740.00112 European War 1939/2539: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received 9:28 p.m.]
439. The Embassy has received a note from the Foreign Office expressing its anxiety concerning the economic situation of French West Africa. It points out that in view of its undertakings to us that colony cannot be supplied from North Africa by products similar to those imported from the United States in Algeria, Tunis or Morocco. It adds that it is exactly those products in which French West Africa is most deficient and that its trade with bordering colonies under present circumstances is potentially inexistent.
The note proceeds to state that the French Government at the present stage of Franco-American negotiations relative to the supplying of the unoccupied zone and other parts of the French Empire has [Page 286] no intention of requesting our Government at this time to enter into discussions with respect to free passage for overseas products indispensable to French West Africa though it may do so at some later date.
There is one particular point which the Ministry on behalf of the Ministry of Colonies does not [now?], however, wish to bring to our Government’s attention, namely, the position of the Air France commercial service at Dakar which for lack of fuel will beginning next month be compelled to stop operations. That company serves “for exclusively civilian commercial and sanitary needs”, air liaison between West Africa and France (service twice weekly from Dakar; two weekly branch services between Dakar and Cotonou and various civilian services organized at the request of local governments extending throughout French West Africa from Zinder to Port Etienne). The note points out that the suspension of these services will have disastrous consequences, particularly from the sanitary point of view. The Ministry maintains that air travel is about the only means for shifting surgeons and doctors and medicines around or removing the sick from isolated points.
The Ministry therefore requests that these facts be brought to the Department’s attention with an indication that the requirements of Air France at Dakar per month are approximately 220,000 liters of aviation gasoline of 90/92 octane and 2,000 liters of 100 octane; and that the supplying agency for Air France is the Vacuum Oil Company. Emphasizing the importance which is Attachéd to maintenance of these air communications the Foreign Office urges our Government to authorize a “test” shipment of aviation gasoline to Dakar “which will be destined exclusively to the aforesaid French company”. It adds that the most strict control may be exercised over the consumption of this gasoline both by our Consul at Dakar and by representatives of the Vacuum. Furthermore the tanks of Air France at Dakar would only be filled from month to month so that each new shipment would not be unloaded except after approval by our Consul and the Vacuum representatives. The Ministry requests as early a reply as possible to this note.
In discussing the note orally the Embassy pointed out that while we have no knowledge of what the Department’s reaction to the proposal may be, since both the Department and the Embassy are well aware that Belgian gold is being shipped by airplane from Dakar in every commercial plane that leaves that port for delivery to the Germans, such a fact might, aside from any other consideration, dampen any enthusiasm for furnishing the means for helping to continue such service. The Foreign Office representative replied that [Page 287] he could well appreciate this argument and suggested that if we are otherwise willing to supply the gasoline we should as a condition to such supply require an undertaking that no gold will henceforth be shipped from that area. The French would he thinks (though he may be unduly optimistic) be able to obtain German permission to stop such deliveries. (He has no knowledge of how much Belgian gold still remains at Dakar or Kayes.)