851A.00/47
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State
The French Ambassador28 called at his request and thanked me for my press statement29 yesterday in regard to the occupation of St. [Page 559] Pierre and Miquelon by Free French forces on Wednesday last.30 I proceeded then to speak to the Ambassador along the lines of what I said later at my regular press conference today. I stated to the Ambassador that it would be bad policy for us to do any talking to the press—either he or I—until there is an opportunity for further conferences and consideration of the matters in controversy; that it might be very injurious to his country, as well as ours, if the press greatly exaggerates the matters in question and distorts and otherwise confuses the entire situation as it relates to this matter. I then said that naturally there was nothing for me to say to him at this time in addition to what I said yesterday in my press statement and the substance of what I am giving to the press today, for the manifest reason that I have had no opportunity for conferences with the appropriate officials of the governments interested.
I then emphasized to the Ambassador that, of course, I am advancing no suggestion to him now for the attention of either his Government at Vichy or Admiral Robert at Martinique; that I am merely calling attention to the real facts of the matter; the facts are that until day-before-yesterday the sole question up for consideration had related to the supervision by the Allied Governments of the wireless station on these two French islands. It was contemplated that this would be effected by a friendly arrangement providing for a commission of three or four experts, preferably Canadians, which would act without interfering in any way with the territorial or the political affairs of the two islands. I did not proceed any further except to state that there was nothing more I could say in addition to what I said yesterday and proposed to say to the press today. A copy of the transcript of my press conference is hereto attached.31
The Ambassador always talks considerably when he emerges from my office and meets the press, and I do not know what he has said today relative to our conversation.