740.00112 European War 1939/2886
Memorandum of Conversation, by the Assistant Chief of the Division of Near Eastern Affairs (Villard)
I telephoned to Mr. Helm in regard to the most recent telegram from the Legation at Monrovia regarding the aggressive and unfriendly attitude of the British Chargé d’Affaires toward the Firestone subsidiaries in Liberia. Mr. Helm said he would come down to discuss the matter, which he did later in the morning.
I told Mr. Helm that our latest information was to the effect that the British representative had notified clients of the Bank of Monrovia that he would refuse to grant navicert facilities for gold shipments made by the bank; that he would refuse a navicert application by the bank for 419 ounces of gold on the ground that the bank had not agreed to refrain from transferring funds for Germans; and that he had instructed traders to ship their gold not through the Bank of Monrovia but through two British firms. In addition, according to a report from our Minister, the British Chargé d’Affaires had stated in the presence of two Europeans and a prominent Liberian that he was out to get Harvey Firestone, and that because Liberia was not strong enough to enforce it he would pay no attention to Liberian neutrality.
I said this indicated that far from modifying his attitude the British Chargé d’Affaires was becoming more insolent and apparently [Page 521] hostile both to Liberia and the United States. I said that in my view this might warrant a request from our part that the British Government change its representation in Monrovia, in order that amicable relations might be restored. I reminded Mr. Helm of our traditional interest in Liberia and intimated that if, in the opinion of the British Chargé d’Affaires, Liberia was not strong enough to maintain its neutrality the Government of the United States might have to extend its informal advice and assistance.
Mr. Helm replied that he agreed entirely with everything I had said, and that in his opinion the tactlessness of the British Chargé had gone far enough. Mr. Helm said that he had sent a detailed report to London on the subject of our conference with Mr. Firestone on May 13, but that the pouch which carried the report had not yet arrived in England. He said that he had also sent a carbon copy of the report by Clipper to an official in the Foreign Office with the urgent request to look into the situation at Monrovia and to transfer all negotiations relating to Firestone to the British Embassy in Washington for the present. Mr. Helm said that he felt a change would be made in the British representation at Monrovia, but that in the meantime it would be very helpful if our Embassy in London would support our views by direct conversations with the appropriate officials.
Mr. Helm urged that we telegraph instructions to London as soon as possible in order that his report and our own message would arrive simultaneously. I said that we were on a point of doing so and that a telegram would go forward forthwith.