740.00118 European War 1939/821
The Consul at Leopoldville (Mallon) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 2.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram of October 3, 194152 and to report that Colonel Harry F. Cunningham, Lieutenant Commander John Mitchell, and Foreign Service Officer Laurence W. Taylor arrived at Pointe Noire on October 2, 1941. The Mission left Pointe Noire by train and arrived at Brazzaville on the morning of October 3. The welcome both at Pointe Noire and at Brazzaville was extremely enthusiastic and was followed by a round of formal receptions and dinners.
The Free French authorities had been looking forward to the arrival of the Mission with great excitement. As far as I could ascertain there was no talk of its involving any form of official recognition, but was viewed rather as a friendly gesture of aid—intangible if not material. General Sicé the High Commissioner of Free French Africa put it very aptly in his formal speech of welcome when he said that the Mission brought a message of hope …53
It is the opinion of the writer that in selecting a chief of the Mission no better choice could have been made than Colonel Cunningham. He has a fluent knowledge of the language and has shown a profound [Page 581] understanding of the French people and their temperament. A gentleman of the old school, he struck exactly the right note and made his position solid from the start. As one officer said to me: “He is not only intelligent and articulate, but he has the priceless gift of being a good listener.”
Colonel Cunningham and Lieutenant Commander Mitchell left on a tour of the territory on October 14 and will be gone for over a month. Mr. Taylor is remaining at Brazzaville for the time being.
Respectfully yours,