740.0011 European War 1939/17091

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Under Secretary of State (Welles)

The French Ambassador55 called to see me this afternoon at his request.

The Ambassador read to me a communication from his Government alleging that the American officials who had recently gone to the Free French colonies in West Africa constituted an official mission with the implication that such mission constituted recognition of the de Gaulle jurisdiction in those territories. I said I felt I need only refer the Ambassador to what I had said before on this same subject, namely that these Americans were going for purposes of investigation and that their going did not imply any official recognition of the de Gaulle régime.

S[umner] W[elles]
  1. Gaston Henry-Haye.