740.0011 European War 1939/11687: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received 6:30 p.m.]
634. Governor Boisson99a of French West Africa and Admiral Esteva99b were called urgently to Vichy, the former arriving last night and the latter expected this evening.
Monick has just sent word (as all our callers are carefully noted by Government agents he doesn’t dare call in person again) by a trusted mutual friend—a high official in one of the Ministries—that if our Government finds it possible to make some such statement as he advocated (our telegram 627, June 4, 1 p.m.) time is of the essence. It might, Monick feels, conceivably strengthen Boisson, with whose reported determination to keep the Germans out of Dakar the Department is familiar; and given Weygand’s similar views, it might possibly have some slightly restraining effect. In any event it would make it more difficult to hide German utilization of French Africa and bases under the familiar German guise of helping France defend her colonies against threatened British or American aggression.
If some move is not made quickly, said our friend, German submarines may be basing on Dakar in a relatively few days.
Monick is returning to Morocco tomorrow to “wind up his affairs”.
Repeated to Algiers, Casablanca and Tangier.