740.0011 European War 1939/11817: Telegram
The Consul General at Beirut (Engert) to the Secretary of State
Beirut, June 9, 1941—10
a.m.
[Received 5:15 p.m.]
[Received 5:15 p.m.]
200. As the local representative of the United Press is telegraphing summaries of communiqués and the Department has, of course, access to British communiqués I shall confine myself to information not available to the public.
- 1.
- Neighborhood of Standard Oil tanks in Beirut was bombed twice yesterday. Little damage was done but several people were killed and injured. No air raid warnings were sounded either on this or previous occasions. There is no blackout and the local population appears to have blind confidence that no British plane will [Page 730] hurt them. The city has not changed its normal aspect although all schools and some shops have been closed.
- 2.
- Most of the male British subjects were arrested last night and were locked up at the quarantine station. As this is a very unpleasant place besides being in the military defense area I objected and the High Commissioner has promised to remove them at once to a more suitable locality. Women have not been molested.
- 3.
- Most of the military section of the High Commission have been moved to other quarters, leaving only some of the civil bureaus in the present large and very conspicuous building.
- 4.
- On the whole the British appear to have encountered more French military resistance than they had anticipated but hardly any of the local French believe that it will last long.
- 5.
- All both official and unofficial and most of the Italians left Beirut and Damascus yesterday and today for Aleppo. Several of them have told their friends that they would be back soon and mentioned the recent air raids on Alexandria as an example of what happens to cities under British protection.
- 6.
- British bombing of Aleppo airdrome has destroyed radio station and barracks on south camp. German personnel of some 20 men has now moved to north camp where they live in the same building as French personnel near the gasoline dump.
- 7.
- Germans at Aleppo are under command of Von Manteuffel and are making no preparations to leave immediately. There are also some German soldiers who returned from Iraq. It is my considered opinion that they will remain until the last possible moment in the hope that the British will be held up by the French sufficiently long to enable German planes to bring enough German forces to Aleppo to hold northern Syria. It is therefore imperative that the British take Aleppo with the least possible delay especially as 500 tons of aviation spirits are expected to arrive there for the Germans from Rumania via Turkey in the immediate future.
- 8.
- British should also occupy as quickly as possible railway between Kameshli and Tell Kotchek as the French intend to blow up bridge at Wadi Rumeli.
- 9.
- German military mission has recently been inspecting Latakia—see my 181, May 3197—and is undoubtedly continuing plans for the landing of troops there by sea and air.
Please inform British authorities.
Repeated to Vichy.
Engert