851A.74/12–541
The Canadian Legation to the Department of State 4
There is quoted below the text of a message sent on December 4th by Mr. Mackenzie King to Mr. Winston Churchill.5 In communicating this message to the Government of the United States, Mr. Mackenzie King states that he would be glad to receive an expression of the views of the Government of the United States on the matter at their earliest convenience.
“We have had under consideration for some time the question of arranging for the supervision of wireless transmitting stations in Saint Pierre and Miquelon because of our concern about possible danger to convoy movements. This matter was first brought to the attention of our Government in a communication from the High Commissioner for the United Kingdom suggesting that the Free French naval forces should take over the islands and place them under Free French administration. For various reasons this step appeared to us at the time to be inappropriate. The Canada–United States Permanent Joint Board on Defence unanimously agreed on November 10th that the existence on the islands of an uncontrolled and high powered wireless transmitting station constitutes a potential danger to the interests of Canada and the United States.
“We have felt that the matter might be best approached by having a senior official of the Department of External Affairs visit Saint Pierre and inform the Administrator that Canada, in the interests of Canadian security and, in fact, of North American security generally, considers this supervision essential and to express the hope that the Administrator will see his way clear to cooperate. Should the Administrator object to this, such a rejection would appear prima facie evidence that the suspicions with respect to the use to which the transmitting stations on the islands may be put are well founded.
“The question would then immediately arise as to the course to be taken as a consequence.
“In that connection we are considering the advisability of sending to the islands either with the senior official or subsequently upon receipt of word from him, four technical radio inspectors. These latter would be under The Chargé of a member of the Royal Canadian Navy, probably of petty officer rank, who would himself be responsible to our Acting Consul in Saint Pierre. The technical radio inspectors would be directed to pre-censor all incoming and outgoing wireless and cable messages and to supervise all radio transmitting stations on the islands. It is proposed that they should be taken to Saint Pierre in a [Page 543] corvette or a minesweeper. The Administrator would then be informed that the Canadian Government attach such importance to this matter that in the circumstances the Commander of the corvette had been instructed to leave a versatile detachment of ratings in the island in charge of the petty officer to protect the technicians and to see that there is no interference with the supervisors in the performance of their duties.
“I recognize that, with relations between Vichy and Berlin what they are just at this time and with the situation in the Orient what it is, action of this kind might be interpreted by Vichy as an effort by Canada to take control if not possession of the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French colonial possession; and that Vichy might seek to find in the incident, particularly at the moment when Darlan6 is collaborating so closely with Hitler, an excuse to hand over the French fleet to Germany as a means of protecting French colonial possessions.
“The situation has its bearing, of course, on what is taking place in North Africa and also upon the attitude which the United States has taken towards French colonial possessions in the Western Hemisphere and particularly in the Caribbean.
“In the circumstances, I have felt that any action on Canada’s part in the matter should be delayed until after we had ascertained the views of the Governments of the United Kingdom and of the United States in reference thereto. I shall be grateful to receive at your earliest convenience an expression of your own views in the matter. Meanwhile, I am making a similar request of the Government of the United States.”
- Handed to the Under Secretary of State (Welles) by the Canadian Minister-Counselor (Wrong).↩
- Prime Ministers of Canada and the United Kingdom, respectively; Mr. Churchill’s reply to this message was in effect that it would be desirable for Free French Forces to land and control the radio station on St. Pierre-Miquelon rather than for the Canadian Government to take action in what might create an embarrassing political situation, but that no action would be taken unless the consent of the American and Canadian Governments were obtained (851A.01/32).↩
- Adm. Jean Francois Darlan, Vice President of the French Council of Ministers, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Navy, and National Defense.↩