740.0011 European War 1939/11754: Telegram
The Ambassador in France (Leahy) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 7—1:30 p.m.]
642. Rochat asked Matthews81 to call at 8:00 this evening and said he had been urgently instructed by Admiral Darlan to give us the following message:
“In the light of the tenacious and persistent campaign carried on by the English radio with reference to the situation in Syria, the [Page 723] Minister of Foreign Affairs desires to inform the Ambassador of the United States that he has just repeated to General Dentz the following previous orders:
Not to attack the English in reprisal for bombardments unless British troops cross the frontier. In the latter case, General Dentz would be free to use all the forces at his disposal to defend Syria.
It is again made clear that there is in Syria no collaboration between German forces and French forces.”
Rochat went on to say that he had likewise “been authorized” by Admiral Darlan to inform us that Hitler himself had given orders for the withdrawal from Syria of all German airplanes which had gone to the assistance “of Iraq;” and that he had been further authorized to say that there are no German planes in Syria and no German military personnel.
We asked if this included anti-aircraft specialists (having in mind telegram No. 181, May 31, 12 noon, from Beirut) and Rochat replied that to his knowledge no German military personnel of any sort had been in Syria. He said that this question of Syria has assumed considerable importance in the eyes of the French Government since the tone and statements of the British radio have become “so exaggerated as to lead the French to believe that an early British attack is anticipated”.
We merely said that we would transmit the message promptly.
In reply to our request for specific information as to the nature of today’s important Cabinet meeting Rochat replied as usual that he had no information but did not believe that anything “sensational” had taken place.
As to news from Washington he made no comment on the Secretary’s statement82 but did say that whereas this morning an “encouraging telegram” concerning resumption of our plan for supplying North Africa had been received (we had been shown earlier a telegram from Chatel83 conveying to General Weygand the statements made to him by Murphy84 under the Department’s telegram 125, June 4, 6 p.m. to Algiers85), this evening a 5-page telegram from Henry-Haye86 had arrived indicating the suspension of all plans. The only section of the telegram he read us was a reference to orders stopping the loading of ships destined to supply North Africa and orders canceling authorization for the unblocking of funds for various French missions in the Western Hemisphere. He displayed no resentment, merely indicating that he imagined all depends [Page 724] on the outcome of “political developments in Vichy with which he is not au courant”.
Copy to Beirut.
- H. Freeman Matthews, First Secretary of Embassy in France.↩
- Statement to the press on June 5; for text, see Department of State Bulletin. June 7, 1941, p. 681.↩
- Yves Chatel, Secretary General of the Delegation General of the Government of French Africa and principal civilian adviser to General Weygand.↩
- Robert D. Murphy, Counselor of Embassy in France, on special assignment in French North Africa.↩
- Vol. ii, p. 365.↩
- Gaston Henry-Haye, French Ambassador in the United States.↩