Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The British Commonwealth; The Near East and Africa, Volume III

881.4016/13

The Secretary of State to the Secretary of the American Jewish Committee ( Morris D. Waldman )

Washington , October 17, 1941.

My Dear Mr. Waldman: In your letter of March 31, 1941, you raised certain questions regarding anti-Jewish legislation in the French Zone of Morocco. In the Department’s reply of April 11, 1941,⁶¹ you were informed that the American Legation at Tangier had been requested to submit a report on the matter. This report⁶¹ has now been received and, together with the relevant documents in the Department’s archives, has been given careful study. As a result of this study the following facts have been developed:

1. The proposal of the American delegation at the Algeciras Conference, referred to in your letter of March 31, 1941, was in no sense a demand or requirement that the Sultan of Morocco should give a guarantee of equality of treatment of Jews and other subjects in Morocco, but was merely an expression of a wish or trust that the Sultan continue the good policy which he had carried on after the reign of his father with respect to such persons in Morocco. In this connection it may be noted that the word “Voeu” appearing in the resolution does not mean “vote”, but “wish”, “desire”, or “trust”.

2. At the Algeciras Conference Mr. White was directed to urge “the consideration of guarantees of religious and racial tolerance in Morocco” ( Foreign Relations, 1905, page 680) as you suggest. A subsequent instruction ( Foreign Relations, 1906, [pt. 2], page 1487) cancelled that instruction; and this cancellation was apparently due to the express request of representative Jews in Morocco who expressed themselves as satisfied with their treatment by the Sultan. The text of the telegram which Secretary Root sent to Mr. White on March 28, 1906, was as follows:

“In view of the statement in your dispatch of January 30⁶³ and Mr. Einstein’s report and Mr. Pimienta’s suggestion, we do not consider it necessary or desirable that you should present the subject of the treatment of Jews in Morocco to the conference as directed by the special instructions to you on that subject. You need not present the subject to the conference at all. You are, however, at liberty to ask for an expression in the sense of your dispatch of January 20,⁶⁴ and in general conformity to the views of Mr. Pimienta, if, upon further consultation, you are of the opinion that it would be of practical benefit.”

In the circumstances, as outlined above, I believe you will agree that the proceedings of the Algeciras Conference and the instructions given the American delegate, which are, of course, public knowledge, do not provide a satisfactory basis for action by this Government along the lines suggested in your letter of March 31, 1941.

So far as the general question of religious freedom is concerned, the attitude of this Government is well known to all the European Powers through numerous authoritative statements which have been made. A further statement at this time, as you will readily understand, is not likely to accomplish any useful result, and it seems probable that any real progress in this direction must await a general solution of the European problem.

For the present, bearing in mind particularly the situation in the French Zone of Morocco, it seems clear that all that can be done is to see that all practicable measures are taken for the proper protection of American interests should any American citizen or protégé be affected by the legislation to which you referred in your letter of March 31. I should add that up to the present the Department has not been informed that any American ressortissants have been affected by the legislation in question.

Sincerely yours,

For the Secretary of State:

Adolf A. Berle, Jr.

Assistant Secretary

61. Not printed.
61. Not printed.
63. Foreign Relations, 1906, pt. 2, p. 1471.
64. Not printed.