assurance. He went on to say that the telegram had been very carefully worded in as much as the Embassy was not at all certain of the security of its communications. No reply, however, had been received, and he added that he had come very definitely to the conclusion that no reply would be received because of this insecurity of communications.
He then went on to explain that certain conditions had been required of the French Government in connection with the shipment of wheat to unoccupied France. One of these conditions was that the French Government would not go beyond the terms of the armistice with Germany. He inquired whether the assurance in question would not cover the question of further German infiltration into Morocco. I told him that I did not know the precise nature of the assurances he mentioned but that if under the armistice agreement the Germans were permitted to send an Armistice Commission to North Africa, the question arose whether that Commission might not be increased to almose any size, possibly including hundreds or thousands of agents. M. Guérin did not appear to question this reasoning. He then went on to inquire how much importance was attached to an assurance that [Page 278] further German agents would not be permitted to go to Morocco and asked whether such an assurance, if given, would expedite a decision regarding the question of economic cooperation. I told him that it seemed obvious to me that such an assurance would be most helpful in bringing about a favorable decision. He then said that it was his personal opinion that such an assurance could be obtained from Marshal Pétain by Admiral Leahy. I inquired whether he had any views as to the precise nature of such an assurance, particularly whether it would be oral or written. He said that he thought it would be easier to obtain an oral assurance, but he did not exclude the possibility of a written assurance. He again emphasized the fact that it was because of the insecurity of their communications that the Vichy Government would hesitate to telegraph such an assurance to the Embassy in Washington.
In view of the information contained in telegram No. 71, March 21, noon, from the Legation at Tangier to the effect that the British Consul General has learned from an official source that 250 additional German members of the Armistice Commission are expected shortly in French Morocco, it would appear to be desirable to give consideration to the possibility of obtaining from Marshal Petain an assurance along the line of that referred to above.