124.516/357: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Chargé in Germany (Morris)
1060. Your 1369, April 9, 6 p.m., and Paris Embassy’s 33, March 31 to your office.72 You should inform the German Foreign Office of the important quantity of official mail accumulating at Vichy for transmission to Paris and at Paris for transmission through Vichy to the Department and elsewhere, much of which consists of urgent communications respecting the representation of British and other foreign interests in occupied France.
If this latter class of mail is further delayed the German Government must realize the possibility of some reciprocal action on the part of the represented governments when they are informed, as they eventually must be if the present situation continues, that owing to the refusal of the German authorities to cooperate in facilitating communications to and from Paris the Department is no longer able effectively to represent there the foreign interests entrusted to its care with, it will be remembered, the assent of the German Government.
The Department desires you therefore to bring the foregoing considerations to the attention of the Foreign Office in writing and request an immediate reply in writing in order that the represented governments may be informed if the German Government should continue to deny this Government the necessary facilities.
If necessary the Department is agreeable that such communications be forwarded through your office to Paris instead of through Vichy, if this can be safely and expeditiously done.
- Telegram No. 33 was quoted in telegram No. 1080, April 8, from the Ambassador in France to the Department (124.516/358).↩