740.00112 European War 1939/2735½
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Alling)
| Participants: | Mr. Nevile Butler, Counselor of the British Embassy; |
| Mr. David Eccles, of the British Embassy; | |
| Mr. Atherton;60 | |
| Mr. Reber;61 | |
| Mr. Murray;62 | |
| Mr. Alling. |
Mr. Butler said that the Embassy now had instructions from the Foreign Office regarding the proposal for the extension of economic aid to French West Africa. The Foreign Office agreed that economic pressure against French West Africa was not enough and that it was now desirable to proceed with economic assistance subject to certain conditions. The first of these was that American observers and control officers should be stationed in French West Africa, particularly at Dakar. The Foreign Office also called attention to the fact that French West Africa had an annual exportable surplus of approximately 450,000 tons of ground nuts. This surplus amounted to approximately 150,000 tons of edible oil and of this amount the British Government understood that some 60 per cent or 90,000 tons was going to Germany through unoccupied France. The Foreign Office felt that it was essential to eliminate or in any case to reduce this large quantity of edible oils going to Germany.
The Foreign Office also pointed out that if economic aid was extended to French West Africa, there would be certain repercussions in French Equatorial Africa and in the Cameroons territories which, as we knew, were controlled by General de Gaulle.63 The Foreign Office, therefore, expressed the hope that it would be possible for the United States Government to extend aid to these de Gaulle territories. It would be preferable that such aid be extended prior to the time that aid was given to French West Africa but in any case aid to the de Gaulle territories should be given not later than simultaneously to that with French West Africa. Mr. Butler expanded upon this [Page 329] proposal by pointing out that unless the de Gaulle territories received such aid their leaders, who after all had shown their bravery and their sympathy with the Allied cause by separating themselves from Vichy, might conclude that their action was ill-advised and that they might better have continued to serve the Vichy Government.
Mr. Atherton pointed out that the Department would of course be glad to consider any proposals which the British might wish to make with regard to assistance to the de Gaulle territories. At the same time he pointed out that under our present practice the de Gaulle territories were free to purchase in this country any supplies they desired except those actually needed for our own defense. These supplies could, moreover, be carried to French Equatorial Africa in American ships and it was, therefore, not quite clear why General de Gaulle needed economic assistance. Mr. Eccles stated that the problem resolved itself into a question of payments. He pointed out that supplies for the Vichy controlled territories could be paid for by the French with the large sums which the French Government had available in the United States. Obviously these funds were not available for the purpose of making purchases for use in the de Gaulle territories. It appeared that what was necessary in the case of French Equatorial Africa was the extension of economic aid apparently with no thought of payment unless, indeed, it would be possible for the United States to purchase additional amounts of goods from Equatorial Africa. In this connection the suggestion was made that importers in the United States might be able to take certain supplies of hard woods understood to be available in Equatorial Africa.
Mr. Eccles also pointed out that it would be desirable for the United States to have consular representation in the de Gaulle territory. It was pointed out to him, however, that we already had a Consul at Leopoldville, Belgian Congo, and that the latter was in touch with the French authorities who maintained their headquarters at Brazzaville which was directly across the Congo river from Leopoldville.
Mr. Atherton again repeated that the Department would be glad in principle to consider any definite proposals which the British might have with respect to French Equatorial Africa but that it was his feeling that the question of supplying that country with commodities was not directly connected with the present proposal to furnish supplies to French West Africa.
Discussion then centered about the proposal to send goods to French West Africa. Mr. Eccles pointed out that it would be quite impossible to agree to furnish that territory with large supplies of fuel oil which would only be used to bunker French merchant ships. In that connection he stated that his information showed that the French had [Page 330] in their African territories only 100,000 tons of fuel oil. A certain proportion of this, say 50,000 tons, would have to be held in reserve for possible use of the French Navy. At the present rate of consumption by the French merchant fleet of 25,000 tons of fuel oil per month, the French apparently had only sufficient fuel to keep the merchant fleet running for about two more months. He pointed out that it would obviously be difficult to convince his Government that now was the appropriate time to give additional fuel oil to the French merchant fleet particularly when it was known that French vessels were carrying such dangerous commodities as edible oils for the use of Germany. Mr. Eccles, therefore, regarded it as a sine qua non that the transport of ground nuts and edible oils to Germany by French vessels be eliminated or reduced before the British could agree to supplying fuel oil and other petroleum products to West Africa.
After some further discussion it was finally agreed that telegraphic instructions should be sent to Mr. Murphy at Casablanca directing him, at his next interview with General Weygand, to point out this situation and ask for the General’s suggestions as to a possible solution. Specifically Mr. Murphy would be instructed to state that it would obviously be difficult, if not impossible, for this Government to agree to supply petroleum products to French West Africa as long as those products were being used to convey large quantities of edible oils for German use. Furthermore, it was agreed that a telegraphic instruction should be sent to the Consul at Dakar asking him to report upon the intimation contained in telegram no. 511, May 6, 1 a.m., from the Embassy at Vichy, that a lack of gasoline in French West Africa was dangerously isolating the European elements in that colony.