740.0011 European War 1939/10881: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received 4:20 p.m.]
543. Embassy’s telegram No. 526, May 9, noon. The Embassy learned in strict confidence this morning from an official source that German planes for the past 3 days have been arriving at Damascus and Palmyra on the way to Iraq; that 14 have arrived at Palmyra and [Page 703] that they are being permitted to refuel and take off again. We are told that General Dentz requested that they land in the future at Palmyra and not at Damascus “where they would be seen by too many people.” The orders permitting them to utilize Syrian air fields our informant said were issued from Vichy presumably by General Huntziger.65 He also said that a certain amount of war material is being shipped from French supplies in Syria to Iraq under instructions from Vichy though he did not know the nature of the material nor quantities involved.
The foregoing seems to check with Engert’s telegram 139, May 12, 4 p.m., which has just arrived.
Repeated to Beirut.
- Gen. Charles Huntziger, French Minister for National Defense.↩