740.0011 European War 1939/11006: Telegram
The Chargé at Tangier (Childs) to the Secretary of State
[Received May 16—9:40 p.m.]
154. General Noguès informed me in my conversation with him at Rabat on May 13 that the German Armistice Commission had now ceased its propaganda among the natives in French Morocco and was confining itself to the functions of the Commission as defined by the Armistice.
I asked if this was in answer to his [protest] (see my 106 of April 20, 10 a.m.70) and was told that it was.
He then told me the point of view he had expressed on this subject to the German Armistice Commission. It is not repeated here as it was that set forth in my telegram 130 of May 3, 11 a.m., as having been made by the French Consul in Tetuán who it now appears was merely repeating observations Noguès had made to the Armistice Commission.
Noguès was at particular pains to emphasize to me that only 5 German bearers of De Brinon71 visas had attempted to enter French Morocco. One of these had been granted a visa inadvertently by the French Consul at Tetuán but had subsequently been compelled to leave. The other 4 who had made application in Tangier (see my telegram 120 of April 26, 5 p.m.72) had been refused visas by him. He would be glad to have their names supplied to me but I declined to take advantage of the offer as I considered that to do so might indicate we are not satisfied with his explanation. Noguès stated that he had been surprised that there had not been any German counter-pressure in the face of his strong stand in the matter of these visas.
[Page 335]I said I had heard that most of the new German Commissioners had arrived and that they now numbered about 140. He said that was approximately correct but he hoped we would not entertain false notions about them. A large number were not officers but mostly personnel, the officers being only in the proportion of about 1 in 5 or 6. The new head of the Commission, General Schulteis, had not arrived yet he added. Later I saw his private secretary and suggested the Department would find helpful a complete list of the former not necessarily according to names but according to their rank and he promised to endeavor to obtain this. He showed me a list being circulated of the latest arrivals from which I ascertained that of 13 Germans only 1 was an officer, a captain, 2 were telephone operators and the balance sergeants and corporals.