740.0011 European War 1939/10882: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Ambassador in France (Leahy)
409. Your 543, May 13, 3 p.m. and 544, May 13, 6 p.m.67 Unless you have now received information concerning the Darlan report which would render the proposed action inappropriate, you should [Page 710] promptly communicate with the French Foreign Office and state that this Government has received reports from various sources, including the Marshal’s statement to you, which would indicate that the French authorities in Syria are affording military assistance, including the despatch of war material to German and Italian forces operating in support of Rashid Ali in Iraq. So far the assistance has not apparently been on a large scale, but if the use by the Germans of Syrian territory continues it is evident that such participation in the German military effort goes beyond the requirements of the Armistice Agreement and in fact would constitute active military aid to Germany. If these reports are correct they are not in conformity with the Marshal’s assurances contained in your 508, May 4,68 and renewed in your conversation yesterday.
Under the circumstances, you are requested on behalf of this Government, to obtain a complete and formal declaration from the French Government concerning the extent of assistance which it is apparently affording the German and Italian Governments. You may also add that this Government believes, because of the assurances given to it, as referred to above, that the French Government will send instructions to its authorities in Syria that no facilities of any kind are to be given to German military operations on French territory and that no use is to be made of Syrian airdromes for sending German or Italian help to Rashid Ali.
- Latter printed in vol. ii, p. 166.↩
- Vol. ii, p. 160.↩