740.0011 European War 1939/11740: Telegram
The Consul General at Algiers (Cole) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 9—12:20 a.m.]
231. From Murphy. General Weygand received me this afternoon. In reply to my questions he said:
1. His visit to Vichy had not changed his personal situation in the slightest. He remains Delegate General of the Government for French Africa; he has no direct connection with Syria.
[Page 372]2. At the time of his departure from Vichy the French Government had not changed its policy in respect to French Africa. Whether the British attack against Syria4 would result in a change of policy he could not prophesy but thus far it had not.
3. He viewed the Syrian situation as grave. The fact remains, he said, that there were no German troops in Syria. He could understand British military necessity but the British assertion of German occupation of Syrian territory he saw only as a pretext. It did not exist. What Vichy’s reaction to the British moves would be, General Weygand would not venture to suggest.
4. Weygand said definitely he has no intention of attacking the British and De Gaulle forces in French Equatorial Africa.
He said “Should Vichy suggest such a military operation, my reply is very simple. Such an operation is not practical. The rains have begun. No action would be physically possible until next September. The British stories about the Lake Tchad district are pure invention. I can understand (he said with a smile) that they require that area for their aviation”.
5. “I sincerely hope,[”] said Weygand, [“]that nothing will occur to interrupt friendly American relations with French Africa. Those relations are precious; it would be regrettable to discontinue them.”
6. Weygand broached the subject of the larger war problem. He said that he would be happy if the United States could succeed in retaining its present status and not become a belligerent. He repeated Darlan’s statement reported by Vichy in its 628 of June 45 to the effect that the United States is the only winner of the war thus far. He said “Obviously Germany cannot invade England. On the other hand I fail to perceive how England can invade the Continent. The United States could use its present power to force a peace. With its expanding military strength it would continue to hold the whip hand.”
I inquired what he thought of the prospects should we by some chance become involved as a belligerent. He replied “War, I have learned, is a speculative affair. No one can prophesy where America’s participation would lead your country or mine.”
7. Weygand inquired with a weary smile “what had become of our supply ships for North Africa?” I told him that matters seemed to be in suspense pending developments in the general situation. He said that the good news contained in the Department’s 125 of June 4 was heartening. He hoped for the best.
Weygand leaves early tomorrow morning for a 15-day tour of French West Africa.
Repeated to Vichy for repetition to Tangier and Casablanca. [Murphy.]
- For correspondence regarding the British occupation of Syria, see vol. iii, pp. 725 ff.↩
- Ante, p. 185.↩